If you would like to complete court-ordered community service hours at the League, complete the application below to begin the process.

We are no longer accepting applications for school-required community service hours.

If you are a student who is 16-17 years old looking to complete service hours for school, visit our Summer Teen Program website to learn more.

If you are a student who is 12-15 years old, visit our Humane Education website to learn more. Please note: These programs are pre-scheduled and do have a fee associated.

About Community Service

Our community service program is designed for individuals who are at least 16 years of age looking to complete court-ordered community service hours at one of our three locations: Leslie A Malone Center in Denver, Buddy Center in Castle Rock or San Luis Valley Animal Center in Alamosa.

Since community service volunteers go through an abbreviated training process, you will have no direct interaction with the pets at our shelters; volunteer tasks include custodial duties, such as cleaning and laundry. If you are interested in a longer commitment with animal interaction, please apply to be a General Volunteer.

Community Service Requirements

  • Physical Requirements – Community service volunteers should be capable of bending, scooping, lifting, and standing for extended periods of time.
  • Time Commitment – The community service program accepts court-ordered volunteers committed to serving at least 24 hours of service. If you require fewer hours for the court, you must still complete our minimum requirement. Failure to complete at least 24 hours of service will be reflected on any court paperwork.
  • Acceptable Charges – We ONLY accept the following court-ordered charges: Gambling, Truancy, MIP (alcohol, tobacco or marijuana), DUI (alcohol), DWAI (alcohol), Traffic Violations, Petty Theft, Misdemeanor Criminal Mischief (misdemeanor ONLY) and Marijuana charges.

APPLICANT ACCEPTANCE– The Dumb Friends League reserves the right to deny any application to the community service program for any reason. Even if your charge is listed above, you are not automatically qualified as a participant in the program.

Community Service Process

1. Complete the application.
It may take up to one week to process your application. The $7 application fee covers the costs of administrative processing and background-check fees.

2. Complete a background check.
We will send you a background check once your application has been accepted.

3. Attend an orientation.
Once your background check has cleared you will be invited to attend a community service orientation. Community service orientations are typically held twice a month.

4. Start signing up for shifts.
Within 24 hours of your orientation, you can begin signing up for volunteer shifts through our online volunteer portal.