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Host is looking for help immediately
Host rating
100 %
Last replied
25 Apr 2025
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97.0 %
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Description
READ OUR PROFILE CAREFULLY TO CONFIRM THAT IT SUITS YOU.
WE CAN PROMISE YOU A REWARDING EXPERIENCE AND YOU WILL MAKE DOGGY FRIENDS FOR LIFE!
We are a dog shelter managed 100% by volunteers, trained to help abandoned and abused dogs.
We are in the mountains above the seaside town of Almuñecar.
We need help caring for over 150 dogs. The shelter has been open for five years, and sadly, the number of dogs has more than doubled, making it increasingly difficult to provide all the care needed.
We aim to give these dogs a second chance by finding them loving homes, both locally and abroad.
We need help from kind and hard-working people who want to be part of the solution by helping us give these dogs the best care and the chance at a new life.
If you have previous experience, studies, or have grown up in an environment related to animals, shelters, farms, sanctuaries, veterinary medicine, or any environment about the protection and care of animals, and you don't mind getting your hands dirty, we are waiting for you!!!
If you have no previous experience or professional training but have other skills to offer a better life to our furry friends (renovations, construction, electricity, etc.), we need help to improve the shelter facilities.
If you don't have any experience, but you have a great motivation to help us in the day-to-day running of the shelter and you are not afraid of dogs or have a problem with getting your hands dirty, write to us and we will evaluate your profile to come and help us.
We are prioritizing volunteers who can stay for 4+ weeks.
However, stays of 2 to 4 weeks will also be considered, depending on the profile.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Charity Work
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Interests
Van life
Pets
Charity work
Languages
Animals
Nature
Hiking
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Learn about animal welfare.
Opportunities to explore the local area.
Meet volunteers from other cultures coming together for their love of dogs and animals in general.
Help
📌 We are looking for help cleaning the kennels in the morning and late afternoon:
There are 2 shifts a day:
Shift 1 (in the summer) is 7:00 - 10:00, and Shift 2 is 16:00 - 18:00
Shift 1 (in the winter) is 8:00 - 11:00, and Shift 2 is 15:00 - 17:00
-> Volunteering hours are 25 hours/ week over 5 days:
Daily volunteer tasks include:
➡️ Cleaning out the kennels.
➡️ Moving the dogs from their kennels to the larger garden areas (without previous experience, under supervision)
➡️ Walking the dogs (Training is provided on the first day of work, where your experience and abilities will be assessed)
🛠️ As we expand the outdoor gardens and shelter facilities, we need profiles to help us with maintenance tasks (fencing, ... Depending on your skills, this can be considered an alternative to cleaning the kennels.
👁️🗨️ The shelter is looking for people with this PROFILE:
-> Hardworking
-> Flexible
-> Respectful of shift schedules
-> Energetic
-> With a positive and helpful attitude
-> Not afraid to get your hands dirty
-> Must be able to work in a team
-> But also without supervision
✔️ We live in a shelter with animals, and daily hygiene is important to maintain a pleasant environment (Spanish legislation requires periodic inspections of our facilities).
-> We must help keep the shared spaces for volunteers clean and tidy at all times (This is not optional and is not part of your volunteer hours).
📆 There is a weekly shift to organize the cleaning of the common spaces (bedrooms, kitchens, bathrooms, etc.), and all volunteers must respect it.
✔️ We make no distinctions between age and experience working with dogs. We recognize that experience has to start somewhere; however, regardless of age, if this is your first time traveling alone or sharing accommodation, please consider whether this is the right place for you. We are a kind and considerate team of volunteers, but we don't have much time to deal with your homesickness or to teach you how to shop, cook, or clean... we need this time to spend with the dogs, this is our mission HERE 🙏🏽🐶
-> The shelter offers 30€/week for food, it is very complicated for us to do the food shopping for each person since there are many different styles of nutrition (vegan, vegetarian, pescetarian, etc...)
The shelter provides products for the common areas, such as:
laundry soap, hand soap, cleaning products, cooking utensils, etc...
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Spanish: Fluent
Italian: Fluent
Dutch: Fluent
Accommodation
We have a large dorm room with a kitchenette, 3 toilets, and 2 showers are close by.
There is also a separate kitchen, laundry for the volunteers, and a chillout zone with views of the avocado hills.
What else ...
🛬 The best airport to come to us is Malaga.
🚌 The nearest bus station is Almuñécar, from where we can collect you.
The company that makes this journey is ALSA, which has an app to buy tickets (we recommend purchasing tickets in advance, as it is usually very full).
->You should organize and inform us about your travel and arrival times in Almuñécar so that we can arrange your pick-up in advance.
📆 Arrivals at the shelter should be from Monday to Friday, and you should arrive during ☀️ daylight hours, to ensure optimal rest for the dogs and the volunteers.
We will take you shopping on arrival and at other times during your stay. During the winter, the supermarkets and shops in the area are closed on Sunday, so arriving at the shelter is best from Monday to Saturday.
❌ No alcohol or drugs at the shelter (this includes coming back to the shelter to work under the influence; this is for your & the dog's safety).
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
We have wifi in different areas of the shelter, but we recommend that people who need internet for work have roaming or private data, we are located in the middle of the mountains and we cannot guarantee stable wifi 24/7 - 365 days a year :)
Space for parking camper vans
We have a paved area that is perfect for campervans, electricity can be provided. The access to the shelter is a steep and rocky slope, so your car/van needs to be able to cope.
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Feedback (29)
Photos
Feedback
These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.
Accuracy of profile:
(4.5)
Cultural exchange:
(4.4)
Communication:
(4.8)
The time was intense, sometimes emotional and definitely exhausting. You should be aware that the work can be physically and mentally demanding. It's important to know your limits and be sure you're resilient enough.
The dogs are wonderful — working with them… read more
His kindness and seriousness have been impeccable, as has his work with the wood and material from the shelter that no one knows how to use.
There are houses left to repair, and with… read more
This was kind of my first Workaway experience (except for one in my homecountry) and thanks to this experience I'm really looking forward to have more!
The Shelter is located in the mountains, the whole area looks really picturasque, with beutiful sunrise and sunsets.
The team… read more
It has been a pleasure to have you with us helping daily.
1000 doggyThanks!!!
The shelter is secluded but you can reach the town by walk or by bike. I ventured out by foot at least 3 times, it is doable, takes around 1 hour going… read more
He has helped improve common areas and has respected the shelter rules.
Always punctual, she has no problem getting her hands dirty and keeping the common areas as good as possible.
We have to highlight her sensitivity towards dogs (we believe she has done a great job… read more
For the first week I thought the work was very hard but then when I started to get used to the… read more
She is well-educated, hard-working, proactive, a good companion and warm-hearted with dogs.
We are very excited to have her back with us !!!
We are waiting for you with open arms <3
Thanks to all of the workes there for the amaaazing work they are doing. Laia, Marie, Oliver, Lukas and Daria are an amazing team, worked me… read more
As… read more
Her English was brilliant and she had the confidence along with caution needed for working with so many dogs.
Stella was a huge help at the sanctuary and from very early on showed her initiative, reliability and maturity to be able to handle situations without needing to be shadowed.
We… read more
However, there were a few issues:
- the lack of hygiene (the dogs peed on our beds)
- the isolation of the shelter (very complicated and dangerous to go tothe town… read more
We really appreciated her help while she was with us.
We wish you all the best for the future.
The work itself isn't so hard and evenly split between the volunteers, the… read more
Anytime help was needed she would volunteer (even out of working hours)
Laura showed alot of love for the dogs and was confident and safe around them.
Thankyou for your help and commitment to the dogs it was very much appreciated.
Eve came to us and was so proactive at getting the dogs out and walked.
She got on with her duties on every shift and didn't cut corners, she was very involved with the dogs and would even make time for them out of her working hours.
Eve showed alot of confidence and knowledge with the dogs and we really… read more
Toni got on well with other work aways and also helped with translating as her English was very good.
When given a job she would complete it as asked and was responsible enough to not need to be shadowed for very long, and was… read more
All in all she was a big help for the dogs and our Team.
We always would welcome her and she is a very kind and lovely human being.
Thank you very much !
Die Arbeit besteht aus Poop aufsammeln, die Kennel spülen und Hunde spazieren führen. Zudem gibt's ein paar extra Aufgaben wie die… read more
For the journey, I pre booked an ALSA bus to Almunecar(8€), the bustop is about 20 minutes from the airport via public transport. Its an easy… read more
It is not possible for a host to block a workaway’s feedback, so Sebastian’s assertion that this has been done in the past is untrue.… read more
Unfortunately after 2 months of staying I decided to have to return home for family reasons but in my heart, I carry within me all those poor souls locked up there waiting to find a family. The shelter has behind it an immense work carried out, maintained and supported by Saskia,… read more
Oliver worked hard & diligently at the shelter . He was a good team player respecting all the other Volunteers.
He also helped us with his Management Skills and always helped us, also After working times. We would happily have him back again.
It opens with respect and ends with love, both totally at odds with the content in between. In addressing the content, whilst completely… read more
Hannah was a great volunteer who worked well and confidently with the dogs. We wouldn’t hesitate to have her back again. Thank you Hannah for your love & hard work with our dogs. Clare x
It does take some time to adjust to the constant barking, the sadness you sometimes feel for the dogs, the smells, and the cleaning… read more
She worked hard and was thorough, the dogs loved her. Roxanne understands dogs and we were able to confidently leave her to organise the walking & socialising of the dogs. She is greatly missed. Thank you so much.
She worked hard and was a great positive energy throughout her stay.
She had good ideas for the shelter too which was really appreciated.
I hope to see you back in Spring! Thanks again. Best wishes Clare
At the beginning, the work (cleaning the kennels) was a bit disgusting, but you really get used to it very quickly. While cleaning, you're surrounded by the dogs all the time, who are very happy (they jump). But it's still nice with them.
During my time at the shelter, I got to know many… read more
They both worked hard & made a difference to the shelter . Thank you both. Clare x
The place is quite secluded and I recommend it for people who don't mind solitude unless, of course there are other workawayers.
If you never done dog shelters, be prepared for the poo picking, first it's really smelly but your nose get used to it in a few days.
But… read more
View from the shelter on the mountains is breathtaking. Nice city Almuñécar (big shops, restaurants)
and the beach is close by.
Part of my heart stays with dogs and people there.
I'm very… read more
