What to know
- Toronto Animal Services is calling on animal lovers to volunteer or foster to help shelter animals feel safer, healthier and more adoption-ready.
- Volunteer roles include dog walking, cat and small-animal cuddling, and community outreach, with training and staff support provided.
- There is an urgent need for foster homes, especially for large-breed dogs and animals recovering from medical procedures or shelter stress.
- Volunteers must be 18+, while foster caregivers can be 16+ with parental permission, and applications are open through the Toronto Animal Services website.
Calling all animal lovers: Toronto Animal Services is looking for volunteers and foster caregivers to help give furry friends across the city the care, comfort and attention they deserve.
Volunteers play an important role in supporting animals’ physical and emotional well-being and also helps them become adoption-ready faster, Toronto Animal Services (TAS) explained online.
“Your time, compassion, and dedication help make shelter life happier,” TAS wrote on Instagram.
HERE’S HOW TORONTONIANS CAN HELP
TAS is currently seeking volunteers for a variety of hands-on roles:
- Dog walkers, who provide daily exercise and enrichment to help dogs stay healthy and mentally stimulated. Volunteers will receive hands-on training from a certified positive reinforcement dog trainer and ongoing support from shelter staff.
- Cat cuddlers, who spend quality time with cats to help them feel safe and socialized
- Small animal cuddlers, offering gentle enrichment to rabbits, guinea pigs and other small pets
- Community outreach volunteers, who support events and initiatives that connect shelter animals with the public and potential adopters.
TORONTO HAS A GROWING NEED FOR FOSTER HOMES
In addition to volunteers, TAS is urgently seeking foster caregivers willing to open their homes temporarily to animals in need. Foster placements are needed for cats, dogs (especially large-breed dogs), rabbits and guinea pigs.
Fostering can be short-term or longer-term, and it provides animals with a calm, stable environment. This step is especially critical for animals recovering from medical procedures, those needing weight gain or socialization, or pets who are stressed or shut down in the shelter.
TAS is especially seeking foster caregivers who:
- Have experience with large dogs
- Can support post-surgical recovery and monitored rest
- Are comfortable administering medications or managing follow-up care
- Work from home, which can be beneficial for dogs with separation anxiety
According to TAS, volunteers must be aged 18, while those interested in fostering can be a minimum of 16 with parent permission.
Torontonians interested in volunteering or fostering can learn more and apply through Toronto Animal Services’ website.
