VOLUNTEER WITH US

Like many animal rescues, KLAWS doesn't have a physical premises to care for animals. We rely on a number of vet clinics, a few kennels, and an amazing network of voluntary fosterers.

 

We always need more fosterers, who can make space in their homes and take the time to work with animals who need to be socialised and taught to trust humans.

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And you're never alone in this - we have many seasoned fosterers among us who can offer advice and guidance every step of the way:)

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We can assist with food costs should that be necessary, and veterinary costs will be covered.

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One thing every fosterer says is that fostering an animal can be one of the most fulfilling things you could ever do:)​

KLAWS is staffed entirely by volunteers, no one receives payment for the time they commit to our mission. However, we have to pay for vet services, medication, transport and quite a few other necessary expenses involved in the day-to-day operation of our animal welfare organization and charity shop.

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To help with that, we very gratefully receive a grant from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine annually.

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In addition, through the year we organise different fundraising events - pub quizzes, social media campaigns, stalls at Xmas and summer markets, etc.

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If you have skills, experience and new ideas that could help us with fundraising, please don't hesitate to get in touch with us here below.

Our website, Facebook and Instagram pages are indispensable to us, really. Those three outlets play a pivotal role in our efforts to rehome the animals in our care. And not only that – our social media channels help spread the word about many animals that have gone missing or are in distress somewhere. With thousands of followers, our platforms really can make a difference.​ Sharing in our case really is caring and it goes a very long way😊

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But of course, again, nothing happens without people who very kindly volunteer their time and talents to our cause.

 

Some of our communications are internal, of course, such as our newsletter, for example, so if that’s more your kinda thing, we would love to hear from you!

 

We are always open to new people and ideas, so if you would like to join our team and get first-hand experience at helping animals in need, we can't wait to hear from you😊

A picture says a thousand words! And it's never truer than when it comes to advertising small creatures looking for their forever homes.

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So, we always need people who can go and take photos and mobile phone videos of animals, so we can upload them to our Facebook and Instagram pages and this website.

 

Because there's no central location for our animals to be housed, we really need photographers who are based in the areas we serve and can travel to fosterers and kennel locations.

Turns out, the Iveragh and Beara Peninsulas are BIG places!

 

Our amazing volunteers have driven the ring of Kerry and the Beara road countless times, picking up, delivering and moving dogs and cats.

 

And we always need people who can help bring animals to the vet or to foster homes etc.

 

If you'd love to help animals in need and have a car and think you could spare some time to do this, please let us know by filling out the form below.

Our admin duties are carried out on a work-from-home-as-needed basis.

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The responsibilities include data entry (for instance, we must keep records of all dogs and cats that come into our care); answering the KLAWS phone (it is usually rotated between volunteers); keeping track of all the volunteers we have (to identify where we might need a few more, for example).

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Don't let the list of duties intimidate you - most of the responsibilities are shared between a few people, so no one would feel overwhelmed:)

We require a home visit by one of our volunteers before we will allow any cat or dog to go to a permanent home.

 

There is a checklist we will give you to run though, and we will provide you with a brief training program to make sure you're comfortable with our process.

TNR (trap, neuter, return/release) is a humane way of controlling and curtailing feral feline populations.

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There are many feral cat colonies in our communities; and organisations like KLAWS often try to do their very best to try to set up TNR programmes in order to help (you can read more about TNR in our blog here). All of this is done in conjunction with our local veterinary clinics.

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We provide our volunteers with equipment, support and knowhow.

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Sometimes, regular feeding of these animals and their colony may also be required.

We rely heavily on our charity shop on 23 Main Street, Kenmare, to raise money for the animals in our care.

Over the years, the shop has proven invaluable to us and we hope it will continue to be that for years to come.

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But of course, the shop would be nothing without the people who keep it up and running and we are so grateful to all our shop assistants and managers.

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Whether you have retail experience or not, if you ever thought that you’d like to help a good cause while getting to meet and chat with new people every day, then volunteering as a charity shop assistant might be just the ticket for you😊

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Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us here:)

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Here’s a little video of one of our shop assistants, Gail, talking about her experience in the KLAWS shop. Enjoy😊