As a Peru dog rescue volunteer, you will get up close and personal to these amazing animals. Create a better life for Cusco's street dog population. Not only this, Peru's volunteer programs provide a great foundation to improve your Spanish. If you love dogs, the Peru dog rescue volunteer project is a great way to give back and make an impact!
BACKGROUND TO THE DOG RESCUE PROGRAM
As in many South American countries, Peru is home to many stray dogs. The sad reality is that many of these dogs are homeless and thus subject to illness, hunger and even abuse. The stray dog overpopulation is a growing problem in Peru.
Free-roaming dogs (these are dogs with owners but left to their own devices) roam freely throughout the day. Furthermore, they mate with homeless strays and thus increase the number of strays on the streets of Peru.
Cusco is the location of all our community projects in Peru. In addition, the city is one of the biggest hotspots of stray dogs across the whole of Peru. A tourist hotspot, authorities in Cusco typically have a pessimistic outlook toward stray dogs. More specifically, they see stray dogs as bringing illness and aggressiveness to the tourist population.
A city like Cusco relies heavily on tourism to boost its economy. As a result, authorities traditionally adopted a more brutal approach to managing the strays dog population through culling mechanisms. In other words, they see stray dogs as a threat and a health hazard to the economic gains that tourism brings.
Previously there had been no centralised government program in Peru to control the stray dog overpopulation. Consequently, the management process of controlling stray dog numbers was often left up to each local administration divisions.
Naturally, many disagreed with the authorities tough approach line and protests were a regular occurrence in Cusco’s main square. November 2015 represented huge progress for animal welfare workers across Peru. Most importantly, the Peruvian Congress approved the Animal Protection and Welfare Law. This law classifies animals as sentient beings. Therefore, the law punishes those found guilty of animal cruelty with 3-5 years in prison.
These days, dog lovers within the Cusco community take more humane approaches to save Peru’s street dogs. Examples of this include mobile clinics, educational outreach campaigns in local schools and setting up dog shelters. Peru is our only South American destination where you can embark on a wildlife volunteering abroad project.
DOG RESCUE VOLUNTEER PLACEMENT EXAMPLE
Cusco Dog Shelter - We have teamed up with a dog shelter in Cusco that takes care of rescued street dogs. The shelter is home to approximately 125 dogs that receive food and care daily. There are two staff members that work at the shelter full time. Subsequently, such staff members will be the local support for Peru dog rescue volunteers when at the project. Just like at your host family, good Spanish language skills are recommended to communicate fluently with the staff members.
Our dog shelter project allows you as a volunteer in Peru to experience your love of animals. Working at the centre of the project as part of your international volunteering, your daily tasks will make a positive contribution. Moreover, the care and wellbeing these rescued dogs receive will greatly improve. Here is a selection of some of the main things you can expect to get involved in during the week:
• Assisting the local staff with the care of the animals
• Feeding the dogs
• Playing and enrichment activities with select dogs
• Cleaning the shelter
• Helping with general maintenance
• Local support campaigns within Cusco
• Showing off your creative side to dynamically raise awareness about animal issues in Cusco
Peru dog rescue projects typically receive little to no government funding or assistance. Therefore, volunteer support and contributions are a big help to the project that otherwise can receive limited help. In short, if you have a love for dogs, then this project is for you! We have availability from 1 week upwards on the project. Furthermore, you will volunteer typically across the morning periods Monday to Friday. Older clothing for the project is recommended as are shoes that you do not mind getting dirty!
OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER VOLUNTEERING WITH DOGS IN PERU
Return Airport Transfer - Your return airport transfer is not included in your Program Fee. The most common method is to use a ridesharing app or private taxi service. Participants can often be travelling across their final few days and therefore are not necessarily heading back to the airport directly from our accommodation. The costs depend on your method of transport and your final destination. This can often be split across multiple participants if you are travelling with someone else on the program.
Spanish Requirements - For the dog rescue program in Peru, we recommend that you speak a reasonable level of Spanish prior to your trip. There are no specific language requirements in order to join the program and you can join as an absolute beginner. However, we find that the ability to speak a good level of the Spanish language and a passion to learn more will greatly enhance your overall experience. This is because English is generally not widely spoken and therefore our programs should be viewed as a broader language immersion experience. If you do not speak a reasonable level of Spanish then you will find it difficult to communicate. As a result, this could lead to a more frustrating experience.
We also offer Online Spanish Lessons that you can take before your trip. The lessons provide you with the opportunity to receive one-on-one classes from a trained Spanish teacher. Classes are held via Zoom and can be worked around your schedule back in your home country.
We also offer a learn Spanish in Peru program which you can take part in prior to your volunteer placement. This provides you with 20 hours-per-week of group Spanish lessons. Both of these options can be added during our online application process. They are highly recommended if you want to make the most of your volunteer placement.
Once you are in-country then you are also able to organise additional Spanish lessons directly with our local team. Volunteer feedback suggests that it can often be tiring to complete Spanish lessons at the same time as your volunteer programs in Peru. Consequently, we generally recommend extending your Language Immersion Program.
Experience - If you are a veterinary student you may be able to assist in more tasks. Naturally, this will depend on your level of knowledge, experience and qualifications in this area. You may be able to help with the sick, injured or disabled dogs. Furthermore, there may be more opportunities in advanced veterinary care such as vaccinations or neutering procedures.
Project Donation - With each volunteer, there is a donation made directly to the volunteer project you join us in Peru. This donation fee is included in the Program Fee you pay before you depart for your trip.
With that donation, the project is provided with increased financial support to improve resources, infrastructure and project environment. Such beneficiaries being the patients at the medical clinics, students at the schools, children at the kindergartens or the dogs at the dog shelter project.
Weekends - Your project work in Peru runs from Monday-Friday and weekends are free. You are welcome to relax and hang out at the volunteer accommodation but most participants will use this time to travel and explore the country. As a result, you can check out our Peru Weekend Travel Guide for top tips on how to spend your weekend. We also run two separate weekend trips which you can sign-up to before you depart for Peru. We offer the Lake Titicaca & Islands Trip along with the Machu Picchu Trip with opportunities running every month.
