There are many ways that you can volunteer with CAP. Here are just a few possibilities! You can read more about how to become a volunteer on the Volunteer Process page.
Shelter Animal Caretaker
CAP staff spends each day providing quality care for every animal that comes to our shelter, but these days can be long and overwhelming. Volunteers are invaluable to the animals and the shelter staff as they give their time walking dogs, washing dishes, doing laundry, cleaning kennels, and other tasks that help create a happy, healthy environment for the animals.
Meet and Greet
CAP is open for adoptions seven days a week, and volunteers help get animals adopted into new homes every day. Volunteers help animals find new homes by assisting clients in the dog and cat adoption areas by providing information, taking animals out of their kennels for interaction with potential adopters, and cleaning Mix and Mingle rooms so they are available for visitors. Volunteers are especially needed on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday afternoons.
Tails on Trails
Every dog in our shelter is walked at least twice a day to ensure they get exercise and one-on-one attention. However, dogs that have been waiting longer to get adopted need extra exercise, attention, and mental stimulation to keep them healthy and happy. Volunteers age eighteen and up can train to take these long-term residents on long morning walks in George Bush Park to lift their spirits and burn off extra energy.
Foster Parenting
Foster parents provide temporary in-home care for sick, injured, or underage animals until they are ready to be adopted. CAP provides for many of the medical needs of these animals who need a place to recuperate until they are ready to find forever homes. Find out more about becoming a foster parent on the Foster Homes page.
Feral Cat Assistance Program
FCAP is a dedicated volunteer group that provides education to the public on non-lethal ways of controlling the feral cat population. They provide Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) assistance and education to caregivers of feral cat colonies all over the Houston area. For more information on feral cats or to become an FCAP volunteer please visit the Feral Cat program page.
Vaccination and Wellness Clinic
CAP’s low-cost vaccination and wellness clinic is open every Saturday from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. and provides affordable vaccinations and basic wellness services to the community. Volunteers assist with client check-in, completing paperwork, and overseeing an orderly process.
Community Outreach and Humane Education
Volunteers attend a variety of public events to advocate for pets in our community and help with humane education events and youth programs at the shelter. Volunteers help the Community Outreach team represent CAP at festivals, health fairs, and various other events to talk about pet adoption, the importance of spay/neuter, and how to help CAP care for homeless animals in our community.
Pet Supply Shop
The Happy Tails Pet Supply Store helps raise money to support the mission of CAP and to care for our shelter animals. The primary volunteer duties in the store are helping customers, putting away inventory, sorting donations, and generally helping to keep our store clean and attractive.
Corporate Work Groups
CAP works with many corporations and organizations who are interested in performing special projects as a group.
For more information about CAP's volunteer program, contact our volunteer coordinator.
Securing Your Yard
Dogs are usually happier being indoors and truly a 'part' ofthe family but of course they also enjoy and benefit from being in a secure backyard. But remember, some dogs will escape whatever security measures you put into place so make sure your dog always wears an ID tag with two current phone numbers (tags can be purchased at Petsmart and other large pet supply retailers).
Suggested security measures:
- 6 feet high fence that the dog cannot climb
- Locked gate
- 12" x 12" (2" thick) cement stepping stones around the entire inside perimeter of the yard
- Electric underground fence (if the dog chews fences)
A Note on Electric Fences
We do not recommend using underground electric fence as the sole means of containing a dog. Electric fences keep animals from leaving - these fences do not prevent entry of the property. So someone could steal your dog, or another animal could attack him. Also, if highly motivated, your dog may find a way to escape the electric fence. A physical barrier in combination with an electric fence will be much more effective in securing your yard.
Keeping Cool in the Heat
Because we humans tend to go from our air conditioned house to our air conditioned car to our air conditioned office, Houston's heat and humidity may not seem so bad. If we stayed outside during the intense heat of the day for several hours straight, we would be miserable. In the summer months, even with shade trees, it is unpleasant and, on really hot days, miserable for many pets to remain outside during the heat of the day for consecutive hours.
In 'moderately' warm weather an outdoor ceiling fan may help if the area is also shaded. However in very hot weather an outdoor ceiling fan is not really helpful. After the temperature reaches a certain high, a ceiling fan is only blowing hot air and cannot cool an animal.
When humans are outside we can cool down with 'cold' drinks, wetting ourselves with water and most importantly, being able to go inside to an air conditioned area. Dogs kept outside cannot help themselves in this manner to cool down. A doggie door will allow your dog to go inside to cool themselves, take refuge from severe weather, and allow egress for emergencies and bathroom breaks.
If you must keep your dog outside with no doggy door, make sure to:
- Provide a continuously shaded area - a dog house sitting in the sun at any time during the day is not sufficient
- Provide plenty of water in a shady area - put out an extra bowl of water in case one bowl is accidentally spilled
- Place a children's sturdy plastic wading pool with water in a shaded area (if the dog is small, ensure he can get out of the pool)
- Never leave a dog alone in a yard with a human swimming pool.
- Have a water proof covered shelter that a dog may retreat to in the event of a rain storm. The shelter should be large enough for the dog to stand in without their head touching the top and should be long enough to allow the dog to lie down comfortably. It also should be raised an inch or two off the ground so it does not sit in water
When deciding where to leave your dog, consider the weather, your own individual circumstances and most importantly, ask yourself where you would want to be placed to spend hours and hours, day after day.
Staying Warm in the Cold
Anytime temperatures are near, at or below freezing, bring your dog inside. A dog house cannot protect your animal in this kind of weather. Consider placing him in the bathroom, laundry room or make a bed for them beside your bed. When temperatures are very cold, an animal can get sick or even die. But even if your dog does not become ill, she will be miserable being outside in very cold temperatures for periods of more than an hour.
In cold weather, animals need more food since their body uses up energy trying to stay warm. Make certain to give animals 'extra' food during the cold months.
