Animal Shepherd Farm Sanctuary

Learn about animals, permaculture and eco living at this animal sanctuary, a lovely hilltop retreat in the countryside near Querétaro, Mexico. My nonprofit IG @animal.shepherd Feel free to follow. QUICK UPDATE We just moved to another farm in Querétaro Due to that moving we have pretty simple settings: You will have a basic private room with a mattress internet 4G signal gets in here and is not that bad No wifi just cellphone signal A shower Hammocks And just a basic flushing toilet You can come by public transportation or cab Bus ride takes 3 hours from downtown City of Mexico to Querétaro Then you have to come to Corregidora district/take a cab or van to arrive to the farm We have a small fee. 10 $ per person per day= 1500 pesos week This is still cheaper than any hostel in town The fee is part of the program and has to be paid in advance the first day of the week. We are a small project funded thtough personal savings we have little support If you wanna come to help the animals I’ve appreciate but we wanna be as forthcoming and crystal clear as possible We Don’t wanna create false expectations of bad reviews afterwards. This is hard work and simple living no vacation. The volunteers that came understood our situation and wanted to help our animals. Animals come always first Perfect match: backpackers who enjoy off the beaten track spots with a sense of solitude. People who enjoy walking outdoors with dogs and simple living. Not for the faint hearted. Just farm Life at its purest. Anyway if comfort is not high in your A LIST and wanna help the animals please holler! 🌱Power About Us Hi everybody. Thanks for reading my profile. My name is Ryan. I am a plant-based activist. I Love animals. Trying to live as simply and peacefully as I can. My eco-project is a small no-cage no-kill animal sanctuary. I live off the grid in a sustainable way in a little farm in the countryside near city of Querétaro. Sinplicity is the beauty of life.🌱 I founded and run an animal sanctuary where I rescue and rehab abused Animals. Today more than 100 abused and neglected animals rescued from the streets call me home. Living life in total freedom 💚 I have always felt at ease and connected to animals. I knew it early, found my calling when I was a kid. Fighting for the animals is my life’s mission. Animals keep me grounded and happy. There is so much cruelty, abuse and abandonment going on, It’s heart-breaking and I decided to do something about it, not just words or excuses....I am a “take action” type of person. So I founded and run an animal Shelter where animals live free and happy. There are no cages. Come and help me care for the animals I rescue from the streets. Animals are amazing. It is a lot of work, but definitely a rewarding way of living, It is their planet too, we have to learn to co-exist with nature and the wildlife. What I need from you I need volunteers who are animal lovers (both cats and dogs) and are comfortable with basic outdoor and farm work. Vegetarian/ vegan is preferred. I am looking for physically strong people that wants to roll up sleeves and get dirty, people who enjoy being outside and do things with their hands and love contact with nature. Looking for people that have experience in outdoor work, gardening, organic farming and carpentry or other DIY projects. Previous experience in a shelter or farm is a plus. and this is because this work is very hard, and physically challenging - thank you for your understanding IMPORTANT: This is a basic workaway stay; one of the current objectives is to make the place more liveable so we can accept future volunteers and even create a teaching space. But at the moment it is rough and ready. The house is not always the cleanest due to the amount of work there is to do and some of the cats and dogs have free reign of the house in the evening. You will need to keep an open-mind, be resilient and be respectful of the animals and the current circumstances of the project where animals and humans are sharing indoor and outdoor spaces. You room can be off limits to the animals if you desire. If you come the only requirement is a digital copy of your passport. For all applications we have these screening questions. Please explain If you are comfortable with: - A simple, minimalistic lifestyle ? - Being out of your comfort zone? - Doing outdoor chores? - Basic accommodation – a simple mattress in your room and basic internet? - Chilling in the house in the evenings with the cats and dogs? - Sharing a table with cats as we all eat dinner? - Are you okay with farm noises and dogs barking at night? - Able to wake up early (6.30am M-F) and be punctual when arriving at the project? - Tasks require hard physical effort. Are you ok with that? - Are you either vegan or vegetarian? Cause is the preferred option at the farm. - Are you aware you are responsible for your own food expenses? We are a small project we cannot afford to give free food. - Do you have previous experience with outdoor tasks or working in a farm or shelter? - Are you aware we expect volunteers to stay inside the premises of the farm as long as possible just going out to buy food or important issues. This is to avoid risk of covid19 and for safety and security reasons. This is a basic farmstay. We expect volunteers to enjoy life inside the farm. For longest periods volunteers can go to the city every 2 weeks. Are you okay with that ? - Are you okay with a small fee of 10 US$ per day per person to cover basic essentials during your stay? If you are okay with all of that we will get along just great and the project will be a good fit for you. IMPORTANT: When submitting your application of interest to me please send your Whatsapp number and your Instagram account in case we need to organise a video chat to discuss the next steps. We reply to all applications within 48 hours where a whatsapp number is included. I am asking for no more than 25 hours help a week (5 hours, 5 Days). About the Area Volunteer near gorgeous woodland walks and enjoy the company of dogs, cats; & squirrels rescued from the streets. The super-chilled site is surrounded by woodland where you can catch a glimpse of squirrels, sparrow hawks and glow-worms. You can always stroll down to the village nearby or explore the rather lively city of Queretaro. At night you have spectacular glowing views of the countryside. Watch wildlife that isn’t a fox or pigeon. It’s advisable not to leave the property after 6pm due to security and safety issues. Volunteers can visit the city one weekend and then on the next explore the natural park areas around the farm. The property is a 10 acre farm +/- 35000 m2. DIRECTIONS The farm is in the Cimatario natural park area in Corregidora, Querétaro. There.is Public transportation available to get near the farm. To get here volunteers should take a couple of buses from downtown Mexico City. The ride takes 3 hours. Then they should walk with their backpacks for around 30 minutes (give or take) to get to the farm. 9or you can take a van/ Can. This is s nice walk in the middle of the countryside surrounded by a nice scenery. City buses are coming and going every 15-30 minutes from Mexico City Central bus station. Near the farm there are natural park areas and on sundays nearby there are local markets (veggies and farm food). About the work with animals at the farm ---------------------------------------------------------- I currently need help in 7 projects that I do: 1. Housekeeping/ cleaning The Farm - daily basis 2. Making compost - daily basis 3. Animal feeding and cleaning - daily basis . 4. Bio-construction & Farm Renovation- . Looking for carpenters and people with bio-construction skills (bamboo, wood, palm trees etc) 5.. Gardening and forestry - all year round. 6. There are also openings for those who are interested in managing our social media channels and creating videos. Also we have opportunities to decorate with graffiti, murals and paints 7. Yoga retreat. We also have openings for yoga instructors to use our farm as a yoga retreat. We can run outdoor/indoor yoga workshops. If you have skills please get in touch. The working day starts at 6:30am to 11:30am. I expect volunteers to rise at 6am ready for work at 6:30. I am really grateful to you for reading my profile page. I am accepting volunteers from the ages of 18 and older. I can accept also couples, usually I have one or two volunteers at a time. Thank you so much. Winter is very cold - summer is very dry and hot, think twice before you write to me :) I also want to mention that there are scorpions in the farm. They are harmless, but they are big!! ACCOMMODATION. (UPDATED) - Indoor bathroom with shower and flushing toilet - spectacular panoramic views of the landscape around - Simple private room included which has a mattress, internet signal and electricity. - Basic outdoor compost toilet (100% eco-friendly) and outdoor shower. - Well water for drinking and washing hands. - Camping is available (tents and hammocks included), farm Food is not included. Volunteers are responsible for their own food expenses. They can cook and use the kitchen and common areas. The site is surrounded by wire fence; and trained dogs. About the contribution We are a small non profit funded through donations and personal savings. Pandemic has made survival very hard for charity/ NGO projects like us. For this reason we require a small donation of 10 USD per day, per person to cover the cost of the volunteer‘s stay (water, internet, electricity) Food is NOT included. This is a small project we cannot afford to give free food. Volunteers are responsible for their own food expenses. They can cook and use the kitchen and common areas. The are shops and local markets near the farm where veggies and other food can be bought. Thanks for your cooperation 🙌🏻 RECAP Please read well my profile before writing: this is no vacation in Cancun beach, this is hard work in pure contact with nature. Not for the faint-hearted. This project is all about helping animals. Please put your needs and your comfort behind for starters, won’t hurt, it is called unconditional love. Compassion and altruism should move the world and not ego, materialism and selfishness. The idea that some lives matter less is the root of all injustice. Animal lives matter too. I am an outdoor person. Love being out in the fresh air...waking my dogs or just going for a nice long Sunday trek somewhere. Also, i need Ito add that I have lots of animals....so you MUST love animals....if you are not a TRUE animal lover ....then definitely my project is not the one for you. All I am asking from you is to keep an open attitude and try to learn from this lifestyle. Be prepared to be out-f-your-comfort-zone. I live a simple life. A farmer life, an off-grid life. I put others before self. It is natural. Animals and the planet always come first. There is life outside the system :) Don’t forget: Altruism is always more important than tourism. Give back to others and helping is the meaning of life. . Thank you so much. Stay safe!! 💚

We are a vegetarian/vegan Animal sanctuary. We expect volunteers to be respectful and open minded. We offer regularly courses about permaculture, eco living, compost, bio construction and animal welfare to schools and the community.