Youth Volunteer Opportunities

Kids Can Help Shelter Pets, Too

While our volunteer program is designed for individuals 17 years of age and older, children under 17 can still make a difference in the lives of our shelter pets by:

• Making cat and dog toys and enrichment items. These items can help reduce the stress many animals feel when they come to a shelter, as well as exercise their brains while they wait to be adopted!
  • Snuffle mat.
  • Snuggle blanket.
  • Octopus dog toy.
  • Cat scratchboard.
  • Ring ball cat toy.
  • Tissue kebab cat toy.
  • Cat wrestle sausage toy.
  • Cat charmer wand.

• Collecting items or organizing a supply donation drive for items from our wish list.
  See our tips for a successful donation drive!

• Making pet treats. Please schedule a time to drop off perishable treats by emailing HumaneEd@mdspca.org or calling (410) 235-8826 ext. 128.
  • Yogurt pumpkin dog treat.
  • Pumpkin oat ball dog treat.
  • Doggie cookies.
  • Doggie oatmeal dog treat.
  • No bake dog treat.
  • Peanut butter dog treat.
  • Peanut butter honey nut dog treat.
  • Tuna cat treats.
  • Sardine cat treats.
  • Salmon cat treats.

• Enrolling in our youth internship program (available for students in grades 9-12).

• Participate in our Wagging Tales program.
  • Wagging Tales Reading Hour, where kids read to animals in the shelter.
  • Wagging Tales Teacher-Led Curriculum (TLC) for teachers who are interested in including more information on empathy and compassion in their classes.
  • Wagging Tales Academy, where MD SPCA staff come into the classroom to help teach humane education.

• A great way to help animals in our community is through fostering a dog or cat! Animal fostering is when your family provides short-term care to shelter animals in your home before they are adopted. If your family is interested in learning more about fostering an animal from the Maryland SPCA, please contact foster@mdspca.org.

• Boy and Girl Scout Troops are encouraged to create enrichment items or make pre-approved animal treats (see above) to earn a special “Pet Pals” badge through the MD SPCA. MD SPCA staff are available to provide presentations for troops on basic humane education topics such as pet care, pet safety, and more. Troops are invited to schedule a tour of our shelter (based on availability) during which troops read to the animals in the shelter, helping to lessen the stress for the animals in our care. Please contact the Humane Education department at HumaneEd@mdspca.org or 410-235-8826 ext. 128 to schedule a tour or presentation.

• Eagle Scout and Gold Award Projects. If you are interested in helping the Maryland SPCA through an Eagle Scout or Gold Award Project, please contact the Humane Education department at HumaneEd@mdspca.org or 410-235-8826 ext. 128. Past projects have included building an exercise yard for the shelter animals, planting trees, building benches, making community cat shelters, and more! Projects are accepted based on shelter need and availability.

Do you have an idea for a project that you don’t see above? Please contact us to discuss your ideas at HumaneEd@mdspca.org or 410-235-8826 ext. 128.