Group of Best Friends volunteers wearing orange T-shirts holding a big blond puppy

Volunteer to save the lives of pets in Atlanta

With millions of animals in shelters around the country hoping for families of their very own, one of the most valuable gifts you can give is the gift of your time.

Best Friends in Atlanta works collaboratively with animal shelters across Georgia and the Southeast to save the lives of homeless dogs and cats by transporting them north to increase their adoption opportunities.

This program fills a critical role in reducing shelter overpopulation in the Southeast and is an extension of our work being done in Atlanta and the Southeast region.

Volunteers make this work possible in Atlanta by helping out at events, assisting with transports, and fostering pets. Whatever your skills and interests, your help is always appreciated. For animals waiting to go home for good, your kindness makes all the difference.

Small brown dog with a Best Friends volunteer wearing an orange T-shirt behind him

What to expect

After you complete your application and profile, you will receive an automated email with details about volunteer opportunities and sign-up instructions.

If you’ve volunteered with Best Friends before, you probably already have a volunteer profile. If you need help reactivating your account (inactive profiles are deactivated after six months), please email volunteeratl@bestfriends.org for assistance.

Once you submit your application and complete a training, you'll have access to the full list of volunteer opportunities – everything from animal care to transports.

To volunteer, you must be at least 12 years old. Children 12-15 years old must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Children 16-17 years old can volunteer with parental consent. Please note that depending on the volunteer opportunity, minimum ages may vary. If you’re under 18 and would like to volunteer, please submit the under 18 volunteer application.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the volunteer department at volunteeratl@bestfriends.org.

Volunteer opportunities in Atlanta

There are so many ways you can make a lifesaving difference for dogs and cats through volunteering, and we can help you to discover the opportunity that’s right for you.

The Helping Hands program

This program is designed for volunteers who would like to participate in helping the Best Friends staff at our lifesaving center.

Tasks include cleaning, organizing and helping with special projects such as putting together care kits for foster pets. To sign up, please contact the volunteer department at volunteeratl@bestfriends.org.

Community service volunteers

Court ordered community service volunteers are an integral part of our program in Atlanta.

Volunteers can earn hours for their court-ordered community service by doing any of our regular volunteer duties. To receive credit for your mandated volunteer hours, we need to know in advance so that we can track your hours accurately and complete your necessary documentation.

Court-ordered volunteers must be preapproved for community service. You can do so by reading through the information on this page and by contacting us at volunteers@bestfriends.org for the next steps.

Fostering, classes and training do not count toward community service.