Consistent, reliable help is always needed!

In-Shelter Help (Training Required)

We need volunteers to help in house at our weekly and special on-location adoption events.

During this time, you may talk with prospective adopters about our dogs, help set up the event at the beginning of the day, assist with take down at the end of the day, clean up any potty accidents, ensure each dog has a blanket and water, walk the dogs, play with them in the play yard, and much more.

Additional on-location opportunities may be available. (Help is also always needed with cleaning and organization – you’d be shocked at the amount of laundry we do!)

The shelter is climate controlled; however, we recommend comfortable clothes appropriate for the weather as well as closed-toed shoes. The environment can sometimes be loud, depending upon how excited the dogs get.

Assistance at the shelter continues to be among our greatest needs. Dogs currently in our care of course receive the highest priority. Help with cleaning and day-to-day operations affords us the much needed time to work on administrative tasks and work with the community and other shelters to help save as many dogs as possible.

Special Event Help

We frequently have off-site adoption events (normally about once per month). We need help with transportation, dog wrangling, setups and take downs, speaking with potential adopters, and more.

Events may be indoors or outdoors and may also be loud. As with our on-location events, we recommend comfortable clothes appropriate for the weather as well as closed-toed shoes

Keep an eye on our Events page and social media posts, and feel free to reach out if you see something you are interested in helping with.

Transportation (Training Required)

We also need volunteers to transport dogs. Our dogs need transport to and from external adoption events and/or veterinary clinics.

This service is especially needed when we have a litter of puppies or a new batch of dogs that have come into the shelter and need to be spayed or neutered. Pick-up times are usually 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm weekdays. (The process is usually pretty quick but helps us out so much!)

Volunteer Training

Anyone that is wanting to volunteer at Desert Tails Shelter’s physical location or who wants to provide transportation will need to complete a one-time shelter training day at the shelter prior to volunteering. This day is held once a month.

After the initial training, you will be able to volunteer with Saturday adoptions, be a potential future foster, and help with transportation.

During training, you will learn the shelter operations, fill out necessary paperwork, meet everyone, and ask any questions you may have.

If needed, you can contact us or reach out on social media for more information.

Corporate and Group Volunteerism

We love and welcome corporate and group volunteer events! In the past, we have worked with corporate volunteers who have helped with organization, putting up sun shades, cleaning, and more.

We have also worked with groups of volunteers, including youth groups.

Please contact us if you’d like to collaborate!