Working at the dog shelter

In Peru sadly, thousands of pets are abandoned by their owners every year for various reasons. The fact that most of them are cross or mixed breed, and therefore of no commercial value, is the main reason why they're left alone on the street either to survive on this "city" jungle or die. Another common excuse is holidays because it becomes annoying and inconvenient to travel with domestic animals.

The luckier animals that are neither ran over by a car, shot by someone, or used for research purposes, end up in a refuge or family shelter, where they wait to be adopted - if there is someone out there for them with a good heart willing to embrace this animal as a new family member.

Two small associations in Trujillo were really concerned about the situation and got together - in an enhanced cooperation - to minimize this awful situation by opening small dog's refuge centres and family cat´s shelters. They look after abandoned and sick dogs found on the streets. They also give lonely cats the chance to have housing, food and health care. They have sterilization campaigns to decrease the number of homeless pets.

The main dog's refuge centre is in Huanchaquito with up to 40 dogs at the time. There's one guy who looks after it everyday. They have just opened another one with 20 dogs in Covicorti, Trujillo. They do need a lot of volunteer help because they cannot afford another employee for it. When it comes to cats, there are two families with one colony each. One of them is in Trujillo, run by a former nurse. All her 40 cats are very friendly, healthy and nice. This lady covers all the cat's needs with her own money but she struggles when it comes to cleaning - as the facilities and conditions are very basic. The second one is in Salaverry's old town harbour area. It's run by an old couple who have been surrounded by cats since they married and opened their hostel. There are about 10 cats and 4 dogs. The older couple need help because they can't look after all these animals on their own.

If you have any specials skills (like veterinary) or experience (like previously working in an Animal Refuge or similar), better still, but this is not necessary, all they do need is someone with a genuine interest in and love for animals and a strong willingness to help. Make a difference for these poor creatures marauding about the streets, ill and starving. They for sure will appreciate it!

Volunteer Roles/ Working Hours

The main task of volunteers is helping protect the good health and well-being of abandoned pets (at dog's refuge centre or family cat´s shelter) while trying to find them a new home - if possible. It includes a combination of:

• Helping with the maintenance of the facility: i.e. cooking, feeding, and cleaning up.
• Walking the dogs and/or playing with the cats to help relax them.
• Rescuing abandoned dogs at risk or cats in life threatening conditions.
• Mobilizing people through the outreach program: i.e. going to the street to medicate animals, teaching locals about pet care or picking up strays.

Generally speaking, both dog's refuge centre and family cat´s shelter are open everyday. However, volunteers work at dog's refuge centre from Monday to Friday, from 9:40am to 13:30pm. When it comes to family cat´s shelter, it's better to set up the right time with the family - normally it's in the morning till midday. Working with Abandoned animals part-time can potentially be combined with another project role.

Volunteer Requirements

• Minimum age 18
• No Spanish required, but some basic is useful for communication with the people who look after the animals. We can arrange Spanish classes for you to start on arrival.
• Minimum commitment: 4 weeks- the longer, the better.
• Volunteers must be animal loving! Volunteers must be adaptable and also flexible to work with limited resources. Relevant academic & professional background (veterinarian, etc) would be an advantage, but not expected or essential.

Apply Now

http://otracosa.org/apply-now.html