Can I volunteer at a local animal shelter?

How old do You have to be to volunteer for your local animal shelter?

• my sister that just became 13 wants to voulenteer for our local animal shelter, but she doesn't know if she can do it, since she's 13. how old do they have to be? is it okay for her to voulenteer for our local animal shelter?

• Answer:

  You'd think that they would except volunteers no matter the age, but most shelters don't. Many local shelters are non-profit, they might have 1 or 2 paid employees, but that's usually from donations. Aside from the few that actually want to help, most of the work is done by community service workers. People get into trouble, and they have to serve the community, many people would rather work with animals than clean trash off the side of the road. As far as the age goes, it's typically 16. Most state laws are like this. I applied when I was 15, and because the shelter would rather have someone who wants to be there over someone who is forced to be there, they let me in. Basically, it varies from state to state. Speaking from experience, i'd say that 13 is too young. However, if you live in a small town, and you present yourself very well, you might have a shot.