Thank you for your interest in volunteering at PAWS. Every year PAWS cares for approximately 8,000 animals. Some are homeless cats and dogs who need a safe, warm place to stay while waiting for a new family. Others are sick, injured or orphaned wild animals who require medical and rehabilitative care in order to return to the wild where they belong.

PAWS would not be able to help these animals without the support of dedicated and compassionate volunteers. More than 1,000 volunteers donate over 50,000 hours of service to PAWS each year assisting in direct care of animals, education, administrative projects, outreach events, and more.

Current volunteer opportunities at PAWS are listed below. Please click on the job titles to read more about the positions, commitment level, requirements and location. Please note that you must be 18 to volunteer in these positions. PAWS cannot accommodate those seeking to fulfill court-ordered community service.

If you are a young person under the age of 18 looking to help animals at PAWS and in the community, please see the How to Help section on PAWSkids.org.

If you are interested in helping save lives by caring for animals in your own home, please learn more about our Foster Care program.

If you are a member of a group, company or service organization that would like to participate in a one-day volunteer project with PAWS, visit the Group Volunteer Information page.

Skip directly to the volunteer application

Volunteer opportunities:

Behavior Helpline Team: Help keep animals in their homes by providing behavior counseling to the public

Cat City Assistant: Assist the public with all adoption procedures and maintain the comfort of the animals at Cat City

Cat Room Attendant: Assist the public with any questions regarding adoptions and maintain the comfort of each cat in our care

Cat Room Cleaner: Clean each cage in the cat adoption room before opening to the public.

Community Outreach Volunteer: Represent PAWS at community festivals and fairs in spring, summer and fall.

Dog Walker: Walk dogs around our on-site nature trail

Feline Transport Team: Transport cats and kittens to our offsite facilities

Foster Care Program Assistant: Assist the Foster Care Coordinator place neonatal puppies and kittens, including cats and kittens recovering from illnesses, into temporary foster homes

Front Lobby Assistant: Work with Shelter Staff in assisting the public and processing adoptions

Front Office Assistant: Assist shelter management team with clerical projects

Kennel Attendant: Kennel Attendants answer questions from the public about the adoption process and help care for the dogs in the kennels

Kennel Cleaning Assistant: Assist with the cleaning of each dog kennel in the main adoption kennels

Marketing and Web Team: Promote the animals awaiting adoption at PAWS through various means, including taking/posting photos to the website, off-site adoption events, public outreach and related activities

Post-Surgery Clinic Assistant: Assist the veterinary staff with the placement of animals back to the shelter following surgery

Veterinary Clinic Assistant: Assist the veterinary staff with routine clinic operations

Wildlife Bird Nursery Caretaker: Feed and care for orphaned songbirds.

Wildlife Care Assistant: Assist with the care and feeding of sick, injured, and orphaned wildlife.

Wildlife Facility Assistant: Assist the Facility Caretaker in a variety of construction, maintenance, and landscaping projects.

Wildlife Transport Team Member: Pick up animals from Seattle Animal Shelter in Ballard and bring them to PAWS Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Lynnwood for care.

Wildlife Work Party Team: PAWS has Work Parties on varying Saturdays or Sundays each month. Assist the Facilities Caretaker with special projects at the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center