Volunteer

Volunteers for Humane Society of the Tennessee Valley can be found working with animals or assisting in our day-to-day operations 365 days a year. With over 500 active volunteers, we welcome you to our family and offer many exciting opportunities to help support our mission! On-site with the animals or off-site at our events, we cannot do this important work without you. We thank you for your interest and hope that you consider coming to an orientation and becoming part of our team.

Sampling of the volunteer opportunities available at HSTV

The following are opportunities that volunteers may participate in, after completing an application and orientation provided by our program.

Help one of our adoptable animals find their forever home! Adoption Assistants assist our Adoption Counselors on our busy days! We require a short in-person training for this position. 

Tasks may include but are not limited to: 

  • Answering questions 
  • Placing animals into meet & greet rooms  
  • Accurately placing animals back into their assigned kennels after a meet & greet 
  • Following meet & greet sanitization protocols in between animals  
  • Directing potential adopters to the next step of the adoption process 
  • Communicating with adoption counselors  
  • Etc. 

There is potential for this position to grow into a role called “Adoption Specialist”. This will include processing applications, finalizing payment, and ensuring the adopter goes home with all necessary items!  

Assist our Kennel Techs (KTs) in taking care of our animals! These are some of the most important parts of daily animal care! Requires in-person training!  

These tasks may include but are not limited to: 

  • Preparing food and/or handing it out to our animals 
  • Assisting our KTs with daily dog rotations  
  • Resetting/spot cleaning kennels 
  • Sweeping & mopping 
  • Taking trash to the dumpster 
  • Unfolding newspaper for puppies 
  • Scooping litterboxes  
  • Etc. 

Take an approved dog to a park and take a walk! We also visit our community partners with puppies weekly. This is great in helping them get more comfortable in being in public on a leash and gives them a break from being in the shelter. This is an 18+ opportunity! We also require a short training video to be completed before this shift is available to new volunteers! 

Pick a book and read it to an animal! Great for all ages! While they may not understand what you are saying, reading aloud can help them feel more comfortable around new people! If reading isn’t your favorite thing to do, you can do homework, practice for a speech, and of course play with them too! 

Do you like simple repetitive tasks? This is an easy shift for you! This shift is designed to make items that enrich the lives of our shelter pets by offering them a fun activity or special treat. There are different activities based on what the shelter needs.  

Activities include: 

  • Kongs 
  • Pup-sicles  
  • Handmade cat scratchers and more! 

As a nonprofit organization, we rely on the generosity of donations and grants to continue our work. That’s why connecting with our community through local events is so important. We’d love for you to join us in sharing our mission, building relationships, and spreading the word at events such as: 

  • Fundraisers 
  • Adoption events, 
  • Public outreach events 
  • Etc. 

This volunteer shift supports us by helping maintain a clean, welcoming environment for the public, staff, and fellow volunteers. With staff often focused on caring for the animals, your help with routine cleaning tasks makes a meaningful difference in keeping everything running! 

Tasks include but are not limited to: 

  • Cleaning windows 
  • Wiping down surfaces like door handles, counters, chairs, etc. 
  • Spot cleaning the front of kennels 
  • Restock cleaning supplies in their designated areas 
  • Sweeping and mopping floors 
  • Emptying the trash and recycling 
  • Cleaning bathrooms (floors, toilets, and sinks) 
  • Any other cleaning task that might be needed that day. 

A lot of laundry and dishes pile up during the day! This volunteer shift is designed to support our kennel techs by helping them keep up with laundry and dishes throughout the day.  

Tasks may include but are not limited to: 

  • Washing, drying, and folding shelter laundry 
  • Cleaning dishes, toys, litter boxes, watering cans, and other washable items 
  • Restocking clean supplies in their designated areas 

We’re proud to support our community by providing access to pet food through our monthly pantry, held on the last Saturday of each month. During this volunteer shift, you’ll help log, date, and organize incoming food donations, ensuring everything is ready to be distributed efficiently to those in need. 

Tasks include but are not limited to: 

  • Taking donations from the lobby to our pantry upstairs 
  • Using a sharpie to write the expiration date on the front of each item 
  • Organizing the shelves to have the items that expire soonest in the front  
  • Throwing away expired food into the dumpster outside 
  • Closing opened bags of food with tape or putting it into plastic baggies 
  • Logging & organizing treats in the same manner 

During the warmer months, keeping our grounds neat and well-maintained becomes an important part of creating a safe and welcoming space for both people and animals. We rely on dependable volunteers to help keep the grass and weeds under control. Because this work involves outdoor equipment, we ask that only those who are comfortable and experienced using a push lawnmower and weed eater sign up for this shift! 

This volunteer shift supports the Pet-Help Community Clinic by helping maintain a clean and sanitized environment for the animals. With staff often focused on caring for the animals, your help with routine cleaning tasks makes a meaningful difference in keeping everything running! This is an 18+ opportunity!  

Tasks include but are not limited to: 

  • Dusting all surfaces in the surgery suite (a high-priority task) 
  • Good communication with the vet team regarding tasks 
  • Cleaning the clinic bathroom 
  • Sweeping & mopping floors 

Taking trash out to the dumpster 

Are you a current veterinary student seeking meaningful community service hours? We’d love to have you join us! Our clinic is now welcoming student “interns” to assist with day-to-day tasks and gain hands-on experience! Please contact us for more info!  

View our volunteer manual

Apply to Volunteer

Questions? Please contact our Volunteer Coordinator.

Volunteer Requirements
  • $20 Volunteer Fee (Includes your t-shirt)
  • Volunteer at least once a month
  • Watch pre-recorded orientation

Group Volunteering

If you have a group of volunteers who would like to offer their time to our organization, we’d love to have you! HSTV welcomes groups of volunteers to help with large tasks that require many hands. If you are interested in volunteering with a group of friends, family, or co-workers, please fill out this form. Once this information is received, our Volunteer Coordinator will follow up via email.

We are currently able to accommodate groups of up to 10 adults or 7 minors with chaperones. Shifts will be available before the shelter opens to the public (typically 8 AM-10AM) Monday -Friday. For example, recent groups have helped with the following tasks 

  • Landscaping & Gardening
  • Sorting donations
  • Prepping adoption & foster supplies
  • Enrichment activities
  • Deep cleaning

We also offer off-site group volunteer projects. These typically pertain to animal enrichment activities. We will provide everything for your group to complete the task off-site. Please inquire to learn more.

Time of Preferred Service

Youth Volunteers

We welcome and encourage our youth to play a vital role in our organization. We also understand that most youth have varying maturity levels and for that reason, we allow volunteers of any age. Youth under the age of 16, however, are required to be accompanied by a parent or guardian who has also completed the orientation process.

Sign Your Youth Up Today!

Court-Ordered Community Service

We accept court-ordered volunteers on a limited basis. All individuals must be at least 18 years old and present documentation verifying the type of offense before attending orientation. Applicants with violent or animal-based charges will not be considered. You will be required to show a valid driver’s license, pay the $20 volunteer program fee, and attend orientation once approved.

Interested in Court Ordered Community Service hours? Please click on the Apply to Volunteer button at the top of the page.