DECATUR & MACON COUNTY Animal Shelter Foundation

Make a Difference – Volunteer!

The Macon County Animal Care and Control Center processes over 5,000 animals each year. We are an open-door shelter, which means that stray and surrendered animals are accepted regardless of age, physical condition or adoptability. The Decatur Macon County Animal Shelter Foundation (DMCSAF) helps in the care, treatment and adoptive efforts of the stray and surrendered animals at the Macon County Animal Care and Control Center. The Foundation relies on volunteers to help us in our mission.

The helping hands of a DMCASF volunteer touch the lives of many individuals and animals. The diversity of jobs volunteers can do, coupled with self-enrichment and social rewards make our volunteers some of the most dedicated individuals in the Decatur/Macon County area.  As a DMCASF volunteer, you contribute to the community and ensure the quality of life for yourself and animals in the community. You can enhance skills you already have or develop new ones.  But perhaps the greatest benefit of volunteering is knowing that you are making a real difference as a member of a team providing care to so many animals in need. You will soon come to realize just how valuable you are to the animals and to us.

We sincerely hope that your volunteer experience will be both pleasurable and rewarding. Whether you walk dogs at the shelter, stuff envelopes for an educational mailing or assist with a fund-raising event, you can make a difference in the lives of the homeless animals of Macon County.

In today’s busy world, it takes a very special person to devote their precious time to an organization like ours.  And we recognize that it takes compassion, devotion and understanding to carry out this mission. Your love and respect of animals has brought you to our organization and we look forward to working with you.

Thank you for your interest in becoming a volunteer for the Macon County Animal Care and Control Center.  Please send your name, address, and phone number to info@dmcasf.org and we will be in touch with you shortly. Thank you for helping us – and especially for helping the animals.

Becoming a Volunteer

Volunteers are required to fill out the appropriate volunteer application and attend an orientation session before beginning their work at the county facility.

Responsibility and Dedication

All staff, volunteers and visitors must treat all of our animals kindly, gently and respectfully. Likewise, the Macon County Animals Care and Control Center expects the same treatment for fellow volunteers and staff. The Macon County Animal Care and Control Center expects volunteers to respect animal shelter administration’s decisions and policies. The Macon County Animals Care and Control Center also expects our volunteers to support our policies and expectations for animal care while volunteering and while representing the animal shelter outside the shelter.

Scheduling

The Macon County Animal Care and Control Center strives to have an accessible, flexible volunteer program; therefore the Center provides several volunteer opportunities that do not require set schedules. The following is a list of activities that can be done within a flexible schedule:

• Cat Socializing
• Dog Walking
• Grooming
• Fostering

Due to the nature of these activities, most of the advanced volunteer opportunities require scheduling in advance, and on a regular basis. Most programs require that a new volunteer work a set period of time with us socializing work before beginning advanced training.

Volunteer Programs

The Macon County Animal Care and Control Center has three volunteer programs available:

• Adult Volunteers are those age 18 and older. Volunteers must be 18 years or older to walk dogs or work in our advanced programs.
• Apprentice Volunteers are those between the ages of 14 and 17. These volunteers can work on their own, but are required to sign up for their timeslots in advance.
• Junior Volunteers are those between the ages of 10 and 13. These volunteers must be accompanied at all times by their designated adult mentor. The mentor must be chosen and provided by the junior’s volunteer family and must also schedule their own hours in advance.