Animal Rescue and Farm Maintenance

ANIMAL CARE & FARM MAINTENANCE – Help rescue neglected animals, provide care and assist maintaining the farm!

Volunteer Placement & Internship Opportunity

In the Dominican Republic there are plenty of animals in need of care and a home. Many dogs are homeless and sick, you often find neglected and malnourished horses and cats are often treated badly – just to give some examples. It is rare that anyone cares about these animals or gives them the affection and nurture that they need.

For many years, a farm close to the city Samaná has already been helping animals in need by providing a home, food and arranging medical treatments. Dogs, horses, mules, cows and many other animals live on the ranch in the middle of the beautiful nature that surrounds Samaná. There is always a lot to do and support is much needed to be able to continue providing care to the animals and finding new homes, especially for the almost 50 dogs living on the farm. You can become a part of this project by taking care of the animals, training them and maintaining the property. By raising awareness and educating children about how animals can increase our well-being if we take care of them you can also contribute to improving the situation in the long run.

The farm & volunteer work

The farm is situated about 20 minutes away from the town of Samaná, so volunteers will either be taken there by the owner of the farm, or will use public transport to go. The  majority of your work will take place on this farm, with a lot of hands-on experience of training and caring for animals. There is always a lot to do on the farm and support is much needed to be able to continue providing care to the animals and finding new homes. You will also have the chance to support local veterinarians and learn about medical treatments that the animals need. 

Another important aspect of this project is to help out with the maintenance of the farm, which could involve fixing fences and maintaining the animals'  living areas. `outside of the farm, you can expect to work with the community, raising awareness and educating young children about how animals can improve our wellbeing if we take care of them you can also contribute to improving the situation in the long run.

Who we are looking for

Overall there are no previous experiences required to participate in the program, but of course you have to be an animal lover. A typical Animal Care & Farm Maintenance volunteer and intern has already worked in animal shelters, is a student in a veterinary school or a dog walker, etc. However, a person that does not necessarily have any experience or training, but just really loves animals and wants to help care for them is welcome as well. He or she needs to be enthusiastic, proactive, ready for a challenge and willing to do maintenance work. It is important to keep in mind that the farm work does not only consist of petting dogs but also includes physical work like cleaning kennels and stables and being outside a lot. Nevertheless, the animal’s love and affection that you will be met with are worth all of the effort! Friendliness, commitment and patience are among significant qualities.

In this program, we also encourage you  to come with a friend and volunteer together because sharing the work at the farm will be even more fun.

Basic Spanish skills are needed, but an advanced level of Spanish experience will open up more opportunities. In order to enable deeper integration into the community, we provide free Spanish classes on a weekly basis, full support, and 24/7 backup.

Volunteer placement or internship

This program can be booked as volunteer placement or as internship. Most of our participants join as volunteers and are free to commit from between 12 to 40 hours per week. Thats up to you! As an intern however you probably have to fulfil requirements set by your school or university. Please let us know your school or universities internship requirements in advance so that we can work out your personalised work plan together. Also inform us about your personal goals and expectations and we will see how we can help you to achieve them! We expect our volunteers and interns to dedicate a minimum of three hours/ four days per week and a maximum of eight hours/five days per week working in their respective programs.

Special Offer

Spanish language classes - volunteers or interns receive free language lessons regularly throughout their placement. The classes focus on developing communication skills so that students are able to put their knowledge to practical use as soon as they step outside the classroom. Our teaching method enables students to develop four basic skills: listening comprehension, speaking, reading and writing. The idea is to learn Spanish in a natural and spontaneous way, just as students have learned their mother tongue. Our students speak Spanish right from the very first day, using it in typical real-life situations: the basic syllabus is supplemented by special exercises, such as role-play, situational dialogues and work projects. Outside the classroom, the learning process continues as you immerse in the Spanish language and the Dominican culture.

A typical day will be spent at the farm, from 9am-6pm with a 2 hour lunch break, gaining experience caring for the animals and learning from local veterinarians. There will also be maintenance work to do some of the time. 

When you are not working at the farm, a typical day will involve working with local schools and preparing and carrying out activities to raise awareness of the importance of caring for the animals. On a day-to-day basis activities can include but are not limited to:

Samana is the name of both the peninsula and its biggest town, a scenic, beautiful and peaceful port, with friendly, easy-going Dominicans, living their life with tourism, agriculture and fishing activities, all set to the beat and rhythms or Merengue, Bachata and Salsa music. It is a dramatically beautiful peninsula, like an island unto itself, of coconut trees stretching into the sea. The Malecon (seaside promenade) of two kilometres length is perfect for strolling by day and night. It is the perfect place to while away the evening in a relaxing atmosphere in one of the many surrounding restaurants and bars. Hundreds of fantastic beaches surround the peninsular of Samaná, which can be explored during a day trip or for the whole weekend.