As a volunteer for The Norwegian Society for Protection of Animals Sør-Trøndelag (Dyrebeskyttelsen Norge Sør-Trøndelag) you can contribute with lots of different tasks! The workload varies from task to task, but you should want to pitch in on a regular basis.
All the different volunteer tasks have corresponding Facebook groups where relevant information and schedules are posted. Here you can also switch shifts with other volunteers if needed.
If you find one or more of the volunteer tasks interesting, or if you have any questions, you can send us an e-mail using the address sor-trondelag@dyrebeskyttelsen.no and tell us what you’d like to try! You will be put in contact with the managers for the given tasks, and they will provide additional information and schedule an instructional meeting.
Here’s an overview of our main volunteer activities:
Shelter caretaker (Brakkesteller)
“Brakka” ( literally translated “the barrack” or “the office container”) is the name of our cat shelter. Here, some of our cats live while awaiting adoption. The shelter and the cats who live there need daily care. This involves cleaning floors, dusting, doing laundry, cleaning cat carriers, changing litter boxes and of course making sure that the animals have access to fresh water and food. Of course you may also play and cuddle with the cats!
Being a shelter caretaker is a rewarding and important task that will usually take at least 2 hours per shift. There will be at least two caretakers every day who distribute the work between them.
Shelter host (brakkevert)
Shelter hosts are volunteers who work when we have “open day” at the shelter. During open day / “åpen dag”, the shelter is open to visitors. It is a very social job where you will meet a lot of different people. As a host, you welcome and guide the visitors. For example, you help finding the right cat for the right family, sort out adoption papers or just chat with the visitors who are just browsing. The shelter hosts represent our organisation and will greet all visitors with a smile and a positive attitude!
We have open day Thursdays from 18:00-19:00, and Sundays from 14:00-16:00. You sign up on the days you’re available via the shelter host Facebook group. There are always at least two hosts, so you will not have to do the job alone. You will get thorough instructions from the shelter hosts manager.
Foster home (fosterhjem)
We are completely dependent on foster homes in order to help homeless animals and prepare them for their forever homes. A foster home is a bridge from a cat’s former life to their new life with a forever family!
We have a shelter at Sluppen (“Brakka”) where adult, healthy and vaccinated cats can stay while awaiting adoption. However, most of the cats in our care are in foster homes. As a foster parent, you bring a cat into your home for a limited amount of time and play a major role in helping the cat to be ready for adoption. The foster homes help us take care of cats who are under treatment for medical issues, are in recovery from neutering or who need human socialisation in order to become sufficiently trusting for adoption by a forever home.
A lot of the cats we help have had a rough life, and some of them have never been in contact with humans. As a result, they may be very scared and shy. When fostering these scared cats you should be prepared that is might take days, weeks or even months before the cat feels safe enough to explore your home. We have a huge demand for foster homes who are willing to take in and socialize these anxious cats and give them a chance at a better life!
If you have to travel or can’t foster for a while, you can of course return the foster animal to us.
A lot of our foster homes are students and may therefore travel back home for the holidays. Thus, we usually have a great demand for foster homes during holidays like Christmas, Easter and in the summer months. We truly appreciate it if you can also foster during the holidays – or only in the holidays as a temporary foster home!
DNST will provide all food and equipment for the foster animals.
Animal taxi (Dyretaxi)
Our animal taxi drivers transport food and equipment to and from foster homes. As an animal taxi driver, you work one evening every three weeks. You get your tasks on e-mail the day before your shift. The tasks are usually transporting animals and/or equipment/supplies from the shelter to foster homes or vice versa. One taxi shift normally consists of 2 to 4 tasks and are carried out in the afternoon or evening. The drivers have their own Facebook group where they can switch shifts.
You have to have a car at your disposal to apply for this task. It is a very exciting job, where you will meet lots of different cats and other animals!
Activity group (aktivitetsgruppa)
Our activity group is a fun and social group who works to promote and show off our organisation. The group hosts or participates with stands in various events, like fairs, festivals, theme days and so on. The objective of the activity group is to inform about animal welfare and the work we do in our organisation, recruiting new volunteers, sell merchandise to raise money for our animals, and talk to all the different people who approach us with questions about animals or animal welfare.
To participate in the activity group it is required that you familiarize yourself with the ethical platform and guidelines of Dyrebeskyttelsen Norge, in addition to current campaigns. You will receive information about this from the activity group manager.
Photography group (fotogruppa)
The photography group takes pictures of our animals and the work that is done in the organisation. We are in constant need of good photos of our animals! The photos are used on our website, Facebook, Instagram and in other channels. Good quality photos help to showcase the animals we have for adoption. Pictures of the animals are taken at the shelter or in photoshoots in foster homes.
As a photographer with us, no formal education in photography is required and we have no requirements for photographic equipment. Anyone with an interest in animals and photography is welcome. We want the photographers to be able to take some pictures at least once a month.