Volunteer Roles Available at GAWS

Volunteering within the shelter is incredibly rewarding and enables you to work hands on with the animals, so a strong passion for animal welfare and maturity is required. Tasks include cleaning pens and enclosures, feeding and walking dogs, and assisting in the care and wellbeing of the dogs by providing essential pen enrichment and TLC.

It is important to know that while volunteering with the dogs can be extremely rewarding, the role can be very physically demanding. Duties can also require you to work outside and in all weather conditions.

Shelter assistance enables you to make positive impact on dog’s lives.

Shifts are approximately four hours in duration, once a week.

K9 Social Group is a program designed to provide enrichment, positive dog on dog socialisation, exercise, additional assessment and behaviour modification training.

 This role requires ongoing training and excellent communication skills.

Dog walking is a great way to keep active while ensuring the dogs get their daily exercise. All volunteers will be trained to walk dogs safely and correctly.

Volunteering within the shelter is incredibly rewarding and enables you to work hands on with the animals, so a strong passion for animal welfare and maturity is required. This role involves assisting in the care of cats in the shelter. Primarily these roles involve feeding, cleaning and assisting with socialisation of the many cats that come into our care daily. 

Shelter assistance enables you to make positive impact on cat’s lives.

Shifts are approximately four hours in duration, once a week.

Many of our cats are extremely timid and shy and require some extra attention. Volunteers in the Timid Cat program spend time with these cats by showing them affection to increase confidence and ensure positive human interaction.

Volunteering in the laundry and storeroom is a fantastic way to support the clinic and shelter without working directly with animals. This role assists to launder animal bedding, enrichment toys and items required for foster carers. Volunteers also sort, store and organise donated goods for animals in the shelter which we receive daily from our very generous and supportive local community.

The GAWS shelter requires continuous assistance in maintaining grounds and ensuring the facility is in good repair. Our volunteers do a fantastic job of mowing lawns and keeping our gardens lush for the community and general public. These roles are flexible and a great way to keep active and meet new people.

The GAWS Op Shop and Recycled Fashion & Homewares stores provide much needed funding to help support shelter operations. Located in Vines Rd, Hamlyn Heights and Pakington St, Geelong West, are open six days a week and are entirely volunteer staffed. Activities include sorting donated items, pricing, customer assistance, cash handing and displaying stock.

GAWS hosts a limited number of student placements available to VCAL and VCE students who are enrolled in an animal related tertiary course and require hands on experience as a component of their study. 

Student placements usually take place over a six month or yearly block. 

At times we may require additional Admin Assistance for tasks involved in managing the daily operations of the shelter. These roles are advertised on a casual basis throughout the year.