Oceanside Campus
San Diego Humane Society’s Escondido Campus cares for the homeless and stray animals of Oceanside, Vista, Carlsbad, Del Mar, Solana Beach and Encinitas.. Volunteers assist our staff in serving the animals and pet owners of these communities to ensure a remarkable experience at the shelter. We are grateful for the enthusiasm, dedication and love they share with us every day.
WANT TO GET INVOLVED?
New volunteers are typically recruited every month, on an as needed basis, however due to COVID-19, recruitment is temporarily on hold. We hope to recruit again in Spring 2021. Please review the information below if interested in serving at this campus add your name to our interest list to be notified when the application is available. Thanks!
OPPORTUNITIES:
Companion Animal Team
New volunteers begin in our foundation level role of our Companion Animal team where they learn the foundation of animal sheltering and assist with feeding, cleaning, making enrichment items and assisting guests. After a minimum of 15 hours of service on this team, volunteers may apply to step up into our core level roles such as dog walking, cat socializing, assisting in our kitten nursery etc. These core roles require additional training, responsibility and a weekly shift commitment.
Foundation level activities include:
- Animal Care – Assist with feeding, cleaning and in-kennel enrichment at the shelter. Shifts available daily between 7 a.m.-6 p.m.
- Guest Services – Assist guests coming to reclaim lost pets, adopt a new pet or requests services or supplies. Shifts available daily between 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
- Minimum commitment is one shift every other week. Shifts typically run 2 hours in length.
Check out this virtual tour of our Oceanside campus!
REQUIREMENTS:
- Be at least 16 years of age.
- Have access to email since most volunteer communication is done via email.
- Complete a Volunteer Info Session, small group Service Planning Session and on line e-Learning prior to volunteering. Service Planning Sessions are typically offered 1-3 weeks after the Info Session!
- At this time, we are unable to verify hours to meet community service requirements mandated by the court.
HOW TO BECOME A VOLUNTEER:
- Complete our online application and sign up for a Volunteer Info Session! Info Sessions are typically hosted every month, on an as needed basis. At this session you will learn more about our organization, the volunteer team and our current opportunities.
- Complete the Volunteer Service Planning Session! If after attending our info sessions you decide we are the right organization for you, you can then sign up for a Volunteer Service Planning Session. This small group session includes a walking tour of the facility, initial training in the shelter and an opportunity to practice the volunteer duties to determine if our opportunities are the right fit for you.
- Training! Following the planning session, the Volunteer Engagement team will offer you a positon on the team if our assignment matches your skills, interests and availability. Once you have received your volunteer offer, you will complete your online eLearning from home and then come in to serve!
Oceanside Campus - Recruitment Temporarily Suspended
In response to the current state of affairs regarding COVID-19, we are temporarily suspending volunteer recruitment and onboarding until further notice. Thank you for your patience, and we wish you continued health and safety.
In the meantime, you can support the shelter by:
- Adding your name to our interest list to be notified when the application is available
- Creating animal enrichment items from our Do-It-Yourself Packet.
- Hosting a donation drive to collect items on our Wish List.
- “Liking” us on Facebook and share our posts!
- Participating in an online learning opportunity for our volunteers: Fear Free Shelter Program. The goal of the Fear Free Shelter Program is to improve the experiences of animals by educating shelter employees and volunteers about their emotional needs. This online course aims to share key strategies and techniques designed to reduce the negative emotional states that are commonly experienced by shelter animals—including fear, anxiety, stress (FAS), and frustration—and increase enrichment opportunities. The Fear Free Shelter Program provides training suitable for all of the individuals involved in the care and oversight of shelter and rescue animals! To participate:
1. Go to the Fear Free website at: https://fearfreeshelters.com/
2. Click “Get Started” in the top right corner to create your account.
3. Fill out your profile information.
4. Print this pre-signed Volunteer Verification Form, fill out the remaining fields, and scan/upload to the Fear Free website to complete your registration.
5. Begin the Core Modules: After a brief introduction to Fear Free, you will work through four mandatory modules, which will need to be taken in consecutive order. Each module will end with an exam, which needs to be successfully completed prior to moving on to the next module. Progress on work can be saved at any time, giving you the flexibility to self-pace throughout the program. The core modules take approximately 5 hours to complete. When all four modules have been completed, you will be awarded with a Fear Free Shelter Program Certificate of Completion.
6. Save your certificate. Once we're able to offer our Volunteer Information Sessions again and you are confirmed as an official San Diego Humane Society volunteer, you can send us the document so we can include it in your file. That's all there is to it!
Once again, we hope to see you in the future once we are ready to resume bringing on new volunteers! Until then, stay healthy and safe!
