The givers: Volunteering for the animals

Walking an eager, bounding dog along a red sand path. Coaxing a shy cat to come out of a comfy cubbyhole. Fostering, writing letters, tracking down data, responding to comments on social media, driving pets across the country: There’s no end to the work that volunteers do at Best Friends. In fact, without people pitching in to help, Best Friends wouldn’t be what it is today.

Last year, more than 12,300 people volunteered with Best Friends, giving more than 490,000 hours. The tens of thousands of animal lives saved are thanks to everyone’s contributions — because every hour given makes a difference.

But the beautiful thing about volunteering is that when you do good, you feel good. Time and again, people who volunteer to help animals share with us that they came away from the experience with more than they expected.

Andrew Swindle volunteered at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary with a group that helped with everything from scooping goat poop to building tortoise shelters. He says, “It’s been a place for me and my dad to connect. He’s 81 now and I’m 40, so it was fun hanging out together and doing some manual labor.”

Volunteer Lorie Comer helps out by fostering mama dogs and puppies in her Arkansas home. She took a leap of faith one day when she saw a plea on social media to foster a scared dog and her puppies, and now she’s affectionately known as “the puppy lady.” Lorie has taken in many litters and cared for them through Best Friends.

[Meet ‘the puppy lady’]

She absolutely does it for the dogs, but she also has a new community of friends as a result of her fostering. “In addition to helping these mamas and babies, I have gained a whole new family of precious friends with common interests and a common goal,” Lorie says. “That is priceless.”

For some folks, hands-on volunteer work means starting up their computers. There are plenty of remote volunteer opportunities offered as part of the National Operations Volunteers and Ambassadors (NOVA) team.

“When I retired about a year and a half ago, I was looking to do more with animals,” says Ann Kamasky, a NOVA volunteer. “I loved the idea of being able to help even if I wasn’t in a city where there was a (Best Friends) Lifesaving Center. I spent every waking hour on the computer for work, so doing something remotely was a perfect fit. I love the variety of needs, and everyone in the NOVA group has been fun to get to know.”

[Finding healing through kindness to animals]

Each volunteer has moments that remind them why they do what they do. It’s different for everyone, but in the end, it always circles back to helping the animals. Volunteer Angela Sommer says, “I love the quote, ‘You often feel tired not because you’ve done too much but because you’ve done too little of what sparks light in you.’ Volunteering at Best Friends is something I truly look forward to. To everyone who has an inkling that they should get involved, follow that feeling.”

This article was originally published in the March/April 2025 issue of Best Friends magazine. Want more good news? Become a member and get stories like this six times a year.

Our goal at Best Friends is to support all animal shelters in the U.S. in reaching no-kill in 2025. No-kill means saving every dog and cat in a shelter who can be saved, accounting for community safety and good quality of life for pets. 

Shelter staff can’t do it alone. Saving animals in shelters is everyone’s responsibility, and it takes support and participation from the community. No-kill is possible when we work together thoughtfully, honestly, and collaboratively.