Volunteer

The animals, volunteers, and staff at Regional Animal Services of King County (RASKC) thank you for your interest in volunteering. Volunteers are absolutely essential in caring for the animals entrusted to RASKC. We have many volunteer opportunities for people who love animals.

The most invaluable way to help animals is to provide foster care. Learn more about the program by visiting our Foster page.

RASKC especially values volunteers who are reliable, conscientious, and solution-oriented. For most volunteer opportunities, be prepared to commit about 50 hours for at least six months, or roughly two hours each week. For most volunteer roles, after you have successfully completed training, you must sign up for a regularly scheduled weekly shift (except fostering). The dogs and cats at RASKC rely on volunteers to consistently show up and provide them with care, nurturing, and exercise while they wait to be adopted into their forever homes. Working directly with animals is a very important privilege, so you are asked to be fully prepared to make the commitment before completing the application. We look forward to you joining our team!

Applying to Become a Volunteer

There are three steps to become a RASKC volunteer.

Step 1: Complete and return the volunteer application

Download an application here. Volunteers must be at least 10 years old. For applicants under 18 years old, a parent/legal guardian must sign the volunteer application.

Once you have completed your application, you can drop it off at the Pet Adoption Center, fax it to 206-205-8043, scan and email it to sarah.luthens@kingcounty.gov or mail it to the address below.

Regional Animal Services of King County
Attn: Volunteer Program Manager
21615 64th Ave S.
Kent, WA 98032

Step 2: Attend the required Policies and Procedures orientation

After your application is received, you will receive an email with the dates and location of the upcoming volunteer orientations. If you are under age 16, your parent/guardian must attend this session with you. If you are 16-17 years old, your parent/guardian does not need to attend if they have signed your volunteer application and your Policies and Procedures form.

Step 3: Participate in the classroom and “hands on” trainings with the animals

After you attend orientation, you will be notified of opportunities to register for trainings. If you are under age 16, your parent/guardian must attend training sessions. They must also accompany you on all volunteer shifts.

Volunteer Opportunities

Below is a list of some of our volunteer opportunities and their requirements. With some exceptions, volunteers can serve in more than one role. If you have questions about volunteering, contact volunteer program manager Sarah Luthens at 206-296-3946 or sarah.luthens@kingcounty.gov.

Cat Team at Pet Adoption Center

Members of the Cat Team at the Pet Adoption Center are expected to work regularly scheduled weekly shifts for a period of at least six months.

Early Morning Cat Crew: Bring joy to cats in the morning, starting at 8:00am, by cleaning their cages, feeding them, and helping to monitor their health. Requirements: Scrupulous attention to detail, very strong commitment to hygiene, and very good cat-handling skills. Open to volunteers age 18 and older only.

Meet and Greet: Assist customers in finding the right cat for them to adopt. Answer frequently asked questions and promote responsible pet ownership. Requirements: Very good communication skills with the general public, ability to absorb a lot of information, and good cat-handling skills. Afternoon shifts from 12:00 noon to 6:00pm available. Classroom training and at least two apprenticeships are required.

Petfinder.com Team: Assess the personalities of cats, develop text to describe the cats, photograph them, and upload the information to the Petfinder.com website. Additional team members needed April-November. Requirements: Good photography skills, good writing skills, familiarity with uploading to website, and ability to easily discern cats' personalities.

Cat Team at Offsite Adoption Partner Locations

Members of the Cat Team at Offsite Adoption Partner Locations are expected to work regularly scheduled weekly shifts at the offsite location for a period of at least six months. RASKC currently houses cats for adoption at four locations in King County. Choose the location that is most convenient for you:

• Reber Ranch, 28606 132nd Ave. SE, Kent
• Crossroads Petco, 15600 NE 8th St., Suite 1, Bellevue
• Aurora Village Petco, 1241 N. 205th St., Seattle (Shoreline)
• Federal Way Petsmart, 31705 Pacific Hwy S., Federal Way

Dog Team

Members of the Dog Team are expected to work regularly scheduled weekly shifts for a period of at least six months. Volunteer dog walkers under age 18 are restricted to walking dogs only on the RASKC grounds (except special adoption events). Volunteer dog walkers under age 16 must be always be accompanied by a parent/guardian who has successfully completed RASKC’s dog walking training. Volunteer dog walkers under age 16 are not allowed in any dog's kennel.

Early Morning Dog Crew: From 8:00 to 10:00am, take the dogs out for their first potty break of the day. Emphasis on getting all of the dogs walked with a shift partner. Assist in dumping out dog waste buckets. Requirements: Very good dog-handling skills, including large untrained dogs, especially pit bull terriers; and ability to lift 50 pounds. Classroom training and at least two apprenticeships are required.

Dog Walking at the Pet Adoption Center: Two-hour weekly shifts between 10:00am and 5:00pm on weekends and 10:00am to 6:00pm on weekdays. Exercise, train, and help socialize the dogs. Requirements: Very good dog-handling skills, including large untrained dogs, especially pit bull terriers; and ability to lift 50 pounds. Classroom training and at least two apprenticeships are required.

Dog Walking at Special Adoption Events: Walk dogs at special adoption events. Help transport a dog to the event. Answer frequently asked questions and promote responsible pet ownership. Very good communication skills with the general public and good cat-handling skills. Open only to experienced RASKC volunteers.

Specialized Opportunities

RASKC also has specialized volunteer opportunities with the Mission Reunite: Help and Hope for Lost Pets team, Pet Loss Support Group, and Barn Cats R Us program. Check the Special Programs and Services page for information on these opportunities.

Other Opportunities

Do you have other skills or expertise that you would like to share with Regional Animal Services of King County? We'd like to hear from you! We can always use help in the following areas:

• Dog obedience training
• Pet grooming
• Fundraising
• Project management
• Event planning and logistics
• Data entry and management
• Language translation and interpretation
• Hospitality: providing treats or beverages once per quarter for volunteers
• Outreach to diverse communities
• Scheduling
• Staffing information booths at community events
• Volunteer recruitment and/or management
• Vet Clinic: provide logistical and cleaning support in our clinic
• Volunteer program support
• Web design/development/programming
• Photography/videography
• Marketing and public relations
• Graphic design
• Social media
• Legal analysis/contract drafting
• Relationships with policymakers and other experts

Don't see your interest or skill on the list? We can still use you! Contact Sarah Luthens at 206-296-3946 or sarah.luthens@kingcounty.gov to discuss what you can bring to RASKC.