Volunteer

We Would Not Exist Without Our Volunteers!

Volunteers are the backbone of Acadiana Animal Aid’s success

Located on 10 beautiful acres in Carencro, LA, Acadiana Animal Aid, a no-kill animal shelter for cats and dogs, is the regional leader in animal adoption and transport. Founded in 1974, we currently have over 145 volunteers assisting us in caring for our animals seven days a week. Our dedicated volunteers and staff are fueled by passion and a desire to educate, advocate, rescue, shelter, and protect animals in our care until they all have a home.

Volunteering is easy at Acadiana Animal Aid! All it takes is a little love for our shelter pets, and a desire to give back to our homeless animal community. We have many programs where your time will impact the daily mission of Acadiana Animal Aid. Your skills and experience are invaluable, so let us know how you’d like to participate.

Standard Volunteer:

Standard Volunteer Application

Jr. Volunteer (10-15):

Junior Volunteer Application

Help Us At The Shelter

We have many different volunteering opportunities, like the ones below.

Hands-On Care

Work hands-on with our cats and dogs to help us keep them happy and healthy! Duties include feeding, cleaning, exercising, washing dishes, giving medication, sweeping, hosing, bathing, brushing, and doing laundry. We also spend as much time as we can playing, socializing, and training. It’s not all glamorous work, but it’s necessary and it’s rewarding! If you can spare a few hours every week, either in the morning or late afternoon/evening, please consider this volunteer position.

Transport

Our lifesaving Transport Program is tremendously successful but takes a lot of work and we couldn’t do it without our volunteers. Help us load dogs for our large transports, drive them across the country to a new beginning, clean crates upon returning, clean the van, and learn to assist the staff in other ways to continue making this program successful in saving the lives of companion animals.

Learn More

Social Media & Website

Are you tech savvy? Do you have a gift for words? Do you love social media? Are you looking to help animals but may not have time to come to the shelter? We have a lot happening here and we love letting our community know about it. Experience with WordPress is a huge plus! 

 

Education Programs

Help educate the community and the next generation of animal lovers by assisting with our education programs. Acadiana Animal Aid offers various programs including, I Read to Animals, Summer Adventure Camp and Junior Volunteers. Junior Volunteers is geared toward young people aged 10-15 and meets 1-2 Saturdays per month. Dependable teachers are the key to continuing this program. Let us know if you are interested.
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Events

Every year, Acadiana Animal Aid hosts fundraising and awareness events that are vital for our operation and community education. If you like helping with events or would just like to stuff some envelopes or help out the day-of, we’d love to have you.  We will be attending more adoption events every month and can always use extra hands to transport animals and materials to these events. Come learn more about what we do and you can help us spread the word!
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Veterinarian Prep Assistance

Help our Veterinary Staff provide high-quality medical care to our pets. We are in search of volunteers who will be trained to help with a variety of veterinary tasks including, taking temperatures, administering dewormer, overseeing patients in recovery after surgery, and more! Volunteers must be comfortable working in a fast-paced environment around animals who may be ill, injured, or having surgery.

Administrative Work

Help keep Acadiana Animal Aid operating smoothly by providing valuable office support. Volunteers may assist with data entry, answering phones, greeting visitors, preparing bulk mailings, and more.

 

Field Trip Dog Foster

Many of our dogs could use a break from the shelter environment. Take our dogs on a field trip outing! Take them on a leash walk at Girard Park, have a date night at home (order in and watch Netflix), play fetch in an enclosed space, or take them for a puppuccino at Starbucks!

Photographer

We always need more photographers to help us get our adoptable animals posted in a timely manner. If you have experience taking photos/videos and are looking to use your skill with animals then please contact us.
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Safety Notice

To ensure the safety of our shelter staff and pets and to maximize our efficiency, we require that all “routine” volunteers train with an experienced handler for at least three shifts before being assigned to a regular schedule. Feel free to complete this training at your own pace, but please be willing to commit to six months of volunteering to help us utilize our resources most effectively.