My daughter wants to volunteer, any advice?

My daughter, who is almost 12 has wanted to be a vet since she was old enough to say it.......yeah I know she's still young and big dreams change once real life starts.....but I want to encourage her to chase her dreams.  Anyhow that said she came up with the idea of volunteering at a local SPCA, so tomorrow her and I are going over to fill out the application.  I was told on the phone she can volunteer this young, but I have to be with her (no big deal of course).  I am proud of her choice to help other animals out, here's my dilemma.....#1 she is a triplet and her sister and brother heard what her plans are and of course are now jealous and want to come too, but I'm not sure what the adult to child ratio is for volunteering, of course all my kids love animals, but since she wants to be a veterinarian it makes sense that she gets to go if only one can go..............does anyone know how many kids they would let me take and if I can just let them take turns on who goes with me?  Secondly my daughter really wants to know what all she would get to do, I am assuming it will be cleaning cages, maybe feeding the animals, that sort of thing.  Third is there a requirement for how often you have to show up?  I would assume not since it's volunteering, but since I work and have 5 kids to run here and there, I really can only help maybe a few Saturdays a month.

Every shelter has its own rules. These are questions you really need to direct to the shelter where she is applying to volunteer. You could ask some of them on the phone, such as the adult to child ratio. The shelter will most likely require at least one training session and you would find out what kind of things the volunteers are allowed to do then. They may have some printed material you can get ahead of time as well.

It's so good to hear about kids who want to get involved in volunteer work. I hope this works out for her, and that you can find some way to keep the other kids happy.

What was said above.  Most of these questions can be asked on the phone.  The shelters I've volunteered at have generally required a commitment of one shift a week but been somewhat flexible about it- some are more flexible than others. 

I used to volunteer, every other week on a sunday. Each volunteer gets a day for a few hours a week or so, depending on your schedule. And depends on what time you're scheduled for, you may need to feed, clean or just socialize the cats. The shelter you're working with should be able to give you all the details!

I agree with what others have said; the exact details will differ from one shelter to another. But here's my experience - I just started volunteering at my local shelter this summer. I do a lot of things for them - I scoop litter boxes/clean cages, take up and wash empty bowls, work on socializing cats, photographing the new cats who come in so they can be posted on the website, write descriptions of the cats I've spend a lot of time with to help potential adopters choose the right cat for them. The brushing and socializing is actually very very important, because the staff members are so busy running things and there are a lot of animals who need loving. That is something that is really great for kids to do. The cleaning is also very valuable, because the cats are so much happier when they are comfortable. Kids often have more energy than us grown-ups, and if they're up to scooping boxes I bet the shelter would jump on the opportunity to have them do it. I know I get tired taking care of 52 cats, and I'm only there one day a week!

I don't know what your shelter would say about multiple kiddos at once. This is what I've seen: when the kids are quiet and gentle, it can be wonderful to have them. There are these two boys who come with their dad to our shelter, and they are so helpful! They watch the cats so closely and spend a lot of time with them, and they are gentle. We love to see this! What we worry about is when kiddos come in and are noisy. Sometimes they're just so excited to see the cats that it freaks out the animals a bit, and that can be unhelpful. It just comes down to how your children are, and you will know that better than I do! 

Also, thank you for supporting your daughter's interest in animals! Even if she doesn't decide to become a vet, it is a wonderful thing to grow up loving animals and learning how to treat them kindly. 

Thanks everyone for the great info!  We went last night and filled out the applications, it's all less formal than I expected and we get to start today!  Also they said no problem to bringing another kid with me, my triplets are my youngest and they are nearly 12 and are used to animals so they will be a great help.  I told the kids only 2 at a time, just for my own sanity.  From what I was told we will basically just be there to play with the dogs and cats and exercise them, so it should be alot of fun.  Anyhow today at 1pm we are supposed to go over and they will show us the ropes and the best part is there is no minimum of how much time you have to put in, buy hopefully we can make it over a couple weekends a month.  I wish it could be more, but I work some weekends and the shelter has limited hours.

Wonderful! It sounds like you will have a great time. 

It sounds like it's going to work out well for you and your kids. Congratulations!

The shelter where I volunteer is pretty relaxed. Volunteers come in whenever they can, don't have to schedule a time. The ones who walk the dogs get extra training first, and they're only allowed to walk certain dogs. I know some of the volunteers go in when the shelter is closed to the public because it's easier to do the cleaning then. Only the staff and a few specially trained volunteers are allowed to feed the animals.

My time is limited so I usually spend less than an hour at a time there. I play with the kitties, trim their claws, and take pictures of both cats and dogs. When I was fostering 5 bottle-feeding kittens at home I didn't even go in to the shelter for several weeks.

Success!  We walked many dogs, it was great to see how much they truly enjoyed getting out to stretch their legs for a bit, then my favorite part was socializing the kitties, which is fancy talk for playing with them in the cat room!  My only complaint is that I was hoping for a little more structure, like it would be nice if they would have pointed out to us which cats needed socializing more so we could focus our attention on those ones, but I just used my best judgement and tried to go for the cats that were no as outgoing as the others and seemed more withdrawn.  One boy stole my heart, he's 11 years old which makes me sad because most people are not going to want an 11 year old cat, he looks very healthy and very friendly, I can't have anymore cats, but I did share his story and picture on Facebook hoping to help him get a home.  His story says that his owner died and her husband apparently couldn't take care of him

Congrats juliek! It's awesome that you're tagging along with your daughter too!

Organization seems to be an issue with shelters and rescues. Some are worse than others, but I try not to let it get to me. That said, I think what's important is that your daughter is in a friendly environment! I actually just left a shelter I was volunteering at. Although I love the animals, I really disliked the people. Never was I said hi to, or introduced to. Many of the existing volunteers/interns/staff were very unwelcoming. Having a friendly environment will help cope with the disorganization.   Of course, since you are tagging along with her you guys are in a better situation than I was. 

I hope the 11 year old finds a home! 

I know what you mean about which cats need extra attention! Some kitties are outgoing and friendly right away, and they often go home with someone soon, especially if they are young and healthy. One thing I do for my shelter is find those cats who don't speak for themselves so well, get to know them, and then write about them a little. The shelter posts what I write with the information card for that cat, and then potential adopters can read it. This helps a lot, because if you're only there for a little while one day to look for a cat, it's hard to get to know the ones who hide or just don't come up to you on their own. 

Anyway, when I pointed out to the shelter that it would be super if there could be more info for some of the cats, even just "Beau likes to play with play wands, and he comes right out of the corner if you start playing with him!" They told me, "Yes, it would be great! Can you do that for us?" So, if you find yourself getting to know some of the cats (or dogs!) you might offer to help them out by sharing what you've learned. Just an idea. 

Sounds like you and your daughter are both having a great time! Thank you thank you thank you, on behalf of the fuzzy beasts.