Who We Are
The City of Albuquerque Animal Welfare Department has been matching loving furry companions to pet parents and families for years. Our goal is to engage people to assist in creating an environment of compassion for our shelter animals through adoption, education, spay/neuter, and positive community outreach.
Animals in our City need your help. The City of Albuquerque Animal Welfare Department is always recruiting volunteers who want to donate their time to help our four-legged friends. Whether you can contribute a few hours a week, a few hours a month, a few hours a year, or you want to open your home to animals who are having a hard time in the shelter or just need some time to grow, there is a place in the department for you.
We are staff and volunteers providing shelter, care and enrichment for over 16,000 homeless pets per year with the ever-present goal of permanent placement in adoptive homes, foster homes or rescue placement with the support of our community. We are advocates for owned pets and the citizens in our community who love them.
What We Do
The mission of the Animal Welfare Department is to support responsible ownership of domestic animals; to manage care for missing, abused and homeless animals; to encourage and celebrate the human/animal bond through quality adoptions and education; and to help assure public health and safety for the community.
To know everything about our AWD volunteer process, trainings and areas of action follow this link:
Volunteering Process for AWD
Volunteer at the Animal Shelter
A shelter is not a solution because it is not a home. While animals in our shelter are waiting for their forever home it is sometimes the only safe place available to them. For some, this stay is short, but for many, the wait is far too long (and seven-times longer in dog years). Our Animal Welfare Department volunteers have an impact on every little life that walks, trots, or hops through those doors.
The Animal Welfare Department maintains shelters on the east and west sides of the city and is always recruiting volunteers to make the shelter a better, more fun, and more beautiful place for animals to be. This department offers flexible hours for their volunteers to accommodate any schedule.
To cuddle and play with cats, walk dogs, take care of exotics and more please go to:
Foster a Cat or Dog
Some animals struggle with the environment of animal shelters, and some animals need special attention to prepare them for adoption. The types of animals that need fostering include litters of puppies and kittens with or without mamas, animals recovering from surgery, animals with behavioral issues and animals who just need a break from the shelter. Those animals which require fostering are determined by Animal Welfare management. Foster volunteers provide the extra help, training, or special environment animals need during their wait for a home. Foster volunteers also increase the capacity of the department to help as many animals as possible. Consider donating your time and home to an animal who needs a paw up.
The devotion and care provided by a foster parent give the animal a chance to be adopted by a loving home and the length of time an animal spends with a foster parent depends on the requirements of the animal. This can be an intense short-term commitment, but also a very rewarding one.
Let us know which pet you're interested in fostering! the full list and sign up is at:
Volunteer for the animals at the Clinic
Every day, countless pets in shelters face medical challenges that require urgent attention, from simple vaccinations to life-saving surgeries. These animals rely on the support of compassionate volunteers to help them through their healing process. By volunteering for pets in need of medical care, you’re not just offering your time – you’re giving them a chance at a better life.
Veterinary care can be costly and overwhelming for shelters, but volunteers make a real difference in providing hands-on support during recovery and offering comfort. Your involvement could help reduce stress for pets during treatments, improve their chances of recovery, and ultimately help them find loving, forever homes.
Your time and care can mean the world to these animals. Whether you’re assisting with medical tasks, providing emotional support, or simply offering a warm presence, volunteering ensures that pets receive the compassion and care they deserve. Join us in making a lasting impact on the lives of vulnerable pets – they need you now more than ever.
You can find the available opportunities at the clinic here:
The Companion Readers Program
The Companion Readers program provides trained volunteer pets relaxed, non-judgmental and pet-friendly atmosphere, which will allow children to practice their reading skills. Having a child practice reading in a relaxed environment will build self-esteem and connect reading with something pleasant. The children who participate in the program are Kindergarteners to 5th grade, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Kid Clubs, and families. Animal Welfare staff and parents oversee the children as they read to the shelter pets.
Donate to support Albuquerque shelter pets through our friends of the shelter nonprofit, Albuquerque Kennel Kompadres.
Details
| (505) 234-5107 | |
| awdvolunteer@cabq.gov | |
| Valerie Greif | |
| Community Engagement | |
| https://www.cabq.gov/pets |
