The Teller County Regional Animal Shelter is looking for a few volunteers. There’s nothing new about that, though.

TCRAS is always on the lookout for volunteers with all kinds of skill sets—everything from hands-on help with the animals and foster homes, to social media support, help with fundraisers, photography, and adoption events, and people willing to come in and assist with maintenance and repairs to the kennels and shelter.

“There isn’t really a specific personality type you need to have to be a valuable asset to the shelter,” said Volunteer and Event Coordinator Greg Kovach. “We have just as much need for volunteers behind the scenes as we do for social butterflies who are out interacting with the public on behalf of the animals at TCRAS. I mean it when I say every bit of help we get counts and is impactful.

“I think there are a lot of people who want to be involved, but they are afraid they won’t be able to make a consistent commitment. I’d like for the community to know that we do not expect volunteers to punch in and punch out. Sure, special events require a firm commitment, but coming in as your availability allows to make sure each dog has a chance to go for a walk or to sit and interact with a human…or coming in to help with a project or a repair—even if a volunteer comes in one day a month, every bit counts.”

Matt (who preferred we not use his last name) has been a part of “team dog-squad” for the last 13 years. He is not only the longest serving volunteer at TCRAS, he has been there longer than any employee.

“I come in six days a week,” he said. “If there are a bunch of volunteers who show up on a given day to walk dogs, then I’ll find some other project to do. I set my own schedule and do what I feel like I need to do.”

Volunteer flexibility is also a draw for fosters John and Jill Harmon.

“We’re retired and we like to travel,” John said. “Fostering allows us to have a dog when we’re home but gives us the flexibility to go when we have a trip planned. TCRAS covers all the food and vet care for our fosters. It’s really an ideal situation for us. And if we don’t have a foster, we’ll come in and take pictures of dogs at the shelter that we share on Facebook.”

Despite being a full-time employee at TCRAS, Tiffany Wangerin also fosters in her free time. Every spring, kittens arrive at the shelter in a deluge of cuteness.

“Momma cats with nursing kittens don’t do well in the shelter, so every spring we are in need of volunteers to take in these litters until they are old enough to be weaned and adopted. It also gets them used to being around people,” said Wangerin. “I have a real soft spot for the babies. By fostering, I get to have kittens every year, and I just love it. Yes, it can be hard to give them up, but that just makes room for the next one.”

On July 17, TCRAS is hosting a volunteer get together at the Care House. Details will be posted on the TCRAS website, and it will be an opportunity for interested people to meet other volunteers and learn how they can participate. For more details on how to become a volunteer or ways to support the shelter and its animals, visit www.tcrascolorado.org.

TCRAS is tasked with performing dozens of services for the community and its animals w, from housing and reuniting lost pets with their families to giving shelter, care and training to unwanted pets in need of adoption, to providing low cost spay/neuter and vaccination clinics for pets in homes on fixed budgets.

“Last year we rehomed over 900 animals,” said TCRAS’s Communication and Administrative Director, Kathleen Ruyak. “It takes a diverse group of volunteers to support those kinds of numbers.”