Volunteering at MAC
Volunteers are an essential part of the inner-workings of McKamey Animal Center and play an important role in saving animal lives in Chattanooga! Volunteers are at the frontlines of helping staff provide quality love and care for animals and helping get them into forever homes!
We are always looking for passionate, dedicated volunteers to help us further our mission and we can put almost any skill and interest to good use! Check out the available volunteer roles below.
If you are looking for a one-time opportunity or can not make the 6-month commitment, we recommend our Trailblazers Program!
Already A MAC Volunteer?
If you are already a MAC Volunteer, you can login below to sign up for shifts, check your hours, etc.
- Volunteers 16 years of age or older may volunteer independently.
- Volunteers age 10-15 have to be accompanied by a parent or guardian who must also become a Volunteer.
- Volunteers must complete onboarding prior to beginning volunteer service. This includes orientation, sanitation safety training, customer service training, and more.
All volunteers must complete four hours of Essential Shelter Help (non-animal handling tasks) before they are able to attend Animal Handling 101 class and work with animals.
- All volunteers must be willing to commit to a minimum of 6 hours of service each month for at least 6 months, ideally the same 2-hour shift per week.
- To help with costs and not take away from the animals in our care, volunteers are asked to pay a one-time $25 commitment fee, which covers the cost of your volunteer t-shirt, nametag, and training.
- Volunteers must be willing to utilize our online communication tools- we have an app that we use for communication.
Every volunteer must complete Essential Shelter Help (ESH) training before moving on to animal handling courses and other opportunities. ESH tasks include assisting staff with tasks such as laundry, dishes, cleaning crates/carriers, washing windows, etc… This position helps all areas of the Center with essential non-animal handling tasks.
Canine Companions help us move dogs throughout the shelter and take them on walks to release energy and socialize. These Volunteers also help closely monitor our animals to make sure any and all needs (cleaning, food, water, socialization, alerting for medical needs, etc…) are met. They are instrumental in keeping our furry friends healthy and happy.
Feline Friends help our cats learn to interact with people and humans alike. These volunteers help provide positive enrichment to keep our cats happy and comfortable. These Volunteers also help closely monitor our animals to make sure any and all needs (cleaning, food, water, socialization, alerting for medical needs, etc…) are met. They are instrumental in keeping our furry friends healthy and happy. The Volunteer has the option to be trained in both areas or an area of their preference.
In this position, volunteers assist staff with performing duties associated with Admissions- including but not limited to the intake of animals, setting and confirming appointments, and conducting lost dog/cat walkthroughs.
Volunteers helping in this area assist with the adoptions process to get animals under MAC’s care to forever homes while providing visitors an excellent customer service experience.
Volunteer who assist with enrichment-making have the opportunity to ease an animal’s stress/anxiety by creating something yummy to eat, something interesting to sniff, a nice chew toy, or any activity asked by our enrichment team.
MAC hosts special events throughout the year and we can always use help! Special Events volunteer help with set up/tear down, cleaning, interacting with attendees, and more depending on the event!
Volunteers in our weekly Vaccine Clinic assist with pet intake, record keeping, and other administrative tasks.
Our photography team is made of volunteers with varying skill levels who love taking pictures of animals! Anyone can be on this team! We even have a beginners photography class to help you.
Volunteers in this position help MAC staff with administrative tasks like emails, calls, data entry, etc…
We often transport animals to other shelters to ensure we are not over capacity. Volunteers have the opportunity to transport these animals to shelters who will love them as much as we do.
To learn more about these positions, please click the button below in the Steps to Getting Started section.
- Please complete a Volunteer Application below.
- Once you submit your application, please allow three business days for your application to be reviewed. If you are approved, you will gain access to our virtual orientation and training modules.
- Complete your onboarding, schedule Day One Training, and start volunteering at MAC!
- After completing basic training, you can sign up for additional training, like Animal Handling, Vaccine Clinic, PawPurrazzi, and more!
Looking to volunteer with your business or civic group? We would love to have your help! Group activities often include animal interaction time, working on an enrichment project, or whatever else may be needed around MAC, and an educational presentation about animal welfare and MAC’s history! We always love ideas if you have them! Fill out the interest form below to get started!
We kindly ask for a 30 day notice minimum when submitting a group request form as our group events calendar fills up very quickly! We are currently booked out until October!
To be considered for participation in MAC’s Court-Ordered Community Service, individuals must:
- Be 18 years of age or older
- Have no charges or convictions related to sexual crimes, crimes against animals, children or seniors, any violent crimes, or related offenses
- Be a first-time offender
- Provide official court documentation stating the nature of their offense, the number of hours to be completed and the date by which those hours must be completed
- Pay a $25.00 application processing fee
Court ordered community service volunteers are not permitted to work directly with animals. However, they can perform other tasks that are critical to the work that we do, including:
- Laundry Services
- Washing Dishes
- Scooping Play Yards
- Garbage Removal
- Window Washing
- Sanitizing Crates
Anyone interested in performing their court ordered community service at MAC must be approved in advance – no walk-ins will be accepted.
Applications can be submitted here: https://form.jotform.com/212235165175047.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Applicants should expect to wait at least one full week before their application is reviewed. If there is a tight window for completion of hours, applicants should apply to another program.
Applicants will be notified as to whether they have been accepted (usually within one week of submission), when they can begin volunteering and what their schedule will be. Generally speaking, court-ordered community service hours can be scheduled 7 days a week from 8am – 6pm. Alternate times may be considered by the MAC Volunteer Manager on a case-by-case basis.
Service hours are able to be scheduled around the CSV’s availability, but hours may be assigned based on the organization’s needs. This may or may not coincide with an applicant’s court-ordered deadlines – again, if there is a tight window for completion of hours, the applicant should apply to another program.
Applicants are responsible for tracking their own hours, ensuring that MAC’s documentation of their hours completed is accurate, and ensuring that all court-required documents are completed. If there is a dispute as to how many hours have been successfully completed, MAC’s record will be considered official and final. MAC will not be responsible for submitting any paperwork to any agency (except as mandated by law), nor will it be liable for retaining records of copies of work hours completed.
- CSVs must arrive on time for their shifts – anyone arriving more than 15 minutes late for an assigned shift will be released from the program.
- CSVs must dress appropriately: closed-toed shoes (no sandals) and long pants are required. Clothing must be in good repair (no holes, no rips or tears) and may not have offensive language or messaging. Undergarments (underwear and bras) may not be visible, and excessively sagging pants will require belts. If clothing is deemed unacceptable, the CSV will be asked to leave the Center.
- No weapons, drugs, or alcohol of any kind are permitted on MAC property.
- Cell phones and personal items should be left outside the Center and may not be used on site.
- Harassment, abuse, intimidation, insubordination or other disrespectful or demeaning treatment of staff, other volunteers or the public will be grounds for immediate dismissal from the program.
- CSVs are permitted in assigned areas only – anyone found outside a permitted area may be immediately dismissed from the program.
- If a CSV is inactive for 14 days or more, they will be released from the program.
Have A Question?
If you have a question about the MAC Volunteering program that was not answered on this page, please click below to email our Volunteer Program Manager.
Already A MAC Volunteer?
If you are already a MAC Volunteer, you can login below to sign up for shifts, check your hours, etc…
Contact Us
McKamey Animal Center
4500 N. Access Rd.
Chattanooga, TN 37415
(423) 305-6500
McKamey Animal Center was founded in 2008, serving the pets and people of the cities of Chattanooga, Red Bank and Lakesite, Tennessee. MAC is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit charitable organization.
