Start a school club
Do you have friends who are just as passionate about animals as you are? Get together and start an animal club at school!
Our free school club manual (PDF) is packed with ideas, activities and projects you can do as a group.
Register your club (PDF) with us and we’ll send you a welcome package to help get you started. Send your registration to education@spca.bc.ca.
Take action for animals
When you take a look around you, do you see changes you’d like to make to improve the lives of animals?
We’ve got lots of ways for you to get involved — from choosing alternatives to animal dissection to buying animal-friendly products.
Take action and help make our province a better place for animals!
Learn about pet care
Are you hoping to adopt a pet? Find out what you’ll need to know to take great care of a dog, cat, rodent or rabbit.
What about volunteering?
Just to let you know, you have to be at least 16 years of age to volunteer with the animals — for safety reasons. Animals come to our shelters from all different backgrounds. Not all of them are comfortable around young people. We don’t want to put them — or you! — at risk.
Some of our smaller shelters have programs for junior volunteers. Usually, an adult has to be with them at all times. The best way to find out about volunteering opportunities is to contact your local shelter directly.
Helping animals in other ways
If you’re not quite old enough to volunteer with the animals, why not consider fostering? Fostering involves your whole family. Together, you help an animal, such as a cat and her newborn kittens, get ready for adoption. Fostering is a very important way to help our shelters free up space to take in more animals.
Other ways you could help animals in your community:
- Get some friends together and organize a dog wash.
- Arrange to walk your neighbour’s dog.
- Offer to pet sit for a friend or family member.
- Collect old towels and blankets for the animals at your local shelter.
All of these are great opportunities to help out, and get to know animals and how to care for them! These experiences can also help prepare you for a career working with animals.
Careers with animals
Would you like to work with animals someday? Check out our career profiles (PDFs) to find out what it’s like to help animals for a living:
- Animal protection officer
- Animal shelter manager
- Dog trainer
- Farm animal care supervisor
- Veterinarian
- Veterinary technician
- Wildlife rehabilitator
