Join our rescue centre for stray dogs in the Sacred Valley of the Incas in Peru

Details

• 

  Description

  This is a specialized rescue centre focusing on elderly and special needs dogs and community outreach and education. We take in dogs that are unlikely to be adopted, dogs in recovery and sometimes hospice cases, and serve as a retirement home for abandoned elderly dogs.
  
  The shelter is located on Emily's property. Emily is the founder of the shelter, Nikki handles volunteer applications from her home in Canada, and Angus is volunteer coordinator on site.
  
  We hope to inspire others to give a chance to the dogs that are often overlooked, but most importantly, that our dogs have a safe and loving place to live where they receive medical attention and any accommodations they may need physically and emotionally.
  
  Another important goal for this project is reaching the community; through education and community involvement, we can achieve a positive change that would benefit not only all the dogs in the area but also the humans.
  
  We aim to decrease the number of homeless dogs by increasing awareness and creating low-cost spay and neuter opportunities for local peoples' pets as well as focusing on teaching responsible pet ownership by helping families take care of their dogs when they need emergency help and by going to schools and talking to kids about how to be good caretakers for their dogs.
  
  We believe fewer dogs on the street means fewer dogs suffering and less traffic danger. Studies have shown that towns with fewer street dogs have healthier people and fewer parasites found in children.
  
  We believe that by working together, we can make a difference!

• 

  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Charity Work

  Light gardening

  Creative DIY projects

  Animal Care

  Help around the house

  Light maintenance
• 

  Interests

  

  Videography

  

  Technology

  

  LGBTQ

  

  Pets

  

  Charity work

  

  Gardening

  

  Carpentry

  

  Animals

  

  Nature

  

  Outdoor activities

  

  Mountain
• 

  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  Volunteers will be working with local volunteers and people indigenous to the area. Urubamba offers an authentic look into the everyday live of the Peruvian people. You will have the opportunity to experience delicious local Peruvian cuisine. You will get to witness the cultural traditions, such as the vibrant and entertaining festivals that happen frequently throughout the year.
  
  Urubamba is a friendly town making it easier to create connections with local residents and for cross cultural exchange. It is less touristy and more peaceful than Cusco which creates a more intimate and authentic feel to the area.
  
  Urubamba is in the heart of the Sacred Valley. It is a great traveler homebase, making it convenient to explore the Sacred Valley of the Incas. The area was significant for the Inca Empire, and is the home of some incredible Inca (and pre-Inca) archaeological sites, the most famous being Machu Picchu.
  
  There are many Incan and pre-Incan sites to explore in the area. Some Inca archeological sites to visit in the area include: Ollantaytambo. Pisac, Sacsayhuamán, Chinchero, Moray, Q’enco, Puka Puchara, Tambomachay and oh ya… Machu Picchu, to name a few.
  
  You will often hear Quechua being spoken in the area. It was the language spoken by the Incas. An astonishing 13% of the inhabitants of Peru still speak it. A significant portion of the population of the Sacred Valley speak the language.
  
  For volunteers that have an interest in learning Spanish, they can take Spanish classes in Urubamba. Volunteers will also be able to practice and improve their Spanish by speaking it with local volunteers.

• 

  Help

  Day to day operation of the rescue centre
  This is the main activity that all volunteers participate in.
  - Socializing with the dogs and giving them affection. Our dogs need lots and lots of love; that is an essential part of the work here.
  - Walking the dogs. So that our dogs can be adopted, it is essential to teach them to trust people; and to train dogs to walk on a leash.
  - Feeding the dogs and giving them water.
  - Assisting with medical care. You may learn to do physical therapy with some dogs, administering medications, training, or other specialized activities that the dogs may need on a case-by-case basis.
  - Cleaning (dog grooming, cleaning the shelter facilities and property grounds, cleaning the dog kennels, and cleaning your volunteer accommodation and communal areas).
  - Hosting tours of the shelter and talking with visitors.
  - General maintenance of the shelter site (for example: cleaning up weeds to help keep the area open).
  
  The work is spread throughout the day - we have a lot of down time, but volunteers have to take on the responsibility of ensuring the animals are cared for at all times.
  
  Everyone can take 2 days off per week - this is time you can enjoy exploring Peru, or just hanging out with the dogs.

• 

  Languages spoken

  English: Fluent
  Spanish: Fluent

• 

  Accommodation

  Accommodation
  
  We have separate accommodation for volunteers on the property, you will not need to share with Emily's family or the dogs!
  
  We have one room for volunteers with 6 beds (3 bunk beds), a shared space, a kitchen and a bathroom with a hot shower.
  
  All volunteers will share domestic duties in all shared living areas.
  
  Bed linens, covers and pillows are provided, and you can wash your bedding at the laundry in town.
  
  Toiletries are not provided. Please bring your own. We have towels, so you do not need to bring one.
  
  The house runs on solar energy and has internet. (*note the internet is not guaranteed to be fast as we are in a remote area and can be unreliable).
  
  Meals
  We provide ingredients for you to cook your meals in our equipped kitchen. Please know that because we are a small local non-for-profit rescue centre, we have limited financial resources and we can only offer basic ingredients (coffee, bread, jam, rice, dry beans and lentils).
  
  Volunteers will need to buy their own dairy, meat, vegetables etc.

• 

  What else ...

  - Visit the Sacred Valley of the Incas:
  Incas (and pre-Incas) archeological sites (Machu Picchu, Pisac, Ollantaytambo...), colonial towns, Quechua villages, vibrant local markets.
  
  - You can go hiking and biking around Urubamba, or anywhere in this beautiful and peaceful valley.
  
  - Socializing with the friendly local population.
  
  - Take Spanish or Quechua lessons.
  
  - Day trip to world-renowned Cusco, the capital of the Inca Empire. There is plenty of cheap transportation between Urubamba and Cusco, about 1hr, each way.
  
  - Transportation within the Sacred Valley is simple, frequent and cheap with Collectivos (mini-vans). Our centre is adjacent to a bus stop.

• 

  A little more information

  • 

    Internet access

  • 

    Limited internet access

  • 

    We have pets

  • 

    We are smokers

  • 

    Can host families

• 

  Space for parking camper vans

  This host can provide space for campervans.

• 

  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

• 

  My animals / pets

  

  Rescue dogs (6 years)

  We are a dog rescue centre. Here are some of our dogs we have at our shelter.

Website Safety

Chat with Workawayers who've visited this host

+19

Feedback (25)