The SPCA of Martinsville and Henry County is restructuring its volunteer program to improve training and support for participants. The updated program aims to provide quicker education for volunteers, ensuring they feel prepared and supported while working with the shelter’s animals—an issue that staff previously encountered.
The changes come as animal shelters nationwide face difficulties in securing adoption placements, increasing the need for well-trained volunteers to assist with daily operations.
“We are completely revamping the volunteer program,” said Director of Development and Communications, Caroline Cicilese. This change came after management and staff discussed their former program, and looked at staffing issues.
“The intakes never stop. I don’t have the staff to stop each volunteer that’s here and tell them, ‘Hey, we need your help with this or if you’re looking for something to do, here is an option,’” she said. Going forward, “this will be hands-on training for volunteers. We have a lot of volunteers that come in and want to walk dogs, but we don’t have the staff to pull out the dog” from the cage.
Dogs will also be color coded to indicate how difficult it is to walk them, and volunteers will be given a key to access them.
The agency’s new training manual focuses on the body language of animals, which is a critical tool for volunteers to prevent injuries. Cicilese said that many times animal body language can be misinterpreted without proper training.
“We are going to teach them all the cues in dogs’ body ranges, and even cat language.” This helps with leashing and walking dogs, as well as helping the feline residents of the facility, she said.
“I think this overall is a great opportunity to bring in volunteers and repair old relationships with the old volunteers we lost over the years. We didn’t have time to give them, and they deserve time. Their time is important, and we value their time,” Cicilese said, adding the hope is to bring former volunteers back to the shelter, which needs help now more than ever.
Kitten season, a time when there is a large outbreak of kitten births, will be starting over the next few months. Canine adoptions, especially with larger breed dogs, are down on a national level. Cicilese said that the longer a dog stays, the more kennel crazed they become. This causes dogs to excitedly jump at the door driving away some prospective adopters.
“Little do they know if we were to get that dog out of the kennel, that dog’s personality completely changes, and it’s actually a really good dog on a leash,” she said.
Interaction from future volunteers can help to give the dogs at the facility more attention, helping them to stay happier. Volunteers can also help connect the right breeds to the right family by giving potential adopters helpful knowledge about each animal and breed.
“We really want to reach out to those old volunteers and say ‘we’re sorry. We want to fix this. We want to train you in whatever you need help with. We are forever grateful for our volunteers,” Cicilese said.
With many variables tossed into the shelter’s operations each day, it’s hard to keep up with everything, she said. “It’s not just you open the doors, you clean, you feed the animals, you close.”
Cicilese said the main concern with former volunteers was that they felt lost. “I think that was the main concern. We are very apologetic about that, we just don’t have the staffing.”
Rampant zoonotic disease outbreaks during the start of the year also made it harder for shelter staff to help volunteers. The shelter also experienced outbreaks of canine parvovirus (parvo), feline panleukopenia virus, and a rampant kennel cough that made its way through the building.
All of those issues made it harder for staff to find time to teach volunteers, especially those working in different areas due to a high risk of cross contamination.
“We kind of had to keep staff to their respective stations. We are sorry, but we are here for you now,” Cicilese said.
The SPCA is seeking several different types of volunteer positions, including furniture moving, fundraising, animal transport, community education, outreach, shelter helpers, cat companions, dog walking, socialization, and fostering.
If you are interested in volunteering with the SPCA, forms are available at the shelter or on its website. Once you have turned in your form, you will be emailed a time for your orientation.
In addition, all animals who were in the shelter by Tuesday February 4, have had their adoption sponsored by an unnamed donor. These animals are free to a good home with an approved adoption application.
