Volunteering with Petfix!
Do you love animals, have time to share and are committed to our mission of spay and neuter services? If so, consider volunteering as part of our clinic team!
What Volunteering Involves:
PETFIX volunteers receive ‘on-site’ training to cover different areas of service needs: registration/release, pre-op, surgery support, post-op, and recovery. We also need volunteers that have a background in online newsletters, fundraising and community engagement –roles not necessarily part of a specific clinic date.
If you’re an on-site volunteer, you will be assigned to a certain task area and receive training by others during the clinic. In general we ask our volunteers to commit to a full “clinic day,” usually from 8:00 am to 5:00/6:00 pm. Clinics are generally held in Kea’au for our East-side clinics and in Ocean View for our West-side clinics.
Volunteers receive a t-shirt, lunch, snacks and our appreciation, plus the occasional cuddle or pet opportunity with some pretty cute critters! It’s a great chance to spend time making a huge difference in the lives of cats and dogs.
Volunteer Expectations:
Volunteers should be able to:
● Stand for long periods of time.
● Potentially (for recovery) spend time on the floor—hands/knees work!
● Be comfortable handling animals that might be scared or anxious. Feral animals are treated with additional care, and usually with experienced volunteers handling them.
● Handle a noisy environment - dog clinics include a lot of barking!
● Understand that cats and dogs may “poop and pee” during the day, and you may be asked to clean up animals and/or kennels. Surgery is also being performed on site, and you should be comfortable in such an environment and all that can mean.
● Lift 10-25 lbs (sometimes as much as 100 lbs in the case of large dogs.)
While PETFIX does work with youth (Aloha Critter Club for example), it’s only under close supervision by parents and teacher volunteers. In general we do not accept youth volunteers under the age of 16.
Benefits of Volunteering:
● Time with great people and great animals.
● Supporting an important cause for our Island.
● Experience working with veterinarians/veterinary technicians (for those considering a career in animal care).
● Knowledge that you’ve made a difference in the lives of cats and dogs!