If our fosters are the heart of our organization, our volunteers are the pulse. We count on our volunteers to help support our efforts, so we can use our funds where they’re most needed — bettering the lives of homeless pets across Houston. We need your help to find homes for the estimated 1 million homeless dogs and cats wandering our city’s streets. Every little bit helps. RPM’s fundraising committee always needs help planning, organizing, and staffing many different events throughout the year. We also need help with various office tasks.
Help transport pets, complete office work, raise money and plan events.
And our dogs and cats are always on the go! We need local drivers to move dogs and cats out of the shelters and take them to the vet, foster homes, or other local transport locations. Volunteer local transporters are so important because that first ride out of the shelter is how a life gets saved. RPM can find something for anyone who wants to help our city’s homeless pets. If you’re creative, hardworking, and/or dedicated to helping homeless pets, RPM needs your help!
Please fill out the volunteer form to get started and someone will contact you shortly. Thank you for your support!

DOG CARE VOLUNTEER DUTIES*Typical shifts: 7am-9am and 6pm-8pm daily* Walk dogs and clean kennels Feed dogs Do laundry Socialize (play!) with dogs CAT CARE VOLUNTEER DUTIES*Typical shifts: 9am-11am and 5pm-7pm daily* Clean litter boxes Feed cats Socialize (play!) with cats Process adoptions PET STORE CAT CARE VOLUNTEER DUTIES Maintain a clean kennel environment Provide clean water, food, and litter for cats Socialize (play!) with cats Process adoption applications MEDICAL VOLUNTEER DUTIES *Typical shifts: 7am-12pm and 12pm-5pm Tuesday/Thursday* *You will be able to watch surgical procedures, but are not expected or required to* Help with recovering pets following surgeries Clean surgical equipment Clean cages Check in and check out surgical appointments Assist with foster appointments THRIFT STORE VOLUNTEER DUTIES (2532 Nottingham Street) Sort, tag, and merchandise donations Engage customers Cross promote HPA! and adoptions BEHIND THE SCENES VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES Coordinate transports for freedom rides Coordinate neonatal (bottle baby) foster program Mentor new fosters Assist with fundraising opportunities Data entry OTHER VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES Transport pets for freedom rides Distribute flyers/materials Lead pet store adoption events Lead marketing and development events Organize and sort donations

Want to make a difference in the lives of Houston's homeless animals? Become a Friends For Life Volunteer! We offer a variety of volunteer opportunities, and all of them make a true difference to the animals in our care. Volunteers must be at least 16 years old and attend volunteer orientation and training. Additional training beyond initial orientation and training may be required for some volunteer opportunities. Community Service hours cannot be completed through the Friends For Life Volunteer Program. Administrative Volunteers Help with the general administrative tasks that help keep the shelter running every day. This includes writing, data entry, filing and much more. Adoption Counselors Support our animals in finding their forever homes by reviewing adoption applications, conducting interviews and working side-by-side with adoptions staff to screen applicants for placement into adoptive homes. Behavior Volunteers Learn about animal behavior and work directly with our behaviorists and trainers to rehabilitate animals at the shelter with behavior challenges. Cat Volunteers Support cats that live at the shelter, or at our Petsmart adoption center, by caring for their daily needs, socializing them, feeding, providing enrichment and maintaining their living spaces. Knowledge of cat behavior is helpful but not required. This opportunity requires a moderate to high level of physical activity. Dog Volunteers Care for dogs that are temporarily boarding at the shelter by walking, providing enrichment, feeding, training, socializing them and maintaining their living spaces. Knowledge of dog behavior is helpful but not required. This opportunity requires a moderate to high level of physical activity. Fix Houston Help locate cat colonies by walking targeted neighborhoods and talking to residents. Set up traps and catch cats, transport them to be vaccinated and spayed/neutered, help them recover from surgery and drive them back to their home territories. Work Fix Houston events offering free spay/neuter surgeries and vaccinations to pets belonging to residents in underserved sections of Houston. This opportunity requires a moderate to high level of physical activity. Mobile Adoption Event Volunteers Work at our off-site mobile adoption locations and assist in setting up the mobile adoption area, caring for and handling the animals, and speaking to the public about Friends For Life's mission and programs. This opportunity requires a high level of physical activity. Reception Volunteer at our front desk and be the friendly face of Friends For Life by greeting the public and helping answer phones.

In addition to BARC’s dedicated staff, BARC relies on teams of trained, responsible volunteers to provide extra care and services to the public and our animals housed at BARC. We have volunteer opportunities for adults and for children under the direct supervision of their parents. There are many ways to be a BARC volunteer.  The responsibilities include but are not limited to animal care, adoptions at BARC, special events at BARC, off-site adoption events, foster homes, foster pantry organization, facility beautification/construction, and administrative Help.
Volunteers are expected to provide dedicated service each month. All volunteers are required to attend an orientation and training sessions at the shelter to prepare them to do their specific job. Please read the following Volunter Handbook before attending an orientation.
In order to become a BARC volunteer, you first need to register with the City of Houston and sign up for the next Volunteer Orientation.

Want to volunteer to help homeless pets? Best Friends in Houston has a variety of volunteer opportunities available, including fostering cats and dogs to help get them ready for adoption, assisting with the Harris County Community Cat Program, and helping in a number of other ways to benefit animals and the people who love them in your community.
Best Friends Animal Society is the only national animal welfare organization focused exclusively on ending the killing of dogs and cats in America's shelters. An authority and leader in the no-kill movement since its founding in 1984, Best Friends runs the nation's largest no-kill sanctuary for companion animals, as well as life-saving programs in partnership with rescue groups and shelters across the country. Since its founding, Best Friends has helped reduce the number of animals killed in shelters from 17 million per year to 1.5 million. Best Friends has the knowledge, technical expertise and on-the-ground network to end the killing and Save Them All

This is a volunteer, unpaid position.
The Volunteer Firefighter protects the community in a wide range of emergency situations. The Volunteer Firefighter may be called upon to deliver fire suppression, emergency medical assistance, rescue, hazardous material responses, public education and other various duties as assigned.
Example of Duties/Essential Functions: Responds to fire alarms and extinguishes fire Responds to calls for medical assists Responds to and renders assistance in emergency cases; Cleans and inspects equipment and apparatus after returning from a fire; Inspects equipment and apparatus and notifies chain of command of any defects; Makes minor repairs to equipment and apparatus, performs routine preventative maintenance tasks, and keeps records of such action; Keeps fire station, equipment and grounds in a clean and orderly condition; Participates in training activities and instruction sessions; Acquires and retains a thorough knowledge of the City, including streets, buildings, water supply, unusual hazards and related items; Performs various public information or education tasks; Enters inspection, training and (on occasion) and fire calls into the records management system Performs all work duties and activities in accordance with City and Department policies and procedures; Works with other City departments on a daily basis  Other Duties and Responsibilities: May respond to emergency calls for specialized service such as hazardous materials, confined spaces rescue, extrication and technical rescues that include high angle, below grade, swift water, trench and collapse rescues; May respond to non-emergency calls providing a wide rang of public service activities May be assigned other duties by Fire Administration Staff