Welcome

Welcome to the City of Chico Animal Services Volunteer Program. Being a volunteer is extremely rewarding, educational, exciting and fun. You can have a huge impact, not only on the animals that enter our shelter every day, but on the animals in our community, their owners, and our community as a whole.

The time and talent of many volunteers like you is essential for providing quality care for the animals entering our shelter. Whether you work with animals hands on, work directly with the public, or provide support behind the scenes, you help improve the lives of animals in our shelter and beyond.

There are many volunteer opportunities available, from socializing cats to clerical work, and many tasks in between. No task is too small, and every task is important! This guide has been prepared for you as a reference. It contains information regarding volunteer opportunities and responsibilities, procedures that need to be followed, and ideas on how to make your volunteer time with us safe, fun, and beneficial to all.

We would like to thank you for choosing to volunteer at the Chico Animal Shelter. Your volunteer service is valued and appreciated, and we want it to be a positive and enjoyable experience.

Sincerely,
The Staff at the City of Chico Animal Shelter

Mission Statement

The mission of Chico Animal Services is to: courteously and compassionately promote the health, safety and welfare of citizens and animals through regulation, protection, and education.

Introduction

The Chico Animal Shelter is owned by the City of Chico, and is operated under Animal Services. Animal Services, which is a section of the Chico Police Department, also includes Chico Animal Control. There are currently two Animal Control Officers who operate out of the Police Department, located on Humboldt Road. The Chico Animal Shelter is run by six staff members – a Registered Vet Tech, an Animal Services Technician, and four full time and one part time Animal Services Associate – assisted by volunteers, community service workers, and Interns. City staff is responsible for the feeding, cleaning and care of all animals located at the shelter. The Animal Services Manager oversees both Animal Control and the Animal Shelter. The original shelter building, referred to as “Old City” was built in 1956, and was operated by the City. In 1986 the City contracted with the Butte Humane Society (BHS) to operate the shelter. An addition was built in 1988, which includes the lobby, laundry room, and an indoor‐outdoor kennel referred to as “Main”. The City resumed operations of the shelter in February of 2012, and a new kennel building for adoptable dogs was completed in January of 2013.

Services

By law, Animal Control is responsible for enforcing the City Codes regarding animals, which includes picking up dogs running loose within Chico city limits. They are also responsible for making sure animals are quarantined and observed for Rabies if the animal has bitten or scratched someone.

The City of Chico Animal Shelter houses all stray dogs picked up by animal control or
brought to us by a member of the public. The Shelter provides low‐cost quarantine services as well as “safekeeping” for animals. Safekeeping may include temporary shelter for an animal whose owner was taken into custody, animals seized during a law enforcement investigation, or animals displaced by a house fire. The shelter also accepts surrendered dogs from City residents on a space available basis, maintaining a waiting list for people wishing to surrender their dog.

The City of Chico Animal Shelter no longer accepts healthy stray cats, friendly or feral, or
any surrendered cats. The shelter will accept sick or injured cats and orphaned kittens. If possible, the animal will be rehabilitated and then put up for adoption, or transferred to another shelter or rescue group. People wishing to surrender their cats are referred to Butte Humane Society, Chico Cat Coalition and Caring 4 Kittens.

All animals brought to the shelter are scanned for a microchip, vaccinated, wormed, treated for fleas if needed, weighed, and given a physical to check for any medical problems that might need attention. Staff at the shelter can provide basic first aid as needed. A veterinarian is consulted for anything beyond first aid. All animals are photographed, and strays are posted to our website.

One of the main goals of the Chico Animal Shelter is to reunite pets with their owners. To achieve this goal, the Shelter maintains Lost and Found binders on the front counter, which are available to the public, to report lost or found pets. Staff regularly checks Craigslist and Facebook for lost pet reports as well. Lost reports can be taken over the phone, but pet owners are encouraged to visit the shelter in person to look for their lost pet. Handouts are available with a list of other shelters to contact and tips on finding lost pets. This information is also available on our website.

The City of Chico offers microchipping to the public, and dog licensing and low cost
euthanasia services for City pet owners.

Animal Holding Periods

Although state law allows for a shorter holding period (72 hours), it is our policy to hold
animals for four business days (days the shelter is open for business), not including the day of intake. Strays are held for the entire holding period and are not available for adoption during that time. Surrendered animals are available during the hold period, not including the day of intake, but are usually held during that time to give them a chance to acclimate to the shelter environment before they are evaluated. Animals that have not been
evaluated are not available to be handled by volunteers.

Kittens or puppies surrendered by their owner, or brought in by any other person authorized to relinquish them, are available for adoption or transfer immediately. Any
puppy or kitten under 8 weeks of age is available for transfer or to go into a foster home
immediately, but cannot be adopted out until they are at least 8 weeks of age.

Adoptions

Chico Animal Shelter has an adoption program that has been steadily growing for the past 7 years. Our entire adoption program is completely funded by donations from the public.The shelter mostly adopts out dogs and cats though there have been some assorted exotic animals thrown in the mix as well. Butte Humane Society (BHS) is our dog adoption partner. This means that a majority of the dogs that are ready for adoption trasfer to BHS and get adopted out through their program.

All animals have been spayed/neutered, are microchiped, and are up to date on their vaccinations.

Costs:

-All cat adoptions are $60 plus $5 for a carrier if the adopters do not have one.

-Dog adoption fees break down to a $42.50 city fee, a copay for the spay/neuter which varries based on the gender and size of the dog, plus a City of Chico Dog License if the adopter is local.

-The adoption fee for all other animals is $8.50 plus a copay for the spay/neuter which varies based on the gender and size of the animal.

Donations

The City of Chico Animal Shelter accepts donations from the public. All donations are
handled by the North Valley Community Foundation, and no donations go into the City’s
general fund. Donations are completely separate from the City’s budget for the animal
shelter. No donations are used for operation of the shelter or for salaries, and are set aside to be used for spay/neuter of adopted animals, heartworm and leukemia testing, and any medical care and treatment beyond basic first aid. Because donations are handled by NVCF, they are considered tax deductible.

The shelter also accepts donations of items such as towels, food, leashes and collars, etc. Any item that cannot be used at the shelter is offered to other local animal related
organizations, or donated to Pawprints thrift shop to help pay for spay/neuter in the
community.

Euthanasia Policy

After the animal’s holding period, the animal is evaluated for suitability for adoption. Many things are taken into consideration, including overall health, a temperament or behavioral test, observed behavior in the shelter and the owner’s surrender form (if applicable).

Staff will work with animals that need behavior modification, or treatment for medical
issues based on time and resources available. For animals that will be harder to place due to medical or behavioral issues, we work with rescue groups who may have better
resources to either provide care or place the animals in suitable homes. We also work with breed rescues, which often have waiting lists for that specific breed, and have more
experience finding homes that meet the specific needs of that breed.

The Chico Animal Shelter does not euthanize based on either length of time or for space.

Animals are euthanized only if they are too ill to be treated, or they are found to be
aggressive to people or other animals. Because some animals may stay at the shelter for an extended period of time, it is important that we keep them healthy, both physically and mentally, and this is where volunteers can play an important role.

Euthanasia is a very sad but real part of shelter work. Volunteers are never involved in the euthanasia process. Staff at the Chico Animal Shelter takes the decision to euthanize very seriously. When euthanasia is necessary, the animals are euthanized with great care and dignity. They are petted, talked to, and loved by our staff throughout the whole process, and are sedated if necessary to make the process less stressful for the animal and staff.

Their bodies are handled with great respect, and are taken by Koefran of Sacramento for
burial. We understand that you have chosen to volunteer at the shelter because of your love for animals. We expect that you will develop attachments to individual animals, and it may be challenging to deal with the loss of an animal through adoption or euthanasia. We ask that you do not question the staff or try to make them feel guilty about carrying out the very difficult, emotional, and necessary job of euthanasia. Understand that often a staff member will already have had an opportunity to grieve the loss, so their emotions when discussing euthanasia may be different than your own. If you have questions regarding the outcome of a pet, please feel free to speak with the Animal Services Manager.

Volunteer Policies, Guidelines, and Expectations

Most of the work done by the City staff consists of cleaning and maintaining the facilities
and providing care for the animals in the shelter. Cleaning tasks may seem tedious at times, but are vital for the wellbeing of our animals. Because many of the animals in our care are strays and are waiting for a behavior evaluation, there are limited opportunities to work directly with the animals on an entry level. Volunteers who are interested in working with animals will have the opportunity to learn about the behaviors of a variety of species and breeds of animals, and will be trained to work safely with animals.

Volunteers who want to help without directly working with animals can assist with special
projects, fundraising and public education, help out in the front office, and participate in
other vital areas, including leadership roles. The potential to help is limited only by your
imagination!

Chico Animal Shelter relies on its volunteers to be dependable and effective during their
volunteer hours. By meeting these commitments, the program operates smoothly and the maximum benefit is derived for the animals.

All shelter volunteers must abide by the policies and guidelines.

Parking
Parking in the shelter parking lot is reserved for the public. All volunteers are expected to park on the street. Please be mindful of the red zone in front of the mail boxes and do not block the back gate, even when it is closed.

Personal Belongings
We recommend that during your volunteer time at the shelter that you lock your personal items in your vehicle. We can store small items such as cell phones in a drawer, but have very limited space for such items as purses or backpacks.

Volunteer Sign‐in / Badges
Whenever you volunteer at the shelter, please make sure to sign in and out of the volunteer binder at the front desk, and have a staff member initial for you. Also, when signing in. please take a volunteer badge to clip to your clothing to identify you as a volunteer.

In the case of an emergency, we need to know who is here. In addition, we track volunteer hours to include in various reports to both the City and the public, and when writing grants.

Dress Code
For safety, no open toed shoes, tank tops, or shorts. Volunteers will be asked to change clothes or will be allowed to work only in the Laundry room. Volunteers are expected to wear:

• A t-shirt or swearshirt
• Jeans/cargo pants/scrubs (no sweats, yoga pants, or active wear pants) that completely cover your ankles
• Comfortable sneakers that you don't mind getting wet or dirty

Smoking
The City of Chico Animal Shelter is a smoke‐free environment. If you need to take a smoke break, please go to the designated smoking area in the back field. Please make sure to extinguish all cigarettes and discard them properly. This will help keep our grounds neat and clean.

Off Limits Areas
The following areas are off limits unless instructed by a staff member, or if your volunteer duties involve passing through these areas in order to do your tasks.

Med Room – animals are treated here, and sick and potentially contagious animals can be housed in this room.
Intake Room – this is where animals are first examined when brought to the shelter
Connex Box – outdoor storage unit where supplies are kept.
Dog and Cat Quarantine Rooms – controlled areas where animals are being housed for Rabies observation, only vaccinated staff is permitted in these areas.
Livestock Shed / Workshop – tools, extra litter pans and cages, and other items are stored here.

Expectations

• Work your assigned shift and be on time. Please notify a staff member as soon as possible if you are unable to make your assigned shift.
• Leave friends and family at home, unless they are also trained volunteers. Pets should be left at home as well, for their own safety and well being.
• Observe and follow all policies and procedures. The animals at the shelter depend on staff and volunteers to keep them safe and healthy. Preventing the spread of disease is a priority at the shelter, and many policies are based on keeping animals from getting sick. Animals are often very stressed in a shelter environment, and often don’t behave the same as they would in a home setting.
• Rules are in place to keep volunteers, staff, and animals safe in the shelter. Volunteers should be willing to respect all policies and procedures and act in a safe manner at all times.
• Be self‐motivated and thorough. You will be expected to work with a minimum amount of supervision. Being able to follow directions and retaining what you learn is vital. Please feel free to ask questions! Follow through on tasks and completing assignments ensures that animals are getting the best care possible.
• Be observant. When working with animals in the shelter it is important to be aware of any changes in an animal’s condition and to notice anything that seems unusual. We can provide training and support to help you learn what to look for.
• Be part of the team. Volunteers are expected to understand and support the policies of the Chico Animal Shelter so they can represent them to the public and the community at large. Our goal is to inform volunteers of our policies so the volunteer can determine whether volunteering is a good fit or not.

Working with the Public
If you are assigned to an area where you will be working with the public, please be respectful and courteous at all times. There is a binder under the front counter with policies and procedures and FAQ’s that you can refer to when needed. Answer questions and be helpful when you can. If you are unsure of any information, DO NOT GUESS, please refer questions to a staff person.

Confidentiality
As a volunteer you may have access to records and conversations that are confidential. Any information pertaining to records and cases to which you may become privileged, including but not limited to names, addresses, phone numbers, or details of cruelty cases, is confidential and my not be discussed with others or removed from the shelter. This includes the personal information of adopters, donors or people surrendering pets. Under some circumstances staff may be prohibited from discussing with you specific details regarding cases that are under investigation, or pending criminal court action. Volunteers are specifically prohibited from discussing any aspect of records and cases with any representative of the media, as this is the sole responsibility of Animal Services staff. Any violation of this policy will lead to immediate dismissal and further action if deemed necessary.

Media
Volunteers should direct all “media” requests to the Animal Services Manager. The term “media” includes all TV, radio, and print reporters, producers, photojournalists or print media, and/or anyone else associated with these mediums. Volunteers are encouraged to post and share on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, etc. However, volunteers are not to represent Chico Animal Services or the City of Chico in their posts.

Animal Handling
Only volunteers that have been trained by staff are permitted to handle animals or clean
cages. Animals still in their holding period are not to be handled by volunteers unless expressly directed and supervised by a staff member. Animals that have a “Quarantine”, “Contagious” or “Caution” sign on their cage, or other sign indicating they should not be handled, should not be touched by volunteers. Volunteers should not be showing animals, even animals available for adoption, to the public, unless specifically trained and assigned as an Adoption Volunteer. Please direct questions about specific animals to a staff member.

If an animal gets loose or escapes from its enclosure, DO NOT TRY TO CATCH THE ANIMAL. Immediately secure the area (close doors, gates, etc.) and notify a staff member.

Accident Prevention
The City of Chico Animal Shelter strives to provide a safe, hazard free workplace. Accidents
do happen, but with training, forethought, attention to detail, and personal responsibility
for keeping areas hazard free, we can greatly reduce the number of accidents in our shelter. Accident prevention is everyone’s job. If you see a safety hazard (such as urine on the floor, spilled kibble, etc.) please address it immediately. If you don’t know what to do, or if you are unsure if it is a safety hazard, please talk to a staff member right away.

Accident Reporting
Immediately report any injuries, no matter how small, to a staff member. This includes any scratches or bites that break the skin caused by any animal at the shelter.

Drugs and Alcohol
For safety reasons, volunteers should not be under the influence of drugs or alcohol. This includes prescription medications that might impair reflexes or decision making abilities.

Volunteers found to possess, use, sell or be under the influence of drugs or alcohol while on City property, or while volunteering for City events will be dismissed immediately, and may be subject to criminal prosecution.

Disease and Prevention

Zoonotic Diseases
Zoonotic diseases are diseases that humans can get from animals. Examples of diseases
that people can get from animals are: Ringworm, External Parasites (mites, fleas), Internal Parasites (giardia, roundworms), salmonella, and Rabies. While some of these diseases are minor and others are life threatening, there are precautions you can take while volunteering to keep yourself safe. It is especially important to take precautions if you are immune‐compromised due to age, pregnancy, disease or medical treatment. The most effective means to prevent exposure to zoonotic diseases is to:

• Wear gloves when handling animals.
• Wash hands frequently with soap and water or disinfectant, both between each
  animal and before eating or drinking.
• Immediately disinfect and scratches or bite wounds.

Protecting Your Pets

Besides protecting yourself from diseases while volunteering at the shelter, it’s equally important to protect your pets at home from getting sick. Diseases such as Parvo, panleukopenia, distemper, and calici‐virus are not transmittable to people, but can be inadvertently brought home to your pets. To prevent exposure of your pets to diseases from the shelter, take the following precautions:

• Make sure your pets are up to date on all their vaccinations.
• Change your clothes before interacting with your own pets, even if this means bringing a clean set of clothes to change into before going home.
• Wash your shelter clothes in hot water and use the high dryer setting to kill germs.
• Designate a pair of shoes for the shelter, and take them off before entering your house.

Preventing the Spread of Disease at the Shelter
The animals that enter the shelter come from a variety of sources, many with unknown backgrounds as to vaccinations or disease exposure. Although every animal is vaccinated upon entry to the shelter, they may be incubating a disease that might not show up until they are at the shelter for a few days or even weeks. In order to prevent animals from getting ill, our cleaning procedures and animal handling procedures are designed to minimize the spread of diseases between animals. We take every precaution to protect the animals, and we need you to be cautious as well. Here are some ways you can help:

• Wear gloves when handling animals or cleaning cages, changing gloves between animals.
• Sanitize hands between handling animals.
• Keep in mind that most disease transmission happens by contact with your arms orclothing.
• Do not handle an animal that appears sick.
• Report all sick animals to a staff member.
• Puppies and kittens are more susceptible to disease because their immune systems are not fully developed.
• Do not “mix” puppies or kittens from different litters, or allow them on the floor
• Puppies under 6 month of age should not be taken to the play yards or walked on the grass.

At The Shelter

Coming in for your shift

The shelter is located at 2579 Fair Street in Chico, CA. We are open from noon to 6 everyday but the staff comes in at 9:15 to get the shelter ready to open. If you are coming in for a morning shift, you will need to come in through the Staff and Volunteer Only pedestrian gate on Scott Ave (yellow marker on map below). While we are open, volunteers can park on the street (the lot is just for visitors) and come in throught the big front gate (black marker on map below). We do have a bike rack in front of the main building for anyone to use. There are also a few bus stops within walking distance.

Buildings on Campus

• Main office- Check in point for all visitors. Where all shelter business with the public is conducted.
• Main Kennels- Houses dogs that are stray, surrendered, etc. They are not up for adoption and the area is not open to the public.
• Old City- The original shelter built in the 50's. This area houses small dogs, dogs that are on hold for various reasons, and the three back cat rooms (quarantine, incoming, and sick). There is also a small storage area for toys, towels, beds, etc. This area is not open to the public.
• Back Hallway- This hallway is in the Main Office and houses the Med Room, Adoptable Cat Room, and the Laundry Room.
• Adoptable Dogs- This building houses adoptable dogs for Chico Animal Shelter and Butte Humane Society.
• Animal Control Office- Home base for our Animal Control Officers

Volunteer Station

The volunteer station is located in the back hallway in front of the Med Room. This unit is a check in station for all volunteers. It houses the sign-in binder, dog walking supplies, name badges, storage for volunteer belongings, etc. If you have belongings that you don't want to carry around like bags, jackets, and water bottles this will be the place to store them. If there are any notices for volunteers, they will be posted at this station.

Volunteer Time Sheet

All volunteers have a time sheet located in the Volunteer Sign-In Binder. That binder is kept in the big cabinet of the Volunteer Station. Time sheets are used to keep track of all volunteer hours. It is very important to keep track of these hours for a few reasons; we have to submit them to the City of Chico at the end of the year, totaling the hours gives a good overview of what our volunteer program looks like and can help us do things like apply for grants, and it can help you if you every need references for a job/scholarship/etc. application. To sign in, you need to locate your time sheet, enter the time to the nearest quarter hour (i.g. 12:00, 12:15, 12:45) and find a staff member to initial it for you. To sign out you do the same thing in the columns to the right and then total your hours for the day, then add that to your overall hours. Always remember to sign in! If you forget, we cannot back enter hours.

Becoming a dog walker...

We are always in need of volunteers to help us work with our adoptable dogs. If you are interested in this there are a few things you need to complete:

1. Complete 5 hours of general volunteering
2. Talk to the volunteer coordinator about your interest
3. Complete the online trainings about dog behavior (links on the volunteer page)
4. Come in for a Dog Orientation

A lot of the dogs we have are special needs so we need to make sure anyone who works with them has all the correct training tools in their tool belt. Every time someone takes out a dog, it is a learning experience for the dog (and the handler).

Good job!

Next, you will need to sign up for an orientation. In the orienation you will get set up with a time card, receive a tour, and review policies and proceedures of the animal shelter. After selecting "SUBMIT" below, you will be directed to the orientation calendar. If you have pop-ups disabled you may not be redirected. An email will also be sent to you with a link to sign up for an orientation. If you have any questions, please email the Volunteer Coordinator at hannah.booth@chicoca.gov.