Bansko Street Dogs

Aside from helping us with the dogs, this is a great place to spend some time. There is so much to do with free time in and around the town, you're truly spoilt for choice. It is a ski resort in the winter and a hiking/cycling area in the summer. It's a popular base for digital nomads who organise lots of activities daily. Whether you want to take up salsa dancing, visit hot spring spas, learn to ski, join crafting groups, find gym buddies, visit monasteries, join walking tours, try rock climbing, engage with entrepreneurs you can easily do it all here!

The shelter is in easy walking distance of a main street with many cafes, shops and restaurants. It's easy to get around Bansko on foot. Buses run from here to other main tourist areas such as Plovdiv and Sofia, other areas are more accessible by car.

This is a volunteer run charity in Bansko, Bulgaria. Initially we were caring for street dogs in abandoned buildings and on the streets, looking after their medical needs and feeding them. The opportunity arose to rent some space to give shelter to vulnerable dogs, to take care of their medical and everyday needs. Currently we look after the dogs in the shelter whilst looking for their forever homes. We have a small network of fostererers. Additionally we continue with the work of neutering street dogs and providing feeding stations for them around town. We all continue to volunteer and do the best we can for these dogs ... if you join us and are the same we will love you as much as the dogs do! We treat all volunteers as we want to be treated ourselves ... you're welcome to join on social events etc or keep to yourself, whatever you need you only have to ask

Top Host
This host receives a lot of worldpackers and has a high average rating.

Reviews

5.0
(45 reviews)45

Staff & Host

4.5

Hours & Tasks

5.0

Hostel

5.0

Learning & Fun

5.0

Germany

5

I loved my experience at the Dogshelter! Working with the dog was lots of fun. They are all so sweet! The task were manageable but it took me a while to get the hang of everything I still really enjoyed it! Sarah is really clear about what she wants which is great but can be a bit „scary“ in the beginning. But it just showed how much she cares for the dogs. I would recommend everyone to volunteer at BSD.
Thank you so much for the experience ❤️

about 2 months ago

Brazil

5

I have an outstanding experience at BSD shelter, It is so nice to see how each one of the dogs inside and out of the shelter is so well treated and in such a special way. I am glad for how much I could learn about dogs behaviour and training, which I am thankful for. The tasks are not too demanding, but there are a lot of details about the way they should be done - which there is always a reason behind that. I appreciate our weekly check-ins, as they helped our experience and progress proceed smoothly. I will miss Tammy and the other dogs so much! Thank you Sarah and team for the opportunity!!

4 months ago


Sarah replied

Thanks so much Matheus, for your words and more for your time with us! It's always great when we have people with us eager to learn as you were, if you're heading back to Bansko sometime give us a shout ... Theresore we can show you for sure! ❤️

United States

5

I just spent a month in Bansko with three wonderful dogs. Even though they were all different we had lots of fun together and it was wonderful experience. Sarah and her staff are doing incredible work with all these abandoned dogs and helping them until they can find a loving home to keep them forever. I highly recommend this experience if you love dogs and also I learned a great deal about them. Sarah has built a fantastic refuge not only for the dogs under her care but for ones that are still roaming the streets as she has set up feeding and watering places for them.

6 months ago


Sarah replied

Glad to have met you Tim, and thanks again for the time and the care you showed to the dogs. Safe travels on, you know where we are if you come back this way!

Spain

5

Mi experiencia como voluntario en el refugio fue increíble, aunque tuve que irme antes por motivos personales. El refugio está muy bien organizado, y los animales reciben un excelente cuidado. Los perros son cariñosos y adorables, y los dos gatos añaden un toque de serenidad. Sarah, la coordinadora, es una persona muy amable y siempre estuvo pendiente de lo que necesitaba, asegurando que mi experiencia fuera la mejor posible. Recomiendo este refugio a cualquiera que desee vivir una experiencia significativa ayudando a animales.

7 months ago


Sarah replied

Fue un placer conocerte Dani, una pena que no puedes continuar 😔 Muchas gracias por tus esfuerzos aquí. ¡Quédate bien!

Spain

4

I really enjoyed the experience with the dogs and ended up becoming very fond of them, there were some moments of stress trying not to make mistakes. Sarah is a good person, but sometimes she can have a bit of a temper but you shouldn't take it personally. Overall I think it's a good experience. :)

8 months ago


Sarah replied

I'm glad you had a good experience Cloe.
Hopefully your stress levels went down as the number of mistakes dropped, there's nothing that needs stressing over!
You improved so much from the first days to the end of your stay, I know it took you some time to get a nice bond with some of the dogs but it was great that you never gave up ❤️


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