How to volunteer at an animal rescue. Animal shelters take more than just a few people to make sure that everyone is taken care of. They need people of all sorts to come in and give their time to ensure the wellbeing of all their animals. People have to work around the clock so that all the animals are fed, watered, walked, examined, and loved. Many shelters will need people to temporarily house some of the animals if there is not a lot of room in there too. Alleviating the pressure of housing so many animals at once allows the shelter to provide even more room to animals in need, especially if there is an emergency disaster. The animals are entirely dependent on all the people who want the animals to thrive.