Volunteer Opportunities
Volunteer Opportunities
Thank you for your interest in volunteering your time with the Ottawa Humane Society. Due to the current increase COVID-19 cases and keeping the safety of our staff, volunteers and the public in mind, we have made the difficult decision to close recruitment at this time.
Please keep an eye on our webpage as we will post volunteer opportunities here when we are able to resume recruitment.
OHS volunteers help give Ottawa’s animals a brighter future and make our community a more humane place for all. If you are interested in joining our volunteer team, and making a difference for Ottawa’s animals, please review the volunteer opportunities and follow the application instructions.
Please note: Applications will not be processed for programs that are not open for recruitment. We have a limited number of available openings, and applicants must meet the volunteer requirements to be considered for an interview. We thank all applicants for applying, however, only candidates selected for interviews will be contacted.
Current Volunteer Opportunities at the OHS
Volunteer: Foster Program
The OHS relies on the dedication of foster volunteers to aid in the recovery of animals who may not be ready for adoption due to medical or behavioural reasons. Foster volunteers temporarily care for animals in their home until the animals are ready to be adopted. The goal of the Foster Program is to provide the animals in our care with an opportunity for a happy and healthy future.
Other Opportunities: Not Currently Recruiting
Other Opportunities: Not Currently Recruiting
Thank you for your interest in wanting to donate your time and skills to helping the animals in our care. Fortunately, the following programs are well supported by volunteers and we are not able to accept applications for these positions at this time.
The OHS is a busy place, and volunteer needs are always changing. If you are interested in joining one of these programs, please visit our website in the near future to see if the program status has changed. Again, thank you for your interest.
Youth Volunteer Program
The youth volunteer program is designed to provide a meaningful hands-on opportunity at the OHS for youth ages 14-18, with an interest in animal welfare. The program allows qualified successful candidates the opportunity to work with our camp staff, in facilitating camp programming for children ages 6-12. For the youth involved, participation in this program provides them with mentorship from OHS staff, experience working with children, an opportunity to volunteer in an animal-related field, and the ability to complete their 40 hours community service.
Volunteer: Brightening Lives Animal Visits
The Brightening Lives Animal Visits Program is a community service that the OHS began in 1986. This volunteer-based program promotes the value of animals in the Ottawa community by bringing joy and happiness to individuals residing in hospitals, retirement residences, shelters and other long-term care facilities, through human and companion animal volunteer interactions. The Brightening Lives Animal Visits Program mimics an academic school year and runs from September to May, with occasional summer visits. Visits are scheduled from Mondays to Thursdays, and consist of morning, afternoon and evening shifts.
Volunteer: Humane Education Program
Do you enjoy spending time with children and animals? Are you comfortable speaking in front of kids?Are you available for three hours every second week during the school year (October-June)? Can you commit to the School Program for one year? Do you have a car or access to a vehicle?
If you answered YES to the above questions, you may enjoy volunteering with the humane education department!
Volunteer: Canine Behaviour Intervention Program
Interested in helping OHS dogs become better canine citizens? Some dogs need a little help adjusting to the shelter environment before finding their forever home or they need some basic training to help them get adopted more quickly.
Volunteer: Groomer
Volunteer groomers help ensure the health and well-being of our animals by bathing and drying animals, trimming nails, cleaning ears, and brushing or shaving matted coats. The OHS has a fully equipped grooming room including a table, tub, and supplies where volunteers provide grooming services with an expert hand.
Canine Enrichment: Level 2 Holding Volunteer
The OHS Volunteer department is seeking reliable, patient, and knowledgeable people to walk dogs, offer basic enrichment, encourage basic obedience (“sit”, “down”, and loose-leash walking), and follow behaviour modification plan instructions for dogs who are not yet ready for adoption. In many cases, the population of dogs who are not yet ready for adoption is much greater than the number of dogs in the Adoptions Centre. These dogs can be more challenging to handle, as many of these dogs may be new to the shelter (and therefore more stressed) and will have had less time with Canine Intervention and/or Enrichment Volunteers to practice good behaviours.
Volunteer: Donation Processing
The Ottawa Humane Society’s Volunteer Department is looking for volunteers who are interested in supporting our work by doing administration and data entry in our Development office. Volunteers are responsible for donation processing paperwork, opening mail, batching and receipting within the Raiser’s Edge database from various sources.
Volunteer: PAW Stewardship
Want to help spread the word to OHS donors and help us thank them for their support? We are looking for volunteers to help us call donors to thank them for supporting the animals and share wonderful and heartwarming examples of how their support is helping to save animal’s lives. Volunteers are also responsible for basic data entry.
Volunteer: Buddy & Belle Boutique
The Ottawa Humane Society’s Volunteer Department is seeking enthusiastic and outgoing people to help support our retail store—the Buddy & Belle Boutique. If you enjoy meeting new people and helping them with their shopping experience than this is the opportunity for you!
Volunteer: Feline Enrichment Four on the Floor Program
The Ottawa Humane Society’s Volunteer Department is looking for volunteers who are interested in working closely with our animal care team! This new OHS program will provide out-of-cage time to cats in need in order to maximize their daily physical and psychological wellbeing, prevent stress-related illness, and increase adoptability.
Volunteer: Feline Enrichment Volunteer Advanced In-Kennel Enrichment (A.I.K.E.) Program
The Ottawa Humane Society’s Volunteer Department is looking for volunteers who are interested in working closely with our animal care team! With this program, volunteers are responsible for providing enrichment to felines in the form of socialization, play, exercise, visual stimulation and mild grooming.
Volunteer: Board of Directors
The Board of Directors is the governance body of OHS. On behalf of the community, and representing the members of OHS, the Board provides the strategic direction, resources, and high-level oversight for the organization to be successful in achieving its mission and goals.
Office Volunteer: Event Support
The Ottawa Humane Society’s Volunteer Department is looking for volunteers who are interested in working closely with our events team on select office/administration projects and donor stewardship initiatives at our Development office (9 Capella Court). All tasks will support OHS signature events, community events, the OHS wedding program and other fundraising initiatives (e.g. Warm Hearts Raffle).
Volunteer: Mobile Spay/Neuter Clinic Intake Assistant
The Volunteer Department is looking for volunteers to help support the morning intake processes for the Mobile Spay/Neuter Clinic, at various locations in our community. Volunteers are responsible for greeting clients (who are admitting their pet), supervising client lineups, assisting with paperwork as needed, interacting with clients and answering questions.
Volunteer: Adoptions Photography Assistant
The adoptions team is looking for a photographer to support the department by taking photos of adoptable animals for the OHS website.
Office Volunteer: MSNS Support
The Ottawa Humane Society’s Volunteer Department is looking for volunteers who are interested in working closely with our Mobile Spay and Neuter Services team, offering office/administration support.
Volunteer: Pet Adoption Location (PAL) Cat Assistant
The Ottawa Humane Society’s Volunteer Department is looking for volunteers who are interested in feeding, cleaning and socializing OHS cats while they are awaiting adoption, located in our partner PetSmart locations. If you enjoy interacting and caring for cats, look no further, as this is the “purrfect” opportunity for you! Volunteers must have experience caring for cats, a high attention to detail, excellent communication skills, a vehicle and a valid driver’s license.
Volunteer: Pet Adoption Location (PAL) Driver/Delivery
The Ottawa Humane Society’s Volunteer Department is looking for two volunteers to assist our PAL team with delivering animals to PAL partner locations throughout the city of Ottawa (e.g. Pet Smart and Pet Valu locations).
Volunteer: Finance
The Ottawa Humane Society’s Volunteer Department is looking for volunteers who are interested in working closely with our finance team on select office/administration projects.
Volunteer: Office Volunteer – Administration Area
The Ottawa Humane Society’s Volunteer Department is looking for volunteers who are interested in working closely with our administrative team! Administration and office support volunteers will work closely with the various departments on selected office support and administrative tasks.
Microchip Clinic Volunteer Program
Are you interested in helping lost pets get back home more quickly? The OHS hosts microchip clinics on-site (at the OHS) and off-site (in the community), in hopes of microchipping more animals in Ottawa. Microchips help lost pets get back home, so the more animals chipped, the better! We are looking for three new volunteers to assist with the administration of our microchip clinics, and to help clients and their pets as required.
Canine Enrichment: Level 1 Adoptions Volunteer
The OHS Volunteer department is seeking reliable, patient, and knowledgeable people to walk dogs, provide basic enrichment, encourage basic obedience (“sit”, “down”, and loose-leash walking), and follow behaviour modification plan instructions for dogs in the OHS Adoption Centre.
Volunteer: Photographer
If you have experience taking portrait-style photographs, enjoy meeting new people and their pets and are able to stage and capture a wonderful family photo, we need you!
Volunteer: Off-Leash Day Camp Program Leaders
The OHS “Off-Leash” Day Camp series is an OHS outreach program that teaches animal care and welfare within the structure of one-day and one-week day camps. These camps will be offered on PD Days for the Ottawa District School Boards, as well as throughout July and August.
Volunteer: Videographer
The Ottawa Humane Society’s Volunteer Department is looking for experienced volunteer videographers! Videographers better capture the work that we do, highlighting animals we have for adoption, profiling OHS events, and more. With this program, volunteers donate their time and talents to create, shoot and edit videos to promote OHS programs and services based on identified priorities, as directed by manager: communications.
Volunteer: L.E.A.D. Program
The OHS runs Leadership Education with Adolescents and Dogs (LEAD) in conjunction with social service organizations that treat at-risk youth. This animal-assisted initiative promotes the animal-human bond while encouraging youth participants to develop personal responsibility, empathy and self-esteem towards both humans and animal. It also increases the adoptability of harder-to-place shelter dogs through basic obedience training and socialization.
Volunteer: Mobile Spay/Neuter Clinic Scheduling
The Ottawa Humane Society’s Volunteer Department is looking for volunteers who are interested in working closely with our mobile spay/neuter (MSN) team in an administrative capacity! Administrative tasks may include: contacting MSN clients to schedule clinic appointments, making upcoming clinic reminder phone calls, answering general program FAQ, providing excellent customer service, other clerical/administrative duties as assigned.
Volunteer: Outreach Canvasser
The Ottawa Humane Society’s Volunteer Department is looking for volunteer canvassers who are interested in promoting OHS Outreach Services in our community. Volunteers are required to canvass neighbourhoods, in pairs going door-to-door, to promote and raise awareness about OHS Services.
Volunteer: Electronic Giving
The Ottawa Humane Society’s Volunteer Department is looking for volunteers who are interested in working closely with our development and administrative team! Administration and office support volunteers will work closely with the various departments on selected office support and administrative tasks.
Bénévolat: Éducation en bien-être animal
Aimez-vous travailler avec les jeunes et les animaux ? Vous croyez vous capable de faire des présentations devant des groupes d’élèves ? Êtes-vous libre, pendant trois heures au deux semaines, durant l’année scolaire ? Êtes-vous prêt à vous engager pendant un an au programme d’éducation en bien-être animal ? Avez-vous une voiture ou accès à un véhicule ? Si vous avez répondu dans l’affirmative à ces questions, vous serez peut-être intéressé à faire du bénévolat pour le programme d’éducation en bien-être animal de la Société protectrice des animaux (S.P.A.) .
Volunteer: Offsite Microchip Clinic Program
Are you interested in helping lost pets get back home more quickly? The OHS is expanding our services across the Ottawa area and we will be hosting microchip clinics offsite, in hopes of microchipping more animals in our community. We are looking for volunteers to assist with the administration of our offsite microchip clinics, and to help clients and their pets as required.
Volunteer: Translation Program
Experienced volunteers are needed to help the OHS translate documents from English to French, to help us achieve our goal of providing OHS materials in both official languages. Volunteers are able to work from home, at their leisure, consistent with pre-established deadlines.
