SALINAS – Hitchcock Road Animal Services is putting out the call for new volunteers to assist in their mission of helping more animals find long-term homes.
Dog walking, cat socializing, feeding, cleaning and more – Hitchcock Road needs all the help it can get.
Hitchcock Road’s education and volunteer coordinator Kendra Brady said that for those who are at least 18 years old and willing to commit to a single two-hour shift each week, for at least six months, volunteering at the animal shelter could make a world of difference to some of the dogs, cats, rabbits and ducks that are looking for a home.
“We need people to come out who love animals and want to work with them,” Brady said. “The impact that the volunteers make I can’t stress enough.”
Brady said that the human affection brought by volunteers helps the animals relieve “kennel stress,” making them calmer and more likely to get adopted.
“They’re in an environment that’s not natural because they’re completely cut off from people,” said Brady. “We do the best that we can by providing a comfortable living environment for them, but we know it’s really a scary place.”
In addition to hands on tasks like walking, feeding and cleaning, a key part of Hitchcock’s mission is increasing its public visibility.
“There’s still a lot of people that don’t know who Hitchcock Road Animal Services is…so we have a lot of work to do to get our name out there,” Brady said.
Brady said that anyone who can take good pictures of the animals can help them get adopted.
“The better the picture, the better the expression for people to understand the personality of the cat or the dog,” Brady said.
According to Brady, a thriving social media presence plays a crucial role in getting animals adopted.
“Our social media is extremely active,” Brady said. “We promote constantly who’s available for adoption, how to adopt, when our adoption hours are. We try and make sure that we’ve left no stone unturned.”
For those looking for more information about what volunteering entails, Hitchcock Road Animal Services will be holding a new volunteer orientation on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Through Saturday the shelter is also offering a 50% reduced adoption fee on all large breed dogs eight months and older, including all medical costs like spay, neuter and shots.
