Volunteer

Thank you for your interest in volunteering with the Central Missouri Humane Society! CMHS is proud to have an extensive Volunteer Program with multiple opportunities available every day of the week.

*Please note that if you are needing court-ordered community service hours, that is a separate program. Click here to learn more about court-ordered community service at CMHS.

Requirements

Must be minimum of 18 years of age, or have a parent/legal guardian present for the duration of their time at CMHS if between 10-17 years of age. Unfortunately we are not able to accommodate children under the age of 10 years at this time.
Must have a mature & respectful attitude towards staff, the public & animal residents at all times
Have an interest in helping animals become successful pets
Have a working email
Complete volunteer assessment and attend the in-person orientation
Must wear closed toe shoes & appropriate clothing for handling animals

Volunteer Opportunities at CMHS

Coordinating off-site donation drives
Collecting donations from various businesses around Columbia
Handle & transport animals for events (this will be in the volunteer's personal vehicle)
Doggy Day Out (DDO)
Dog walking on the Bear Creek Trail
Morning socialization while staff cleans
Field play in our large exercise field
Canine enrichment
Cat socialization*
- *Cat socialization opportunities are limited and based on population and needs of resident kitties at CMHS. If you are only interested in working with cats, please consider fostering!

CMHS has a few volunteer opportunities with children if they are over 10 years of age and their parent or guardian is present for the entirety of the volunteer shift. If you are their parent/guardian of a minor looking to volunteer, please fill out the volunteer application with your information. You will be asked to provide your child's information if they are volunteering with you. They can also (optionally) submit their own volunteer application as long as their parent/guardian has an app on file with CMHS.

At this time, most volunteers typically handle adult dogs while onsite at the shelter, but may also be handling cats and small animals if volunteering at an event. Please keep in mind that the majority of animals that CMHS takes in are strays with no known history and volunteers should expect animals that could be stressed, high energy and untrained. This is why interactions with volunteers are so important to not only give animals a break from the high stress environment at the shelter but also provide CMHS with valuable feedback on finding the best home for this animal!

Onsite group volunteer opportunities, such as dog walking, must be scheduled in advance with our volunteer coordinator. There is a 10 person limit per scheduled group event. Please email our volunteer coordinator to schedule a group event. We highly encourage any groups that are looking to support the animals at CMHS to organize and collect items from our wishlist! If your group has an animal friendly office, we'd be happy to bring some pets over so you can meet the pets you are supporting!

Questions? Email our volunteer coordinator at [email protected]

Every year from December 15th - March 1st, CMHS will stop taking volunteer applications due to the cold winter weather and the lack of inside space available for volunteering. If you'd still like to be involved with CMHS at that time, please consider assisting our community service program to help out staff with various tasks around the shelter. Alternatively, check out our core and short term foster programs!

Volunteer Application

Current Volunteer Login