DAPHNE, Ala. — The Daphne Animal Shelter needs volunteers to help with pet adoptions, care, paperwork and public education. Animal control officers will train a volunteer base to offset a rampant increase of stray animals in the community, according to officials.

Volunteers with previous animal experience would greatly benefit the program, Maria Nicholson, Daphne Police Department animal control administrative technician, said in an e-mail. “All experience levels are welcome!” she said.

Good candidates would include those with a flexible schedule, experience in public relations or promotions or team-building and decision-making skills, newcomers who’d like to get involved in the community, parents seeking to show their children good role models or those with organizational skills who could help coordinate events, she said.

“Adults, retirees, families and youth all make good volunteers because they promote positive relationships in the community; we welcome talents and time in all shapes and sizes,” she said.

Volunteers would be trained by Nicholson and Lt. Ric Yelding, animal control supervisor, to prepare them for stray animals’ behavior.

The shelter currently has five volunteers; it began furthering pet adoption efforts at Earth Day 2008, where three animals were adopted, she said.

A larger volunteer base would enable the shelter to hold more adoptions and to better educate the public about the importance of spaying and neutering, for a start, she said.

“We are euthanizing an average of 23 dogs and cats a month,” she said. “The national statistics are 5 million a year.”

These numbers probably are rooted in a “sluggish” economy in which people can no longer afford to care for their pets, Nicholson said.

“We need volunteers to assist with the overwhelming task of trying to reduce or stop pet overpopulation in Daphne,” she said.

They would also help form “Friends of the Daphne Animal Shelter” in order to make money for animal care because the “city of Daphne as a municipality cannot engage in fundraising due to … governmental status,” she said.

The extra help, at this stage, is a necessity, she said.

“We must educate and build the character of our community about the humane and ethical treatment of animals,” she said.

However, she added, “One of the biggest deterrents to having dogs and cats spayed and neutered is cost.

“We need to remove the deterrents by promoting low-income spay and neuter assistance and other programs that will encourage our informed citizens in the community to help our neediest animals.

“And we will need the entire community working to achieve this tremendous undertaking in Daphne.” 

To volunteer call Lt. Ric Yelding, Daphne PD support services division at 621-2838 or fill out an application at the records window at the police station on U.S. Highway 98.