Volunteering
Thank you for your interest in joining our volunteer family!
Your support makes a big difference
Why become a Volunteer?
Volunteers are an important part of Domestic Animal Services' mission.
Thousands of hours are donated by caring individuals each year who provide enrichment for shelter animals, customer service, and education to potential customers.
The minimum age to volunteer is 18. All volunteers must go through a background check. We cannot accept volunteers who have been cited, charged with or convicted of Animal Cruelty or neglect or found guilty, charged with, or convicted of crimes involving physical violence. Volunteer hours do not qualify for court ordered community service.
What can you do as a Volunteer?
Opportunities available for volunteers include, but are not limited to, assisting in the shelter by socializing animals, helping customers by acting as an adoption counselor, and appearing on or helping behind the scenes of the "Happy Tails" TV show. You can apply almost any talent you possess to make a difference in animals' lives.
How can you begin?
Prospective volunteers are required to attend the New Volunteer Orientation and shelter tour to learn about Collier County Domestic Animal Services' role in the community and available volunteer opportunities. After successful completion of the orientation and processing of the volunteer application, volunteers will be invited to attend a training class for the area they would like to volunteer.
To get started, please email our Animal Services Program Coordinator to reserve your spot for an upcoming orientation date. At the completion of the Volunteer Orientation, you will complete and submit a volunteer application in person to the Animal Services Program Coordinator. After completing the orientation and screening, you will be directed to submit an application through our volunteer software; upon approval you will receive an email with upcoming training dates to which you can attend. After attending a handling class and processing your $10 fee for your Volunteer shirt, you are an official Volunteer.
For your convenience, the DAS Volunteer Handbook(PDF, 266KB) and Volunteer Agreement Acknowledgment(PDF, 146KB) is available online.
Volunteer Orientation
We are currently in the process of improving our facilities and enhancing our volunteer program. As a result, onboarding volunteer orientations are temporarily on hold. However, there are still ways you can support CCDAS while you await the opportunity to volunteer. We have available opportunities to foster, adopt, donate and more.
For more information, please visit:
For more information on becoming a volunteer, please email: dl-das-outreach@colliercountyfl.gov