Volunteer Opportunities

Please print our Volunteer Application or fill it out online here. After completing our application, either drop it by our shelter on Saturdays between 11am and 3pm or mail it to CAAWS, P.O. Box 77765, Baton Rouge, LA 70879.

Please remember that CAAWS is run solely by unpaid volunteers and 100% of the monies received go towards helping our animals. The majority of our volunteers work or go to school full time. Please be patient and we will get in touch with you as soon as we can.

A Note On Age Requirements: Due to insurance restrictions CAAWS cannot have volunteers under the age of 18. If you are a minor and would like to volunteer with animals, please check out the 4H Canine Connection Club.

If you would like more information or have any questions please email caawsmail@yahoo.com.

CAAWS Foster Home Program
CAAWS relies on the volunteers who give their time, love and home to our foster animals. The cats and dogs CAAWS takes care of have never had a stable home life or have lost their home through some misfortune. If you have a little space in your home and a lot of love in your heart, become a foster parent. For further information please see our Foster Home Program page.

Dog Room Volunteers
A dog shift consists of feeding, medicating, letting out, cleaning up after, and playing with our CAAWS dogs. The morning shift can start anywhere from 7am to 8am and the evening shift should start between 5pm and 6pm. Each shift is a minimum of 3 hours. You will be expected to consistently volunteer on the same shift every week, remember our volunteers are our staff. We usually schedule two to three volunteers per shift, so you will be working with another volunteer who currently does the dog shift. If you love to interact and meet many different breeds (mutts) and sizes (giant) of dogs then this is the job for you. It is helpful if you have knowledge of dog behavior, and you must be able to handle large dogs. It is a lot of work but well worth the effort. A dog shift can be messy so please dress accordingly (they can paint with mud). Shift availability varies.

Cat Room Volunteers If you love cats this is the job for you. A cat shift consists of feeding the cats, scooping/dumping liter, general cleaning (sweeping, mopping, laundry), and the glorious joy of playing with and loving the CAAWS cats and kittens. The morning shift can start anywhere from 7am to 10am and the evening shift should start between 4pm and 8pm. A shift typically lasts 1-2 hours (depending on the attention span of the cats). It is just 20 minutes of work and the rest is a love fest. You must be able to commit to doing the same shift every week. Shift availability varies.

Adoption Help
We need help transporting the animals to offsite adoption locations. Help setting up the tables and cages. Work with adoption counselors to keep the animals happy and safe. Greet the public and answer their questions. You can come for the full day or a partial day.

Pet Touch Therapy
Our volunteers visit local retirement communities/nursing homes and other facilities with their personal pets. Your animal must be up to date on all vaccinations and be a calm and friendly animal. The visits are every other Saturday and usually last about an hour from 10-11am.

Feral Cat Work
Help us identify, trap, vet, and spay/neuter feral colonies in Baton Rouge. We also need people to help with Public Outreach/Education. Some knowledge of feral cat behavior is helpful.

Cat Spay Day
CAAWS needs volunteers to help with organizing our Spay Days. We need two shifts of volunteers: Morning 7:30 to 10:00 am and Evening 3:00 to 5:00 pm. You will be helping with the administration (signing in/picking up). There is no handling of animals required for this position.

Public Events
CAAWS needs volunteers to go to local public events and let the community know what we do! As hard as we work, the volunteers know if more people knew the enormity of the homeless animals, the more they would help us. We need reliable, independent, and enthusiastic volunteers to go get the CAAWS word out. Events are sporadic throughout the year and you would help the Public Events Coordinator in planning and attending the events.

Humane Education
Our Humane Education Volunteers go to elementary school classes with CAAWS dogs to teach responsible pet ownership, spay and neuter, and child safety. Our presentations usually last from 45 minutes to an hour. If we go to a school that wants us to talk to several classes, then it might take up to 3 hours. During the summer months, we give presentations at several libraries. We always need people to assist with the props, handle the CAAWS dog, or do a presentation. All teaching materials will be provided for you, and no training is necessary.

Grant Writer
Many regional and government agencies offer grants to nonprofit organizations like CAAWS. If you are familiar with or can write grant applications, we need your help!