Help with the rescued dogs and animals in beautiful rural Fernão Vaz, Ourique, Portugal

Details

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  Description

  I am a single lady of 53 years and I have been rescuing and rehoming dogs for many years. Over the last year the numbers have increased significantly and for the first time ever I feel like a bit of extra help would be really nice!
  As well as dogs I have many other animals to take care of daily.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Charity Work

  Creative DIY projects

  Animal Care

  Light maintenance
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  Interests

  

  Pets

  

  Music

  

  Animals

  

  Nature
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  I live in a beautiful rural part of Portugal and offer volunteers the chance to experience a quieter, more authentic side of Portuguese life, away from the busy tourist areas.
  
  The main focus of the exchange is spending time outdoors, helping with animals and experiencing rural life. Volunteers will have plenty of independence and free time to explore the local area and enjoy the peace and nature around them.
  
  I enjoy meeting people from different countries and hearing about their lives, cultures and experiences, and I am happy to share my knowledge of the local area and Portuguese way of life. I believe cultural exchange doesn’t have to mean being together all the time — having your own space and independence is important too.

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  Help

  I mainly need practical help with my animals and property.
  
  Tasks can include feeding and caring for the animals, cleaning and maintaining animal areas, general gardening and outdoor maintenance, keeping areas tidy and helping with small building, repair or improvement projects.
  
  The work can be varied depending on what needs doing at the time. Some jobs are routine, while others involve getting stuck into practical projects.
  
  You don’t need to be an expert, but you should be comfortable working outdoors, getting your hands dirty and following instructions. Most importantly, I’m looking for someone reliable, responsible and genuinely comfortable around animals. The work is not hard but it’s not glamorous either!
  
  A lot of dogs do a lot of poos! I have very large outdoor runs with on average 3 dogs per area. So cleaning up all the poo is a job that takes a bit of time when there are about 40 dogs. It would also be nice for the dogs to have human company, other than myself, which will also help with their socialisation.
  Every day there is always something that needs fixing so ideally it would be nice to have someone practical around the place, just to take the weight off of my shoulders sometimes.

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  Languages spoken

  English: Fluent
  Portuguese: Fluent

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  Accommodation

  I ideally welcome volunteers who have their own campervan or motorhome, as I think this offers the best arrangement for everyone. It gives you your own private space, independence and the freedom to come and go as you please while staying here.
  
  If you don’t have your own campervan, I may be able to provide a small caravan, depending on availability. I have a tent of course, but are people actually willing to stay in a tent?
  
  I’m looking for independent volunteers who are comfortable being self-sufficient and having their own living space. I don’t expect volunteers to live in my home, and I value having my own privacy and space as well.
  
  The property is rural and peaceful, surrounded by nature and animals, so this is best suited to someone who enjoys a quiet, independent lifestyle rather than someone looking for a traditional shared-house Workaway experience.
  
  I am willing to provide ingredients for the Workawayers to do their own cooking

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  What else ...

  I also want to be clear that I won’t be providing meals or cooking for volunteers. I absolutely hate cooking! 😂 Volunteers should be completely self-sufficient when it comes to their own food and meals. You will need to provide and prepare your own food and manage your own day-to-day needs.

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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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  Can host digital nomads

  This host has indicated that they love having digital nomads stay.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  This host can provide space for campervans.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  My animals / pets

  Maple

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