Monica's Animal Shelter

Do you want to ensure that the animals in Monica's shelter receive the best possible care? Then come and help!
The shelter is located in a remote and rural village in a beautiful mountainous area. There is a spacious private home for the volunteers.

*** URGENT *** VOLUNTEERS URGENTLY REQUIRED WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT AND ON AN ON GOING BASIS. Ongoing requirement for volunteers throughout 2024. Volunteers are most WELCOME to stay for as long as they want to. It is recommended you stay for at least 2/3 weeks to allow you to get to know the dogs and for them to get to know you. Volunteers will preferably have some dog shelter experience but this is not absolutely necessary. Monica basically runs the shelter on her own. Due to illness and bad luck, she needed (a lot of) help last year and this coming year. She had her second knee replaced in March 2023 which was delayed for 3 years due to covid. She also had a bad fall in summer 2022 when she fractured her hip badly. All the money goes to the animals and Monica has difficulty walking, so Monica cannot provide meals. The house is also always wonderfully heated and you can even enjoy a warm bath after all the hard work! DAILY ROUTINE Volunteer tasks begin between 8:00 am and 8:30 am. First feed the chickens and the ducks; Second clean and feed the puppies; Then clean the dog runs and provide fresh water and food to the dogs in the backyard. When that's done, there is an opportunity to have breakfast/coffee together; After breakfast, all other kennels are cleaned and all those dogs are given clean water and food; Everything around the house is also cleaned and all water bowls are provided with clean water. The chicken and duck coops are cleaned once a week; If there are young kittens, they should be fed 3 x milk during the day. At about 12.00 pm (depending on the number of animals and the number of volunteers), all work is finished and it is time for lunch. In the afternoon you have free time. When new animals are unexpectedly dumped, when the vet comes for vaccinations or sterilisations, a transport arrives to take dogs to be adopted abroad or something unforeseen happens, sometimes a little help is needed out of hours. At about 4 o'clock in the afternoon all chickens and ducks are fed again and all puppies are fed again. The dogs' kennels are also checked once more. Do all dogs still have clean water? Did they make a mess of it? If so, then of course top up the water and clean! Another important task is monitoring the animals. Are they healthy and do they feel happy? If you think something is up, immediately turn on Monica. When there are so many animals together and when new dogs are dumped every time, the risk of diseases is of course present. In addition, all dogs and cats need hugs of course! During your free time, ideally you will want to spend some of it helping to socialise the dogs. Previous volunteers have spent time with certain dogs to help desensitise them, gain their trust, walk some of them on a leash, teach the younger dogs to fetch and generally play with them. This will really help to make the less adoptable dogs much more adoptable. This is very rewarding for all concerned. You are expected to respect the main house where you are living by keeping it clean and tidy on a daily basis. It is expected that you mop the tiled floors daily, water the plants and other general household chores. DON'T FORGET TO PACK SOME OLD CLOTHES AS CLEANING OUT DOGS WILL BE DIRTY AND HARD WORK.