Tom and Roxy volunteering at Care For Dogs
If you’re an animal lover wanting to add a volunteer experience to your gap year, there are many opportunities to help animal rescue organisations.
For travelers to Thailand, where huge numbers of stray dogs roam the streets, volunteering is critical. Many dogs are abandoned at temples, just dumped off where locals feel that the monks will feed them and take care of them. But Buddhist monks, who have renounced worldly possessions and depend on alms themselves, have little with which to care.
Care For Dogs (CFD) is an organisation that provides shelter, food, medical care and sterilisation to thousands of stray dogs each year around the northern city of Chiang Mai. CFD is open to people who would like to work directly with the dogs at the shelter or local temples, at adoption fairs, or behind the scenes in the office. When I visited Chiang Mai in November 2010, I visited CFD where I was greeted by the most fantastic dogs I’ve ever seen. I also had the opportunity to see the traumatic lives that many of these dogs have had, and the amazing transformation that CFD was making for them.
Tom and Roxy, travelers from the U.K., stopped to volunteer at CFD two months into a half-year journey through Southeast Asia. The pair stayed at a local resort for a week and rode bicycles to the shelter every morning.
“It’s been a fantastic experience,” says Roxy. “Tom gives any injections that need to be given, we wash dogs, take them for walks and generally give them some love and attention.”
Ally Taylor, a longtime Chiang Mai resident and regular CFD volunteer, calls Tom and Roxy “hands on people” who were a delight to have around. Tom wants to become an RSPCA Inspector and according to Ally, has the right stuff for the job. “Tom has a great way with dogs, he is a dedicated animal lover, and animal welfare in the U.K. will benefit immensely from this guys enthusiasm.”
CFD has also established a unique education program called Professor Paws. This partnership with local schools aims to instill respect and understanding for dogs and break the cycle of pet overpopulation in streets and temples. The courses teach children how to safely interact with dogs and how to properly care for pets – with the added benefit of teaching English at the same time.
Know of any other other animal related volunteer projects to get involved with on your gap year? Share your thoughts below…
