Are you interested in a profession which involves the canine world?  Hestekin Hills has a volunteer program designed for ages 10-15 years of age, 15-20 years of age, and 20 + years of age to gain the experience they may need to determine whether or not a career in the canine profession is for them.  The applicant, if under the age of 18 years, by way of signed and notarized consent form, must have parental permission. You must also provide your own transportation to and from our facility.

What does our volunteer program entail?  The volunteer program is designed to surround the volunteer in a continuous atmosphere of learning and productive activity. 

As you may guess there are tons of things to learn while you are here, some of the main daily activities involve:

1. Cleaning a kennel facility (disinfecting, scrubbing and/or painting from time to time)

2. Maintenance or our facility (disinfecting, scrubbing and/or painting from time to time)

2. Caring for the canines in our facility, whether they are our own dogs or dogs available for adoption. (feeding, grooming, training etc..)

3. Playing with and socializing. See our playtime suggestion sheet located on our bulletin board.

4. Volunteers are allowed to temperament test on our scheduled days. Do not feel put out when our regular staff re-evaluates, this is our way of getting to know each dog/puppy in our care, some may be evaluated a number of times while here.

5. Our Veterinarian visits on a regular basis, you are welcome to assist in whatever manner available at that time.

1.      Clothes shall be tidy, no loose wearing articles

2.      You are not to wear shorts or sandals, you must wear pants and shoes due to the risks that are present in this profession.

3.      You are not to wear hats

4. You are not to wear loose jewelry

5. No alcoholic beverages are allowed

6. Tobacco is allowed in our lounge or garage area only. There will be no smoking in the kennel areas.

1.      You may call on your scheduled day to make sure there are tasks for you to do.

2.      If you cannot make it on your scheduled day for any reason, always call/email.

3.      Please sign our attendance sheet every time you come in to volunteer.  As long as you have called/emailed the volunteer manager before an absence, it will not be counted against you.

4.      If you miss several times, especially without calling/emailing, it will be assumed that you are no longer interested in volunteering, and you will no longer be listed on our schedule.

5.      You are required to have transportation that will be able to get you here and pick you up on time.

1.      You are welcome to follow our kennel staff and observe their day to day duties until you feel comfortable enough to interact or assist.

2.      While you are in the kennel, you should listen and observe. We have found that learning with hands on experience is the best for what we do here.

3.      If you have any questions please ask.

4.      Please make our staff members aware of any thing which makes you feel uncomfortable, such as cleaning up after the dogs or whatever it may be.

5.      A TO DO LIST is on our bulletin board to make sure that you are staying busy while you are here volunteering.  We want your time spent with us to be both quality time and fun, too!

6.      Do not handle any dogs which have blue notes attached to their kennel, these dogs are sometimes new to our facility, they may feel unsure or uncomfortable with their new surroundings. Feel free to talk to them, but be sure to wait for a staff member to introduce you before actually handling him or her. We do not want anyone to get hurt, human or canine.

7.      No volunteers are allowed in the isolation kennel. This kennel is used for sick, injured and/or new canines until we know they are healthy and disease free, and can therefore be added into our regular facility.

8.      If you help in the yard area, you must pick up any feces left by the dog in your care at that time. Use the pooper scooper, bags or paper towels provided.

Remember, our volunteer program has been designed to provide a fun learning experience for anyone who has an interest in any sort of canine profession such as:

As an added note, remember to be as active as possible in our volunteer program while you are here during your scheduled time.  You can do this by following other helpers who have been here before or by working off the TO DO LIST for that day. Please have the initiative to become involved in the volunteer program, the rewards you may reap are learning, experience, interaction and canine fun!  If you ever have any questions, please feel free to ask!

Listed below you will see the possible volunteer times that may be available when one signs up to join our volunteer program.  The applicant will be allowed to choose to volunteer one day per week.  Please keep in mind that our program is quite popular, and there may be a waiting list.  You will be notified as soon as an opening becomes available, and you are more than welcome to call for an update regarding the status of your application while you are waiting.

Monday - Friday:  9:00 am to 12:00 pm, or 2:30 pm to 4:00 pm 

Saturday:  9:00 am to 11:30 am

If you have an interest in any aspects of the canine profession and would like to participate in the volunteer program, please e-mail us:  tar9091@aol.com