Ways You Can Help:
- Become a Foster: Give an animal a temporary home and help them get ready
for adoption. - Volunteer: Join our dedicated team to help with daily care, events, and more.
- Become a Friend of A.D.O.P.T.: Support our mission year-round and help us continue providing lifesaving services.
Every action—big or small—brings us one step closer to a world where every pet has a home.
Join us and be part of something meaningful. Together, we’ll make a difference—Until Every Pet Has a Home.
Volunteers Make It All Possible
Our volunteers are the heart of A.D.O.P.T.
They donate their time, talents, and compassion to ensure our animals stay happy, healthy, and ready for their forever homes. From walking dogs and socializing cats to assisting in our clinic and supporting our training classes, volunteers are involved in every corner of our shelter’s work.
Whether you’re helping at events, lending a hand in our Community Clinic, or supporting behavior and training sessions, your time makes a lasting difference.
When you volunteer with A.D.O.P.T., you’re not just giving your time—you’re giving hope.
Volunteer Specific Roles
There are many opportunities for volunteer participation!
Please note: Volunteering cannot be used for court-mandated community service hours.
Animal Care (Dogs and Cats)
Volunteer at the shelter caring for the animals. This includes providing animals with fresh water, cleaning the kennels/cages and dog runs, leash-walking dogs, maintaining the animal’s living spaces, and providing ample love and attention to our shelter animals. Individuals can volunteer with cats, with dogs, or both.
Foster Program
Dogs: Experienced fosters are needed to care for specific dogs requiring consistency in their routine or possibly special attention. In addition, fosters for litters of puppies are occasionally needed.
Cats: We are always on the lookout for foster homes that will open their doors to pregnant cats, cats with kittens, orphaned kittens, as well as special needs animals.
Facilities Maintenance
Throughout the year, help is often needed with various indoor tasks as well as outdoor projects. In addition, special projects involving computer and data technologies arise.
Medical Clinic
A.D.O.P.T.’s medical clinic is always looking for volunteers. If you have a medical background and would like to utilize your talents volunteering with our medical team, we need you!
Marketing & Public Relations
This volunteer role assists our Development Coordinator in various ways including writing and posting press releases, assisting in promotion of services and events, & creating brochures and flyers as needed. Prior experience needed.
Fundraising & Friendraising
Volunteers are always needed to help with information tables, fundraising activities, and events. Typically these events are posted on our website. If you are interested, we can use your help!
A.D.O.P.T. Website and Content Creation
We are on the lookout for specialized IT talent with experience in Javascript, Flash, etc. Talented photographers are always needed as well. A picture is worth a thousand words!
Off-Site Activities
Particularly during the summer months, A.D.O.P.T. participates in many off-site events for the purposes of promoting our organization, showing our animals, and raising funds. Off-site activities include both regularly scheduled pet store meet-and-greets as well as on-time off-site events. Coin bank placement and collection is another part of our Off-Site Program.
Fostering with A.D.O.P.T.
Foster homes are a lifeline for the animals who need us most
When you open your heart and home to a foster pet, you give them more than just shelter—you give them a chance to heal, to grow, and to be truly seen. Whether it’s a kitten too young to be adopted, a dog recovering from surgery, or a cat who simply needs a break from the shelter, your love can be the difference between surviving and thriving.
Fostering helps us understand each animal’s unique personality, so we can find the perfect forever home. It can be joyful, sometimes challenging—but always deeply rewarding.
All fosters must be licensed with the State of Illinois. It’s a simple process, and we’ll walk you through every step.
One animal. One home. One chance to change a life.
Become a Friend of A.D.O.P.T.
Join Us in Saving Lives
Every day, countless animals wait for someone to care, someone to help, someone to love them. At A.D.O.P.T. Pet Shelter, we fight for those voiceless lives—and we can’t do it without you.
When you become a Friend of A.D.O.P.T., you stand beside us in the battle against pet overpopulation, homelessness, and neglect. You become part of the heart of our mission—a dedicated group that helps provide food, shelter, medical care, and hope to animals who need it most.
Together, we can create a world where every pet has a home.
Get Involved FAQs
Answers to Questions About Our Get Involved Program
Anyone with a passion for animals and a desire to make a difference! Volunteers must be at least 18 years old to work directly with animals. (Younger volunteers may be able to help with special projects — please ask!)
It’s easy!
- Fill out our Volunteer Application online or in person
- Attend a Volunteer Orientation
- Complete any necessary training for your chosen area
- Dog walking and enrichment
- Cat socialization and care
- Shelter cleaning and support
- Event help and community outreach
- Office and administrative assistance
- Fostering pets in your home
- Clinic support (for experienced volunteers)
Yes! Volunteers are vital to every part of our shelter, from laundry and dishes to greeting visitors, helping at events, and more.
We ask volunteers to commit to at least two hours per week for a minimum of three months, but many volunteers stay longer because they love it!
We offer short-term and group volunteer opportunities on a limited basis. Please contact us to discuss options.
Yes, depending on availability and your school or program’s requirements. Court-ordered service must be approved prior to starting.
Most volunteer shifts are available daily between 8:00 AM and 6:00 PM, including weekends.
Because you’ll change lives—both theirs and yours. Every hour you give helps provide love, care, and second chances to homeless animals in need.
In most cases, it’s fine if you already have a cat and/or dog, as long as your pet and the foster pet are both healthy and well behaved around other animals. If you foster kittens they will need to be kept in a separate room away from your other pets. Prior to arranging any foster home, an introduction will be done between your current animals and the animal we need to have fostered in order to ensure it will be a fit for the whole family.
Staff members are available for telephone consultations. Being a foster home is extremely rewarding. However, you should keep in mind that many, but not all, rescue animals are housebroken or may have had little socialization or obedience training. We find that when given a chance these animals not only improve, they flourish in their foster care environment.
If you are fostering and want to go away for a weekend or take a vacation, the foster cat or dog can be returned to the coordinator`s care while you are away. Just arrange it in advance, as soon as you know, and we’ll reserve a spot.
Not necessarily. Many foster family members are employed outside the home and still provide a quality environment for the cat or dog. We do require that any time you are unable to directly supervise the foster animal, they must be confined to a small, secure area, preferably a training crate. For cats or kittens a small room, bathroom or bedroom, is preferred for them to stay in while you’re away. This results in a safe secure place for the cat and dog and also protects your home and possessions.
A fenced yard is preferred, but not necessary. Foster dogs must NEVER be allowed to run free. If your yard is surrounded by a secure fence, the dog may be exercised there off leash. Outside the yard the dog must be on leash at ALL times.
The foster stay varies with each cat and dog depending on the animal’s specific needs. Animals with special needs may need to stay in foster care for a period of months. Some may stay only a few days. It really depends on the individual cat’s or dog`s situation.
If you are interested in fostering, please complete and submit a volunteer application. You will need to complete a volunteer orientation and volunteer at the shelter before becoming a foster volunteer.
Foster homes are responsible for the daily care of the foster cat or dog, including feeding, exercising, socializing, grooming, reinforcing basic obedience commands, observing and evaluating general behavior and temperament, and of course providing patience, love and security.
Understand that all the animals are rescue animals and their behavior can be unpredictable. Be prepared for some adjustment issues in the beginning. It can be stressful for both you and the pet to be in a new situation. Be patient. If the going gets tough we will help out with advice and encouragement.
A.D.O.P.T. pays for any necessary medical treatment the foster pet may require while under your care as well as the State of Illinois license fee if you don’t already have one. If your foster animal does need medical care, you will be asked to transport it to one of our veterinarians. A.D.O.P.T. appreciates it if you are able to provide the food, but if necessary, we will provide it. We will also supply a crate/carrier and other supplies as needed.
As a foster parent, you will be able to love, care for, and enjoy knowing different cats and dogs. And you will be doing a wonderful thing – giving these deserving animals a chance at a new life.
Yes, of course. But, when your foster pet finds a new family who`s ready to provide a permanent loving home, you will feel more than satisfied to see him move on to his new life.
We will tell you about the animals that are in need of foster homes and you can let us know your preference. If we feel that the animal is a good match for your home we will set you up as a foster home. We do our best to place an animal that fits your lifestyle. If you live in an apartment, you can ask for or an older animal who is low energy or a cat or dog in medical recovery who needs to be kept quiet. If you are an active family, you can ask for a dog who needs lots of walks and plenty of exercise. If someone in your family is comfortable working with dogs, they can help with some basic obedience or teach him some tricks.
All of our animals are vet checked, spayed or neutered (or soon will be), current on all vaccinations, microchipped, tested for worms and parasites and treated as needed, and dogs are tested for heartworm and are on preventative. We will tell you if an animal has a health problem and together evaluate whether or not an animal with medical needs is a good choice for you.
Need assistance or have specific questions?
Reach out to our team, and we’ll be happy to help.