Thank you for your interest in becoming a volunteer with the Venango County Humane Society! Volunteers provide VCHS opportunities to enhance our programs and services. Many of our programs and events would not be possible without the help of volunteers. Volunteers are an extension of the VCHS staff. We welcome you!

The Venango County Humane Society was incorporated as a private, non-profit organization in 1956. The shelter on Deep Hollow Road was built in 1971. In 1993, an addition and major renovations were completed. Our current shelter, located at 286 S. Main Street, Seneca, PA 16346 was completed in June 2015.

• Volunteers will follow the policies of the Venango County Humane Society.
• Volunteers will display compassionate care for all animals at the shelter.
• Volunteers will act professionally with the animals, staff, fellow volunteers, and the public.
• Volunteers will present themselves positively as a representative of the Humane Society.

Katie Parsh is the Lead Dog Caretaker and Sam Hout is the Lead Cat Caretaker

There is a sign-in book in the volunteer area. Please sign in with your name and the date and time you arrived. After volunteering, write a brief description of your activities and sign out with the date and time you are leaving. We use this to know what animals may need more socialization and which tasks may need more attention by the volunteers following your volunteer time.

Volunteers will be placed in the requested area, if available. Please be open to other activities, especially in the beginning of your volunteer experiences. Sometimes there are needs at the shelter and volunteers can help satisfy these. If there is something specific you are interested in doing, please indicate this area of interest on your volunteer application. Your first experiences with the animals will require a staff member to be present.

Scheduling of volunteer hours helps create good workflow each day. Please sign up on the volunteer calendar or give us a call ahead of time so we know to expect you and can have tasks available for you to complete. If you are scheduled and unable to come in, please just let us know. Daily cleaning is completed in the morning before we open at 12PM. The shelter is open to the public from 12PM-5PM daily excluding Sundays. You can volunteer as early as 8:30AM every day and through 5PM on Monday-Saturday. If staff are busy in the morning, please help with laundry.

Appropriate clothes are required for all volunteer positions. For safety reasons, we ask that you wear close-toed, flat shoes, long pants, and shirts with short or long sleeves. Do not wear dangling jewelry, scarves, low-cut tops or anything that could cause a visual distraction or threat to an animal. Please wear clean clothing. Please do not wear any ripped or torn clothing, both for your safety and the safety of the animals. Humane Society apparel is available for purchase if you’d like to browse through our selection.

When working with the animals, it is critical that you wash your hands or use hand sanitizer after handling each individual animal. Diseases can spread through direct or indirect contact. Some diseases are highly contagious and can lead to death if not treated promptly. We also don’t want to risk you taking anything home to your own animals. Our goal is to save and find loving homes for all our animals, therefore following instructions and using precautionary measures are a priority.

If you see any of the following symptoms and these have not been pointed out to you prior by the staff, please report these to any staff member ASAP:

• Eyes that are watery, swollen, or have discharge
• Ears that are red, swollen, or have foul odor
• Nose with discharge of any kind
• Sneezing, coughing or wheezing
• Wounds, lesions, or hair loss
• Constipation or runny/bloody stool
• Limping or licking/chewing at paws
• Vomiting
• Lethargy

If there is an emergency, please report immediately to the front desk.

If you’re approved to work with animals, a staff member can retrieve animals from their kennel or cage for you. Never open any animal kennels or cages yourself unless given express permission by a staff member FIRST. NO VOLUNTEER IS TO GET AN ANIMAL OUT OF THEIR KENNEL FOR THE PUBLIC. If someone wants to see an animal, get a staff member. This is for your protection as well as the protection of other people and the other shelter animals.

For the safety of the animals, public, volunteers, and staff, all bites or scratches must be reported. Any incident or injury occurring while volunteering must be reported to VCHS staff immediately. Animal bites or scratches that break the skin, no matter how small, are considered injuries and should not be treated lightly. If any animal bites you, a bite report must be completed immediately.

• Do not go behind the front desk without checking with a staff member first
• Always conduct yourself in a professional manner while involved in shelter activities or fund-raising events. You are a representative of our shelter.
• Perform your tasks as instructed by staff or senior volunteers
• When approached by the public with questions, please be polite and answer general questions. For specific questions or questions about the animals, please direct them to a staff member for an accurate response.
• Always be a team player. Our goals are all the same: To find the best homes we can for these animals. Let’s work together.
• As a volunteer, we want you to understand that you are providing services in a volunteer capacity without any expressed or implied promise of salary or employment benefits
• The use of drugs or alcohol is strictly prohibited while volunteering at the shelter or any shelter event. You may not come to the shelter or event under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
• The Venango County Humane Society is a smoke-free workplace. Smoking is only permitted outside, and is not permitted while walking dogs. Please do not leave cigarette butts on the property.
• Your volunteer involvement may be terminated if you do not meet your commitment in an appropriate manner or fail to adhere to the policies and procedures as dictated by the staff.
• The Surgery Prep Room and Cat Isolation Room are off limits to volunteers. This is for the safety of everyone.
• If scheduled, please arrive for volunteering on time. Please let the staff know if you are scheduled and unable to come in.
• It is not permissible to bring your spouse, partner, children, relatives, friends, or pets with you while you are volunteering. If they are interested in volunteering, they may fill out an application and attend the next volunteer orientation.
• Keep your involvement at the shelter confined to your duties and avoid interfering with staff in a manner that would prevent them from performing their duties.

• Volunteers must maintain STRICT CONFIDENTIALITY regarding the animals coming into or out of the shelter. This includes when the Dog Warden or other police officers drop off animals.
• All names, addresses, and personal information of people surrendering animals, adopting animals, or reclaiming animals are to be held with strict confidentiality.
• It is prohibited to post photos or comments about the shelter animals on social media without asking a staff member FIRST.

Being a volunteer is a privilege, not a right. Providing a safe and enjoyable experience is one of the Venango County Humane Society’s top priorities. These policies are in place to serve as guidelines for appropriate behavior, confidentiality, and safety. If a volunteer commits a violation of the rules or breaks legal restrictions, formal and informal consequences will apply. If you have difficulties working with other volunteers or staff, bring it to the attention of the shelter manager or volunteer lead. VCHS has a zero tolerance policy for physical or verbal abuse of any staff, volunteer, or animal. All disciplinary procedures will be documented and acted upon accordingly.

• The Venango County Humane Society Thrift Store is located in Franklin at the corner of 8th and Liberty Streets. We need volunteers to work in the store, restock the shelves, go through items that were donated, etc. The store has two paid employees and the rest of the staff is made up of volunteers. It’s a fun way to support the shelter as all proceeds taken in go right to the animals!
• Fundraising / Events: We have an active fundraising committee that works all year with different events in our area. We sell Daffins candy bars all year long at the thrift store, shelter, at all events, and at various places throughout Venango County. Please let our staff know if you are interested in helping with these events and we can put you in touch with the right person to get involved!

• Volunteer application: must be completed prior to orientation
• Volunteer Orientation Manual Acknowledgment & Agreement: Each volunteer will be provided with a Volunteer Orientation Manual at orientation, which will be reviewed at that time. This form must be signed and dated indicating that the manual has been explained.
• Volunteer Release Agreement & Covenant Not to Sue: Volunteers will be required to sign and date this at the orientation. This form releases the shelter from any liability in the case of injury and also provides us the permission to publish volunteer activity pictures on our Facebook page.
• Volunteer Cell Phone Usage Policy: Please keep the usage of your cell phone to a minimum while you are volunteering. We want this to be a good experience for volunteers and the animals, and we don’t want distractions from your cell phone getting in the way of that. Please refrain from using them while socializing with animals in order to keep your attention focused on the present in the event that something would happen requiring immediate response.
• Volunteer Social Media Policy: must be signed and dated. Do not post photos of the animals or staff on any form of social media unless given explicit permission from a staff member FIRST.