Volunteer for us
Join our team of volunteers and make a difference for our animals, whether you can give a little or a lot
If you’re looking for volunteering in Bath, Trowbridge, Frome and surrounding areas, we’d love you to join our team at Bath Cats & Dogs Home.
Giving your time is a wonderful gift to us. Our volunteers are the heart of what we do – assisting staff at our rehoming centre, supporting our charity shops and representing us in our community. Whether it's getting stuck into our laundry or being in charge of a collection at an event, every hour you can give helps our cats and dogs in need.
Together, we can do the best for our animals and the charity.
Why volunteer for Bath Cats & Dogs Home?
For an idea of what it's like to volunteer for us, check out our Volunteer Spotlight blog posts.
Email alerts
Nothing suitable right now? You can sign up to our email newsletter, and in your preferences sign up for the extra volunteer bulletin emails when we have new vacancies.
Current volunteering vacancies
PLEASE NOTE We cannot offer year 10 work experience, Duke of Edinburgh placements or volunteering roles for under 18s.
Fostering provides respite to dogs struggling with kennel life, as well as enabling puppies to spend important developmental stages in a home environment. In line with our ongoing work to deliver gold-standard welfare to the animals in our care, we are currently in need of dog fosterers who match the below criteria:
- Pet free home
- A secure garden
- Adult home only (or Children above 14 years old)
Please note, we have plenty of dog foster homes who have children and other pets – we appreciate your enthusiasm but we cannot process any applications outside of this criteria at the moment.
Role Profile
The purpose of a fosterer is to provide safe and loving care in their own home to their foster animals adhering to Bath Cats & Dogs Home’s guidance and processes. You will be an important factor in your foster dog or puppy’s rehabilitation, socialisation, and rehoming journey. All costs are covered by Bath Cats & Dogs Home, foster animals will be provided with food, bedding, toys and any medication required.
As a volunteer fosterer, you will:
- Provide a safe and loving home for your foster dog or puppy for an agreed time period.
- Take care of their daily needs including feeding them, cleaning their living area, spending time with them to improve their socialisation and for those who need it, grooming.
- For dogs or puppies with ongoing medical conditions, administer their medication or provide any extra care they may need.
- Bring them to our on-site vet suite for vet appointments.
- Keep in regular contact with our Foster Coordinator to provide updates on their progress, submit behavioural assessments and send us photos to support the Rehoming Team to find your foster dog or puppy’s forever home.
- Bring them to the Home for scheduled rehoming appointments.
» Read more in our foster section
About You
Previous experience of owning or fostering a large breed dog or a dog with challenging behaviour is desirable. A large and secure private garden is essential. We are interested in speaking to potential fosterers who either own their own home or have permission from their landlord to keep pets. It is essential that you have a valid driver’s licence and access to a car to foster a dog or puppy. As you will need to visit us on a regular basis for appointments, and we are unfortunately unable to reimburse travel costs, potential fosterers should live within a 30-minute drive to Bath Cats & Dogs Home.
If you are an animal lover who has the time to give a dog that is struggling with kennel life, a nursing mum and her puppies, or a dog with medical issues who is waiting for their forever home, then we would love to hear from you!
We want to set you up for success and introduce you to fellow volunteer fosterers who can share their knowledge and experience with you. Therefore, we will host monthly training inductions for new dog fosterers.
How to Apply
All staff and volunteers are required to complete online Health & Safety training prior to their start date. Due to insurance restrictions, we can only take on volunteers over the age of 18.
Click on the link below complete the application form. If we feel that you are suitable for this role, you will then be contacted by our Foster Coordinator for a more detailed discussion of the role responsibilities.
Volunteer opportunities in our Charity Shops
Bath Cats & Dogs Home - George Street (Bath), Moorland Road (Bath), Trowbridge & Frome
We have fantastic volunteer opportunities across our charity shops, with flexible slots available on various days and times to suit everyone. Volunteering with us is a brilliant way to develop and expand your retail skills, gain valuable work experience for your CV, meet new people, and boost your confidence - all while making a meaningful difference to unwanted and abandoned animals in need.
Role Profile
Our shop volunteers play a vital part in the day to day running of our charity shops and help maximise sales to support Bath Cats & Dogs Home. Whether you enjoy being on the shop floor in a customer facing role or prefer helping behind the scenes, there are plenty of tasks to get involved with.
Your activities may include:
- Assisting and serving customers at the till
- Providing excellent customer service on the shop floor
- Creating attractive displays and supporting visual merchandising
- Receiving donations and promoting our Gift Aid scheme
- General shop tasks such as tidying, cleaning, dusting, and hoovering
About You
You’ll be an enthusiastic individual who enjoys meeting new people and has a passion for animals and charity retail. We ask that you are friendly, well presented, reliable, trustworthy, and able to commit to regular hours each week.
Previous retail experience is welcome but not essential. Please note that some manual handling may be required as part of the role.
We provide full inperson training covering donation sorting, retail guidelines, and our waste management and recycling processes.
How to Apply
All volunteers must complete online Health & Safety training before starting. Due to insurance restrictions, volunteers must be 18 or over.
To apply, simply click the link below and complete the application form. If your application is suitable, we will invite you for a taster session in your preferred shop.
If you have any questions, please contact:
Angela Chapman, Head of People & Facilities:
angelachapman@bcdh.org.uk
Are you a people-person looking for a way to use your skills to support your local rescue and rehoming centre? We are looking for friendly faces to add to our brilliant reception team, greeting supporters, handling enquiries and making all visitors to Bath Cats & Dogs Home feel welcome.
We have two exciting new volunteer roles for the charity, we are keen to grow our small but mighty team!
- Friday Role: Available time slots 10:00am to 1:00pm or 1:00pm to 4:00pm
We ask that volunteers commit to one of these roles on a weekly basis for at least 6 months.
About the Role:
Volunteer Receptionists are the first point of contact to all visitors to BCDH. This could be members of the public looking to hand over their pet, add to their family or hoping to pop in to have a look at the animals. They also handle general enquiries via telephone and email. Your tasks may include:
- Greeting volunteers and supporters upon arrival for appointments; handling walk-in enquiries and organising external contractors in a friendly and efficient manner.
- To assist the Customer & Facilities team with any general administration.
- Processing payments for adoptions, stray dog claims and vet visits.
- Processing donation payments, ensuring to follow Gift Aid processes.
- Receiving and sending post.
About You:
You will be an outgoing and approachable animal lover ideally with experience of front-of-house roles. However, full training will be provided, so an organised people-person would also be an ideal candidate. An interest in how animal welfare charities operate is key as you will often be the first point of contact for supporters who have lots of questions about the rehoming process!
Ability to communicate effectively in person, on the telephone and via email is crucial, as well as being able to manage your emotions and remain calm during difficult situations.
You will be answering queries from external contacts via email as well as managing post, so it is important that you understand the need for privacy and confidentiality.
How to Apply:
All volunteers are required to complete online Health & Safety training prior to their start date. Due to insurance restrictions, all volunteers must be over the age of 18.
Click the link below to complete an application form.
Bath Cats and Dogs Home transforms the lives of animals that need help, giving them the chance of a healthy life and a happy home. Our expert team cares for and rehabilitates hundreds of neglected and abandoned pets each year. We also work extensively in the community, supporting struggling pet owners and providing advice and kindness to all.
We have ambitious plans for the coming years, aiming to expand our impact and support a significantly greater number of animals. We plan to open a second rescue centre, which will double the geographical area in which we currently work. We're seeking a Chair and a Treasurer to help achieve these goals. These individuals will help guide the long-term direction of the charity, ensuring it is well-run and sustainable with a commitment to animal welfare in all our work.
The Chair leads the Board of Trustees in its collective responsibility for governance of the charity. They are the main link between the Trustees and the charity’s employees and act as a mentor and supervisor to the Chief Executive. The Chair also acts as an ambassador and spokesperson for the organisation. We are looking for candidates with leadership experience who can communicate complex information to the board and other stakeholders.
Key information:
- Time commitment: 6 trustee meetings per year + AGM + committee meetings.
- Location: Bath, UK (a mix of in-person and online meetings).
- Unremunerated: Voluntary role.
- Closing date: 22 March 2026.
For further details and to apply, please contact Leighann Beck via recruit@moonexecsearch.com quoting the applicable reference number: MC2690 (Chair) and MC2691 (Treasurer).
Bath Cats and Dogs Home transforms the lives of animals that need help, giving them the chance of a healthy life and a happy home. Our expert team cares for and rehabilitates hundreds of neglected and abandoned pets each year. We also work extensively in the community, supporting struggling pet owners and providing advice and kindness to all.
We have ambitious plans for the coming years, aiming to expand our impact and support a significantly greater number of animals. We plan to open a second rescue centre, which will double the geographical area in which we currently work. We're seeking a Chair and a Treasurer to help achieve these goals. These individuals will help guide the long-term direction of the charity, ensuring it is well-run and sustainable with a commitment to animal welfare in all our work.
The Treasurer monitors the charity’s finances, safeguarding the financial viability and ensuring that proper records are maintained. They also advise on the financial implications of the charity’s strategic plan and ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. The ideal candidate will have a professional finance qualification, knowledge of The Charities Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP), and be able to communicate financial information clearly.
Key information:
- Time commitment: 6 trustee meetings per year + AGM + committee meetings.
- Location: Bath, UK (a mix of in-person and online meetings).
- Unremunerated: Voluntary role.
- Closing date: 22 March 2026.
For further details and to apply, please contact Leighann Beck via recruit@moonexecsearch.com quoting the applicable reference number: MC2690 (Chair) and MC2691 (Treasurer).