Pet center in need of volunteers

Texarkana Animal League needs volunteers at its adoption center, where cats and dogs are cared for while they wait for a family to take them home.

“We need volunteers at our center daily,” said Georgette Peckham, a board member with Texarkana Animal League.

Dogs and cats are housed in separate areas inside the 4,500-square-foot shelter at 5820 Richmond Road, Texarkana, Texas. Volunteers are needed in the morning or evening to check on the animals and perform tasks like cleaning cages, scooping litter boxes and walking dogs.

“Dogs are kept in kennels and need to be walked. Our cat area is more of an open area. There are places for the cats to move around. All those areas are at capacity right now. Cats and dogs have to be seen twice a day. We need a volunteer in the morning and at night on both sides. The dogs take a little longer. The cat area is pretty simple to care for. We do a big cleaning every morning. We like people just to let the dogs out and be there with the cats to play with them and interact so they’ve got a good life going on,” Peckham said.

For people not interested in providing handson care of animals, TAL has other volunteer opportunities available.

“We need volunteers to help us when we have adoption events. … We’re a partner with PetSmart Charities, so we’re able to show our cats at PetSmart, and we do have a volunteer there every day and on the weekends for extended hours,” Peckham said. TAL also needs help with fundraisers. Texarkana Animal League is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that offers community assistance through dog and cat foster care and adoptions, a spay/ neuter assistance program and community education. For more information about Texarkana Animal League, visit texarkanaanimalleague.org or call 877-525-4825, ext. 6.