Hickory Creek Animal Services Volunteer & Community Service Orientation 2012

First and Foremost, THANK YOU for volunteering your time to help the animals here at the Hickory Creek Animal Shelter!!!

Release Forms Please read over the Volunteer Release form, sign and have a parent or guardian read and sign them if you are under 18 years of age. Ages must have a parent/guardian with them to volunteer. Community Service workers must fill the Participant Release Form with a Shelter Employee. MUSTBEFORE NO EXCEPTIONSThese MUST be signed and turned in BEFORE you begin volunteering at the Hickory Creek Animal Shelter. NO EXCEPTIONS. Please be sure to print legibly and fill in the date of your orientation.

Participation Guidelines Form READENTIREPlease READ the ENTIRE list, especially the list of ‘Do Not Do’s. MUSTYou MUST adhere to these guidelines for your own safety and that of the animals residing at the Hickory Creek Animal Shelter. Keep our Phone Number and Hours handy. We are on call 24/7 and only respond to emergency’s after hours. Shelter Hours: Monday – Sunday 8:00am-4:30pm (940) Cell Please keep this manual for your records.

Scheduling MUST BEFOREScheduling is your responsibility. You MUST schedule yourself BEFORE you come to the shelter. The schedule is on the ASO’S desk calendar. You may call in advance and schedule by talking to the ASO. Your time may be cancelled if the ASO is called out into the field on a call. volunteersThere is normally only enough things to do for 2 volunteers to be at the shelter at once. We occasionally offer volunteer hours away from the shelter. Ex: adoption events, community events If you have scheduled yourself and cannot come in to work, PLEASE CALL to let us know.

Hours You Can Work Volunteers may work: 8:00am4:30pm Monday through Sunday 8:00am until 4:30pm CLOSED Holidays: CLOSED Volunteers must understand that when the ASO is called out into the field, they may need to reschedule their time to volunteer. HOURSEveryone is to work a maximum of 6 HOURS unless allowed by a staff member. You can work for as little as a half an hour or as much as six hours a day. We appreciate any help that you may provide!

Signing In FIRST, PATIENTFIRST, sign in at the desk (by the available dog runs) in the shelter as soon as you arrive. Be PATIENT and wait for a staff member for instructions. NOTEveryone’s hours are tracked in the volunteer log book. If you don’t sign in, you will NOT get credit. If you have a sheet your tracking for yourself make sure to have it signed when you come in. ALL Volunteers and Community Service workers MUST sign in and sign out whenever volunteering.

Expected Behavior Be respectful towards the Animal Services Officers, other volunteers and community service workers, and most important, shelter visitors. Stay busy. If you cannot find anything to do, please ask. There are always special projects that need attention. DO NOT RUN OR MAKE LOUD NOISES!!Please DO NOT RUN OR MAKE LOUD NOISES!! This is a place of business. You may excite the animals or visitors unnecessarily. CELL PHONEKeep CELL PHONE use to a minimum. If you must make a call, go outside or in the work room. ALWAYSPlease do not interrupt Animal Services Officers when they are speaking with patrons about the animals. Patrons ALWAYS come first. Don’t forget to have FUN! Enjoy yourself and know that you are providing a wonderful service AND helping animals at the same time!

Expected Behavior Continued… OVER 18No smoking in or around the shelter. If you are OVER 18 and smoke, please refrain while here at the shelter. Do not touch any equipment, chemicals, or medicines unless instructed to do so. The hose in the dogs runs is NOT to be used by anyone other than the shelter staff. If a run requires cleaning, please alert shelter staff. Please make the ASO aware of any incidents that occur in the shelter. Make sure to wear comfortable clothing that you are not afraid to get dirty!

Expected Attire Wear clothing that you don’t mind getting damaged. We use chemicals, so expect spots! NO open-toedAbsolutely NO open-toed shoes. Boots and tennis shoes are the norm. Wearing shorts is not encouraged and is at your own risk. Do not wear torn or offensive clothing, we will ask you to change.

Stray and Rabies Quarantine Animals DO NOTThese animals are located in the Isolation Rooms and are NOT available for adoption. DO NOT enter their cages. Strays are held for 4 days to give their owners a chance to claim them, then they are put up for adoption and advertised. These animals do not go outside until after the 72 hour hold is up and they have been cleared by our shelter vet. Rabies Quarantine animals usually have owners and will not be available for adoption. Just because an animal is in quarantine does not mean that it has rabies, it is simply under observation to make sure that it did not transmit rabies at the time of the bite.

The Work Room This room is located in the back of the shelter where we store supplies, bathe dogs, and wash laundry. DO NOT TOUCHDO NOT TOUCH the dishwasher, supplies in the metal cabinet, or medications without permission from the ASO. Dog ISO is also located in this room, so please ask permission before entering. Volunteers are NOT allowed to handle any animal in ISO or Quarantine. It is important not to handle any nursing animals because disease can be spread easily, this is true for kittens and puppies. Please keep this room clean! Sweep and mop as needed.

Common duties include, but are not limited to: Dog walking, feeding, socialization Cat socialization, feeding, changing litter boxes Assisting the ASO as asked to do so CLEANING, CLEANING, CLEANING!!! See ASO for weekly/monthly shelter & office checklists. Please sign & date when task completed. Remember, the cleaner the shelter is, the healthier the animals are and the more likely people are to want to take them home! You will NEVER have to ask permission to CLEAN!!

Exercising the Dogs You may take out any dog that is available for adoption into the back or front fenced in areas. ‘slip leads’Use only ‘slip leads’ to walk the dogs to & from these areas. Please do not attach leashes to the dog’s collars. Some dogs are very good at slipping out of their collars. Return dogs to the same kennel they were taken from. DO NOT let any dog out in the back yard without closing the guillotine doors, so that all the other dogs remain inside. SIT!STAY! Try to teach the dog a new command during your walk. The better behaved they are, the more likely they are to find a family of their own!

Exercising the Dogs continued… Please do not allow the dogs to chew on the leashes. Many dogs can chew right through the leash in just a few seconds and run away. Please pick up any ‘packages’ that the dogs may leave behind. DO NOT NO EXCEPTIONS!DO NOT allow the dogs to interact with each other outside their kennels. NO EXCEPTIONS! This is for everyone’s safety. Please do not leave the shelter grounds or fenced in yards, with the animal, for any reason. DO NOT leave any toys or blankets inside the dog runs or on the grassy yard areas. Please DO NOT exercise a dog who is too powerful for you!

Feeding the Animals The animals get fed once a day by the ASO on duty. Usually between 8:00am and 10:00am. Puppies, pregnant and nursing females, thin or malnourished, and senior animals need to be fed puppy/kitten food. Please ask the ASO to see if they have already been fed for the day. Cats are fed once a day, usually in the morning, and only ½ cup per cat. Food bowls for dogs should be picked up and washed within an hour after feeding. Please DO NOT give any cats treats. Their stomachs can’t handle the treats which make them sick. Treats are ok for dogs, but please in moderation only, as to not make them sick. Never feed dogs in the outside part of their run (where they urinate and defecate - GROSS!). Please sweep up any dog food that may have spilled.

Cleaning Available Cat Room Step 1:Step 1: All cat supplies are kept on the first wheeled cart in work room. Step 2:Step 2: Empty all dirty litter and feces into the poo pan to dump into the outside garbage can. Step 3:Step 3: Clean out water bowls and replace with fresh water. Step 4:Step 4: Dust off chairs and cat walkways with kennel kare. Step 5:Step 5: Sweep both rooms and pick up dirt using dustpan. Step 6:Step 6: Windex cat room windows, inside and out. NEVER wash litter boxes in the same water as food bowls!!! Refill the sink with fresh water as needed.

Bathing/Brushing Dogs and Cats You may brush or bathe any of the dogs available for adoption. If you are really brave, you can bathe the cats too. Puppies and kittens less than 2 months old do NOT get bathed. Brushes and shampoo are kept in the Work Room on the shelves. If you cannot find any, ask the ASO. DO NOTDO NOT use flea products! You may bathe dogs in the Work Room Bath Sink You may use the hose with nozzle hanging on the wall. Please make sure that the water is not too hot and completely turned off when finished. Please make sure that the animals are dried off well and wash the towels that you use. CLEAN UP AFTER YOURSELVES PLEASE!!

Doing Laundry The laundry room is in the rear of the shelter. If there are dirty towels, blankets, etc. please feel free to do a load of laundry! ALL BEFOREPlease shake ALL towels and blankets out in the trash BEFORE you put them in the washing machine. Use only ½ a scoop of laundry powder per load. DRYERIf you take anything out of the DRYER you must fold it and place it on the shelf before you do something else. Cat beds may be placed on top of the dryer to air dry. Please DO NOT overload the washing machine and make sure that the items are actually DRY before you fold them and put them on the shelves.

Again, THANK YOU for volunteering your time to help the animals and staff here at the Hickory Creek Animal Shelter! You are appreciated!