Come and help an animal rescue and protection association in the South-West Algarve, Portugal

Details

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  Description

  Come and help an animal rescue and protection association in the South-West Algarve, Portugal
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  Our current availability for 2024 is below. As people's plans sometimes change, so this changes and it is updated regularly.
  
  Large Caravan for up to 2 people
  16 May to 17 June
  5 August onwards
  
  Large Pet-friendly Caravan for up to 2 people
  31 July onwards
  
  Small Pet-friendly Caravan for 1 person
  Now to 1 May
  20 August onwards
  
  Tent, with single bed, electricity and chest of drawers, for 1 person
  Now to 11 May
  23 May until 8 July
  31 July onwards
  
  People are welcome on other dates if they have their own accommodation ie:- a van or a tent and if we have space.We have 3 fenced in areas for people travelling in vans or with their own tents and with their dogs. We currently have 1 available at the moment.
  
  Generally, we are getting booked up well in advance, especially in the summer months. Due to the water shortage here, we have limited accommodation for up to 6 people, which is usually the maximum number of volunteers we have here at any one time.
  
  People sometimes have to change their travel plans. This means that we do get cancellations and things do change so please check back here if you would like to join us and we did not have accommodation available when you initially contacted us.
  
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  About Us
  This is an animal protection association was started by Karen and her husband at their home located in the beautiful National Park near Vila do Bispo on the South-West tip of the Algarve.
  
  We shelter up to 100 animals at any one time in our sanctuary. There were usually just two of us doing all the work with these animals so we need volunteers to help us with the workload.
  
  Our Animals
  The dogs live mainly in packs in large, wooded enclosures. We currently have a few cats here too in their own enclosure well away from the dogs. We have rescued birds in a large aviary too.
  
  Location
  We live in a peaceful, beautiful area which is about 3kms away from Vila do Bispo, which is the nearest local village. This area is quiet with other small villages and gorgeous sandy beaches nearby with surfing available. Please be aware that you need to walk about 45 minutes to get to these beaches so if you want to surf having a car is the best way of getting there. This is an ideal place for people who do not want the bustle of town or city life but prefer the quiet of the countryside and who love dogs. Please do not apply if you are looking for a big social life with clubs and night life nearby. The area where we are located is isolated and so we are very safe here.
  
  Accommodation
  There is a main house where we live. In addition, we now have two lovely large, renovated caravans with toilet facilities and a small renovated caravan without toilet facilities. The pet-friendly caravans both have caged/fenced areas by the entrance where pets can be outside and safe. All of our caravans have electricity, beds, kitchen facilities including a fridge and cooker and places to sit. We have also have a tent under a sheltered camping area which has electrcity, a single bed, chest of drawers and a small storage unit and i s available during the warmer months from April until the end of September. We have a communal area with sofas, tables, chairs and a BBQ between the two large caravans for everyone to use. There is a kitchen area, shower room and separate toilet on site for people to use too. People have their own accommodation and are not asked to share with people they do not know. Bed linen and towels are provided for you if you are staying in any of the above mentioned accommodation, so you do not need to bring them with you. Beach towels can be provided upon request. We also welcome people staying in their own camper van provided we have space. We expect all accommodation to be well looked after, and left clean and tidy with the bed stripped when you leave so that it is ready for the next volunteers to move into.
  
  Food and Shopping
  Food is not included because unfortunately we do not have the funds to do this. Often volunteers meet up at lunchtime and in the evenings to cook and eat together in the communal space between the 2 large caravans. This is a nice social way of eating and there is a BBQ there too for everyone to use. If we meet you in the village when you arrive, we can take you to Lidl to get some shopping. Additionally, we usually go to the local village on a Friday to get our shopping and you would be welcome to come with us. Alternatively, we have 3 bicycles, newly donated to us, that you can use to go there any other day. Walking there is about 20 minutes - it is only 3km away.
  
  Laundry
  There are washing machines in the village for you to use which have laundry detergent included. There are dryers there too, however, washing usually dries here very quickly outside on the line.
  
  The Help
  We start early in the mornings, when it is cool - 8 am in the autumn, spring and winter months and 7 am in the hot summer months. We always feed the dogs at this time, give them fresh water and clean their areas. The dogs are lovely and fun to be with. Every day can be different depending on what happens so flexibility is important. The tasks can be hard but very satisfying. We need people who love dogs and want to take care of them, walk them, socialise with them and help them, you might walk up to 10 km with the dogs every day if you wish. We also need people with social media, administration, building, maintenance and gardening skills.
  
  Clothing to Bring
  Bring clothes with you that you do not mind getting dirty and bring trainers or boots to work in. It can get wet sometimes outside of the main summer months so waterproof foot wear would be good to bring with you. It is usually cool in the morning and evenings, even in the summer, so warm clothes are a must too.
  
  Transport
  The nearest airport to the shelter is Faro, which is closer than Lisbon. There are no direct busses to Vila do Bispo from either Faro or Lisbon so you need to change in Lagos and the journey takes about 5-9 hours in total. This means that the first day that you arrive in Faro, you could not work in the morning as you could not get here for an 8am start. Also, if you have an early flight home, you would need to leave here the day before and stay overnight in Faro to get your flight. Therefore taking all this into account, we ask that you arrange your transport so that you can be at the shelter for at least 14 days.
  
  From Faro:-
  
  You can get a bus or train from Faro directly to Lagos. Eva buses run a service from Faro. In the summer they run Get On which you could catch at the airport, which goes to Lagos bus station. They usually have 3 buses per day leaving Faro airport at 10:00, 11.45 and 18:00. They also run buses to Lagos from the Faro Bus station and you can see the timetable at:- › pdf . The Faro bus and train stations are away from the airport and the train station in Lagos is a little bit away from the bus station, about 10-15 minutes’ walk. Once you arrive in Lagos you need to get another bus from the bus station to Vila do Bispo as there are no trains to Vila do Bispo. Please note that if you miss the last bus you might need to spend a night in Lagos, which is a lovely, beachside town where there are many clubs, restaurants, cafes and hostels.
  
  From Lisbon:- You can either get a bus from Lisbon to Lagos and then another bus to Vila do Bispo or catch a bus that goes to Vila do Bispo from Lisbon which go via Lagos. There are also trains from Lisbon to Lagos and usually you need to change trains at Tunes.
  
  Karen or a volunteer would usually meet you in Vila do Bispo and bring you to the shelter.
  
  Water
  As we are quite isolated here we do not have mains water so we get our water from the rain in the winter and it is stored, or it is delivered to us in the summer. This means that we are very careful here with water usage and we ask you to keep showering times to a minimum and to turn off the water when you soap up. Also for drinking water you need to buy water in the local supermarket - it costs less than 1€ for 6 litres so is quite cheap.
  
  Keeping in touch
  We have had a fantastic response from you lovely Workawayers. We look forward to meeting and working alongside more of you! However, if we have availability for the dates you have requested, please contact Karen and do reply quickly and confirm the dates to us as soon as you can because we do not want to disappoint people who would like to help us. Also, we get a lot of enquiries and do not want to find we are short of volunteers because people haven't told us they can no longer come here. Often we have turned away potential volunteers only to find that the ones who booked are not able to come and didn't inform us. If you can not come, please let Karen know as soon as you are able so she can get another volunteer to help us.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Charity Work

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  General Maintenance

  Help with Computers/ Internet
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  We live in a beautiful national park about 3 kms away from a traditional, small village and lovely beaches. Volunteers will learn a lot about looking after dogs and cats, their needs including different feeding regimes and medications for certain illnesses; what it is like to live in a protected nature reserve and the local culture in this area. There are beautiful walks to enjoy with the dogs and time can be spent socialising with them too. The beaches here are lovely and often volunteers walk dogs there in the evening to see the sunsets.

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  Help

  We need help to look after the dogs in our care and the area where we live. Feeding, cleaning, walking and lead training with the puppies and making up beds to keep the dogs comfortable and cosy in the winter. Also, clearing the areas and grounds as well as maintenance of shelters and fences. All of our dogs and puppies live in large, wooded areas not small concrete kennels. We sometimes need help with other chores, not only with the dogs. We also have a few cats, well away from the dogs, and volunteers are welcome to spend time in the cattery with them. Any help with computer graphics or web site knowledge is always appreciated too.

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  Languages spoken

  English: Fluent
  Portuguese: Beginner

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  Accommodation

  Nice caravans with bedroom and cooking facilities are provided. Two of the caravans have their own toilet. A large tent with single bed, electricity and chest of drawers. Shower facilities are available on site. There is a communal area between the two large caravans with a gas BBQ, tables and chairs where volunteers can spend time with other volunteers or just play with the dogs.

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  What else ...

  We are dedicated to looking after the dogs that have come into our care after being rescued from bad situations or abandoned. As there are usually just two of us usually looking after the dogs we have a lot of work. This includes not only the everyday care and maintenance but also the fundraising, re-homing and pet transport sides of the charity. This part of Portugal was the main area for discovering how to navigate the oceans. There are plenty of lovely sandy beaches and local villages around this area to explore. This is also an area which is very popular with surfers. There are buses that run from the village along the coast to Lagos (and beyond) and also to Sagres and up to Ajezur so exploring is easy.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Space for parking camper vans

  We have a large area here so campervans are welcome.

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  Can possibly accept pets

  We have one large pet-friendly caravan for up to 2 people and one small dog-friendly caravan for up to one person where people can stay with their pets. Both are fenced and the large one has a fenced roof so safe for a cat or a dog to be inside or outside.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  Hours expected

  3 hours a day, 5 days a week

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