MSPCA Volunteering

Every Sunday morning, instead of going to church, I head up to Methuen, MA to volunteer for four hours at MSPCA-Nevins Farm. On October 24th, while I was putting in some extra volunteering hours for their Pit Bull Awareness Weekend, I actually ended up answering more questions regarding volunteering than I did about pitties (the pit owners were doing so well at answering questions without me - they are truly great ambassadors).

So I'm going to do a little FAQ regarding volunteering at the MSPCA-Nevins Farm. Note that you can volunteer at any of the MSPCA's locations, but the process may vary a bit from location to location.


What the heck do you do?
Mostly, I walk dogs, and do dishes and laundry. I'm not there while the shelter is open to the general public, but sometimes someone drives up and I answer questions or find a staff member who can better help them.

I don't think I have enough time to do volunteer work.
You'd be surprised, I think. The shelter depends heavily on their volunteers - we seriously outnumber the staff members. It's true that if you want to work directly with the animals, they ask for a minimum commitment, but there's a ton of other stuff that needs to be done, and it will all leave you with a sense of accomplishment. They need people to work at events, do crafty projects, unload hay shipments, work on public education, etc. Once you've gone through the general orientation, you're on the email list of volunteers, and we get a once-a-week email which has all sorts of information and will ask for folks for special, one-time or not-often tasks.

Do I have to work with dogs?
Nope. You can choose between the barn or the small animal building. Then, if you choose small animals, you choose between dogs, cats, or other small animals. You'll then meet with a mentor who will go over the tasks for that specific area. And then you start!

So do I always have to stick with my first choice?
Nope again. They just ask that you focus on and learn an area for a few months, first. Then, you can request a mentor for another area, learn the ins and outs, and start volunteering in that area.

Is the MSPCA a no-kill shelter?
The MSPCA is an open-door shelter, not a no-kill shelter. Basically, they need to be one or another. They have a policy of not turning away any animal that comes in, but that means that from time to time they have to make difficult decisions about who is the most adoptable, who is best handling the stress of a shelter environment, etc. You'll find that no-kill shelter's, who don't have to make that particular decision, have to instead make decisions about who they take in, because they have limited space. There are difficult decisions to be made at either type of shelter, but it's good that both types exist.


What else does the MSPCA do?
They do so many things (hence the need for all types of volunteers)!! In addition to the shelter and adoption center, they offer things like vaccination and chip clinics, spay/neuter education & clinics, training classes (which Oscar and I are doing as clients of the MSPCA), public education on pet ownership and wildlife, veterinary services (in Boston & Nantucket), retail pet supply sales, a pet cemetery and lots more.

How do I become a volunteer?
I started by filling out their online form. In about a month, I received an email inviting me to the general orientation. From there, you have a meeting with a mentor in your chosen area a few days - weeks later, and then you choose when you'd like to come in and start volunteering. It's really easy to start!