CHANGE A LIFE. MAYBE EVEN YOUR OWN.
CCHS has over 900 animals travel through its doors each year. We couldn’t give the support the animals receive without our strong network of volunteers. There are many ways that individuals, like you, can change the life of one less fortunate dog or cat. You can help us today by assisting with any of the following activities.
Volunteering at CCHS is easy! We are open Mon/Wed/Fri/Sat 12-5 (unless otherwise noted). Sometimes small groups like to help us with cleaning or other projects, which we can set up in advance (see below). Other volunteering opportunities do present themselves at times and we will post them on our Facebook page and/or on the front counter asking for help.
When you first come to the shelter, we will have you fill out a liability form, which we have printed and ready to go. You only need to fill that out once, and we keep them on file for 5 years. Every time you visit us, you will need to sign in at the front counter and you will be ready to go!
Children under 18 will need a parent/guardian to fill out the liability form. Children under 16 MUST be accompanied by a parent or guardian at all times and children under 16 cannot hold a leash during dog walking.
Get some CCHS Swag
We have a bunch of different designs available on our Bonfire store. There is a wide range of sizes and styles. Order yours today!
https://www.bonfire.com/store/cchs-store-1/
Volunteering
Dog walking
right next to a large trail system in Nara Nature Park. The trails are groomed year round, so you can even walk a pup in the winter. Please read our dog walking rules before signing up.
Come give our canine friends some exercise! We are lucky enough to be located
Depending on the time of year and availability of the yard, you can sometimes play with a dog in the yard as well.
Dog walkers are welcome to come in on Mon/Wed/Fri/Sat between Noon-5:00 pm. No appointment necessary.
Cat cuddling
Most of our cats love to get some extra love! Sign up to spend some time in the cat room. Ask the staff for a wand toy for some playtime. You can also brush cats (if they let you). You can also talk to the staff about shy cat socializing if that is something you are interested in.
Please read the cat room rules before coming in to cuddle cats. Cat Cuddling is by appointment only, and you can sign up HERE
Group sign up
Opportunities at the shelter:
- Dog walking/cat cuddling
- Cleaning – Saturdays are great days for help cleaning
- Yard work – depends on the time of year
- Miscellaneous tasks – just ask us what we need.
You can request a group visit here.
Opportunities outside shelter
- Making toys, scratching posts, tie blankets, etc. We have a Pinterest board full of ideas!
- Hold a fundraiser
- Do one at your location
- Have a donation drive at Walmart
- Use your idea or pick our brains about our ideas
*Please get in touch with us if you want to do a fundraiser. You can use your ideas or use ideas we have, but getting in touch ahead of time allows us to make sure they meet our needs and goals. We are also happy to help advertise! We have a large social media following and we love to promote local businesses and groups.
Other Volunteer opportunities
- Volunteer at events
- Join our board of directors (availability varies)
- Photograph our animals and send us pictures. We can always use more for our social media and website!
- Fostering – Out of sight, out of mind. CCHS has not had too much luck with fostering in the past. If animals are at the shelter, they are far more likely to find a home sooner. We had a senior dog who was in foster for 3 years and he didn’t find a home until he came back to the shelter. Some of the few instances where we do foster out animals is:
- Pregnant moms and/or very young puppies/kittens
- Animals with major medical needs
- Animals who are not doing well at the shelter due to stress. Most of these we try to transfer to other shelters with training programs though.
Other ways to help as an individual/small group
- Thrivent Choice
- Bring us your Econo receipts. CCHS gets 1% of the money from all the receipts we turn in. It adds up fast!
Other ways to help as a business/group
- Put a donation canister at your business. CCHS will provide canisters and pick them up periodically.
- Fundraisers – Please get in touch with us if you want to do a fundraiser. You can use your ideas or use ideas we have, but getting in touch ahead of time allows us to make sure they meet our needs and goals. We are also happy to help advertise! We have a large social media following and we love to promote local businesses and groups.
Wish list
- Paper towel
- Toilet paper
- Bleach
- Dish Soap
- Sponges, scrub brushes
- Hand Soap
- Cat Litter (unscented clumping or non-clumping)
- Equine Pine Pellets (for cat litter)
- Durable dog toys like Nylabones
- Cat toys
- Cat enrichment toys/feeders
- Quality cat carriers
- Pill pockets for dogs (any flavor)
- Durable collars and leashes
- Scratching posts – small cardboard ones are great to attach to kennels
- Gift Cards for Wal-Mart, Pat’s Foods, Amazon, Online Pet Stores (e.g. Chewy), etc.
You can also visit our Amazon Wish List.
Donate
Monetary donations allow us to take care of a lot of the things you might not necessarily think of like building maintenance and utility bills. We pride ourselves on making sure all of our animals get all of the care they need, and that often results in some high vet bills.
You can find more information about planned giving (leaving bequests to the shelter after you pass) here.