BECOME A VOLUNTEER

Join a team of dedicated volunteers who bring the joy of a human-animal connection to the community

Palo Alto Humane created Visiting Pals to bring doses of delight to places such as senior centers, after school programs, libraries, and more. Friendly human-and-canine volunteer teams visit various events throughout the community.

How does it work?

Once you fill out the volunteer form, you’ll hear from Palo Alto Humane’s Director of Community Engagement for your on-boarding and to guide you through your first event. You’ll also get to know other Visiting Pals volunteers to swap tips and tricks!

What do volunteers do?

• Volunteers bring their friendly pets (typically dogs) to small group visits at locations throughout Santa Clara county.
• We are grateful for your valuable time; we encourage you to sign up for as few or many events as you like. At a minimum, the Visiting Pals program is most effective if volunteers can sign up for at least 1 event per quarter. Events are usually 1-2 hours long, not including driving time.
• Volunteers sign up to bring their dogs to upcoming Visiting Pals events through an online scheduling tool.
• Please share any photos and quotes from the event; we’d love to showcase these moments in our marketing.

Can my PET be a Visiting Pal?

Visiting Pals meet different people of all ages in different environments. Like people, we know our pets have different personalities and preferences. Not all pets may enjoy going to a school as much as they adore visiting a senior center. We’ll help identify events where your pet will be happiest.

If your pet would be comfortable and confident in the following scenarios, your pet would be a great candidate.

• Enjoys meeting new people and meets new people politely without jumping or lunging.
• Is comfortable in noisy, busy environments where many people may be moving around.
• Is at ease around children who are excited, noisy, moving quickly, and are excited to say hello.
• Is happy to be the center of attention.
• Is calm in environments where people may be using mobility devices.
• Gets along with or is indifferent to other pets in the same vicinity.

If your pet is especially savvy with kids or particularly fond of seniors, please let us know. We’re eager to grow our human-and-animal volunteer teams. We look forward to working with you to find events where your pet will be happy and comfortable.