Introduction
Thank you for giving your time as a volunteer to help change the life of an animal in need. Creatures of Heart Sanctuary is an all-volunteer organization. We have no paid staff or board members. Because of this, we recognize how valuable your time is, and how important it is to you to be happy and fulfilled in the volunteer work that you perform.

 

Organization Vision
Creatures of Heart Sanctuary is recognized as an important resource for the welfare of homeless, abandoned and abused companion animals in Sacramento County.  Our goal is to lower euthanasia rates at our city and county animal control by:

1. Pulling adoptable pets into our program for medical and social rehabilitation and re-homing.
2. Providing resources to pet owners to encourage their responsibility and commitment to their pets and prevent them from contributing to the homeless pet population (i.e. spay/neuter awareness, microchipping).
3. Developing and sustaining a trap-neuter-return program for feral cats that will control and gradually reduce local feral cat populations.

We want to be a valuable resource to our community. We believe that one person can make the difference in the life of an animal in need, so as an organization, we have more strength to help more animals.

 

Volunteer Handbook

All volunteers must fill out an adoption application prior to participation with Creatures of Heart Sanctuary. A waiver must be signed prior to participation in our events. Youth volunteers (13-18) may participate through our COHS Teens program. COHS Teens members must fill out an application, a parent release, and sign a code of conduct agreement. A handbook is issued to each COHS Teens participant at the start of their program. Youth volunteers under 13 may participate provided they have a parent in attendance with them and have a completed parent release signed for participation. Foster parents must fill out a foster parent application and submit to an in-home interview and vet reference check prior to fostering. Foster parents are monitored and inspected quarterly. Foster parents will receive a separate policy manual and may be required to attend an orientation meeting.

 

Types of Pets We Rescue

Puppies, dogs, cats and kittens, horses, donkeys, birds and livestock from local animal control or other rescuees that may have been abused or abandoned or in need of extensive medical care.

 

How long is a pet in foster care?

As Creatures of Heart Sanctuary is a no-kill organization, pets remain in foster care until they are adopted or relocated to another rescue agency. If you are unable to foster for an extended period of time, simply notify the foster home coordinator so arrangements may be made to relocate the pet. If you know you only have a certain amount of time to foster, please make that known before you accept a foster pet. If you have travel plans during your fostering period, the foster coordinator will help you make arrangements for pet sitting or boarding as needed. (Further information for foster parents may be found in the Foster Care Manual.)

 Intake Policies

Creatures of Heart Sanctuary receives phone calls and emails daily of requests to take on new pets. As a volunteer, you may direct people to our website for assistance, but you may not commit our organization’s resources to any animal. You may offer to be a foster parent or help in locating resources once the person has filled out a surrender form and been contacted by a member of the executive board. Our resources are limited, and we do not want to over-commit if we do not have adequate space and funding available.

 Veterinary Care
Creatures of Heart Sanctuary incurs all costs for veterinary care of the animals in its programs. Volunteers may feel free to contribute funding, but must do so through Creatures of Heart Sanctuary, not our veterinarians. All appointments and communication must go through the foster care coordinator or medical care coordinator. Appointments must be kept. If you need to reschedule, contact one of the coordinators immediately. Plan to be at least ten minutes early to each appointment. Contact the coordinator immediately following the appointment to relay any pertinent information and provide an update for the pet’s information on the website.

 

Euthanasia
Creatures of Heart Sanctuary is a no-kill animal rescue, however, we most likely have to euthanize under the following circumstances:

 

• Veterinary recommended due to medical condition
• Animal has seriously injured a human
• Animal has killed another animal
• Ordered to do so by municipal authorities

Injuries/Bites to Humans and/or Other Animals
Injuries and/or bites may occur while the pet is in the care of the foster home or a volunteer at an event. ALL cases must be reported immediately to the foster home coordinator or a member of the executive board. Please use common sense in care of the animals. If you believe the pet is behaving aggressively, call us immediately. Do not allow young children to be around pets unsupervised. Many bites to children occur as the pets feel threatened by their behaviors.

Adoption Policies
All adoptions must go through our adoption process. An application must be filled out, vet reference checked, and an in-home inspection conducted. If you know someone who may be a good home for one of our pets, direct them to our website to fill out an application and send an email to the adopter coordinator or a member of the executive board. The applicant may also list you as a reference in the “comments” area.

Adoption decisions are made by the adoption coordinator and the executive board. Once an application is submitted, all communication should be between the applicant and the adoption coordinator or executive board member only. Foster parents may be called to answer questions or for a meet-and-greet with the family members, but only by one of the authorized individuals. Meet and greets with pets will not be scheduled until an adoption application has been filed and approved by the adoption coordinator or a member of the executive board.

Animals are not to be promised to an individual or released to an individual until after approval from the adoption coordinator or member of the executive board and only after all paperwork is signed and adoption fees are paid.

Foster parents may apply to adopt their foster pet(s), but are subject to the same policies as a standard adoption.

This process is designed for us to make the best matches for our pets as well as protect us against any liability and reduce any miscommunication that may occur during the adoption process.

Spay/Neuter Policy
Creatures of Heart Sanctuary will not do an adoption of a pet if it has yet to be sterilized. Adoption applications may be completed and fees paid to put a hold on a pet, but it will not go home until after the surgery. Foster parents must not relinquish the pet until approved by the adoption coordinator. If the animal is too young for alteration, a voucher will accompany the adopted pet for spaying/neutering at the appropriate age.  Failure to comply with this policy will negate the adoption contract, and the animal will be returned to Creatures of Heart Sanctuary.

Fundraising for Creatures of Heart Sanctuary
You may encourage donations for Creatures of Heart Sanctuary at any time. Donation jars may be available to you as requested. If you are interested in soliciting a business/corporation for funds, you must do so through a member of our executive board. You may feel free to present your lead at any time, but all correspondence needs to be handled through the board to keep our books in order and eliminate any miscommunication.

Volunteers:

Volunteers must dress appropriately throughout participation.

Events
Creatures of Heart Sanctuary will be developing regularly scheduled events in the future. Volunteer commitment and ideas will be essential to the success of these events. These events will be designed to promote the adoption of our animals, encourage donations, and provide information to the pubic on our operations.

Microchipping

A microchip is a permanent identification. It is the size of a grain of rice and is injected in between the shoulder blades under the skin. The chip is encoded with a specific number that can be read with a scanner and traced back to its owner. All pets entering Creatures of Heart Sanctuary from the shelters have been microchipped as available.

 

Treatment of Animals
Animals are to be treated kindly, gently, and professionally.

Media Procedures
So efforts are not duplicated and information is accurate, it is essential that for any dealings with the media, you will go through the public relations coordinator or the executive board. Media is anything that will be printed, broadcast, or televised about Creatures of Heart Sanctuary. We welcome any contacts or story ideas you may have and ask that you direct them to the public relations coordinator.

Conduct
As a volunteer, you are a representative of Creatures of Heart Sanctuary. When involved in our events or wearing your volunteer attire, you are expected to present a good image of the organization at all times. This includes language. Please be respectful of our attendants as well as your fellow volunteers. If you disagree with someone, albeit a volunteer, potential adopter, sponsor or event attendee, please refer the matter to the event coordinator. We understand that we all have strong feelings of how animals should be treated and that our event attendees may not always reflect those. However, do not take it upon yourself to convert them. You may feel free to engage them in polite conversation, but please do not try to intimidate or berate them.

Drugs and Alcohol
Drugs and alcohol are not to be used by volunteers during activities and events.  COHS is a smoke free organization and facility.

Health
All volunteers should be in general good health. Any physical limitation should be noted on the application for volunteer service so appropriate work may be selected.

Medical Coverage
At this time, all volunteers are required to sign a hold-harmless waiver for the protection of the organization and are required to have their own health insurance coverage before participating.

Expense Reimbursement
Creatures of Heart Sanctuary provides all veterinary care at our cost. Foster parents are expected to provide food and any items they wish the pet to have outside of our initial supply to the foster home. Expenses will only be reimbursed if they were approved prior to the purchase. Receipts must be submitted along with official expense sheet documentation.

Tax Deductions
A number of tax benefits are available for volunteers under the general charitable contribution deduction of the Internal Revenue Code. Volunteers may deduct out-of-pocket expenses incurred while doing volunteer work for certain groups approved by the Internal Revenue Service. Creatures of Heart Sanctuary is an approved organization. Please check with your accountant to verify deductions.

Confidentiality
All volunteers are expected to maintain confidentiality of all proprietary or privileged information to which they are exposed while serving as a volunteer. This includes information that may involve board members, other volunteers, clients, sponsors or the overall business of Creatures of Heart Sanctuary.

Commitment
Volunteers are expected to be committed to Creatures of Heart Sanctuary’s mission and philosophies and to conduct themselves as such. If you have questions regarding our programs or activities, please ask them before participating. Volunteers are not required to attend every activity or event, but if you agree to participate in an activity or event, you are expected to adhere to that commitment. If you cannot keep the obligation, please notify the volunteer coordinator so that other arrangements may be made in a timely manner so as to not affect the activity or event.

Recognition
Appropriate recognition of service will be planned during the year in conjunction with community programs.

Suggestions
We welcome your ideas as a means of improving our organization’s operations. Suggestions may be made to any member of the executive board or submitted through our online volunteer forum.

Recruit other volunteers
Tell your friends about our program and enlist their interest to volunteer their services.

• On request of the volunteer
• Failure to adhere to volunteer manual guidelines
• For conduct on duty which would be detrimental to the organization and/or the animals, including any breach of confidence
• Conduct off duty which would adversely affect the organization
• Reporting to an event under the influence of drugs or alcohol
• No call/No show for more than two events
• Any abuse or mistreatment of animals

The decision for termination shall be made by the volunteer coordinator and/or executive board after securing the facts from all concerned. This decision may be referred to the executive board if the volunteer feels there is a grievance.