Volunteer and Internship Opportunities
Peninsula Humane Society and SPCA
Types of volunteer opportunities: Varies greatly – 18 yrs.+: Animal care, clerical, dog training, veterinary clinic; High school: Baby bird care, cat and dog enrichment, kitten nursery, thrift store
Agency and location: Peninsula Humane Society and SPCA, 12 Airport Blvd, San Mateo, Ca 94401
Contact person and info: Asha Singh, Volunteer Coordinator, ASingh@PHS-SPCA.org; http://www.peninsulahumanesociety.org
Benefits to student (skills and exposure to careers): Exposure to veterinary-like work setting, develop animal care and customer services skills
Site looking for students interested in: working with animals
Education and age of desired intern/volunteer: High school: 15-17 yrs; College: 18 yrs.+
Description of opportunity and duties: Varies with position. Adult positions: animal care – help with feeding, kennel cleaning and general TLC; clerical – administrative tasks, dog training – assist staff with dog training class, help students and their dogs; veterinary clinic – give TLC to sick animals, groom and bathe animals, assist with treatments; High school positions: baby bird care – feeding and caring for baby birds; cat and dog enrichment – stimulate and play with animals, note observations of animals behavior; kitten nursery – feed baby cats, clean kennels; thrift store – help re-stock items and assist customers in store
Type of health care settings:
- Alternative: Animal shelter
Experience type: Volunteer position
Duration and time of commitment: In general, prefers 6 month commitment with 2-3 hour shifts per week.
Application Process: 1) Complete an application at: http://www.peninsulahumanesociety.org/phs/phsnew.htm; 2) Attend a volunteer orientation; Contact volunteer coordinator – Asha Singh at ASingh@PHS-SPCA.org
Requirements and qualifications needed: Adult positions: 18 yrs+; high school positions: 15-17 yrs.
Patient populations: animals including cats, dogs, birds; pets’ owners
Amount of patient contact:medium to high level of animal contact
Site’s prior experience with high school students: Yes, has worked with high school students before
Willingness to work with high schools: Yes
Liability issues (relevant if part of internship vs. job shadowing): Liability Waiver must be signed.
Transportation options: May require transportation via car.