I was burned with boiling water but I am now healed and ready for adoption. I am a very sweet and playful dog!
Gender
Mixed
Size
Age
Breed
Gray
Adult
Male
VOLUNTEER
You can help us with caring for the animals that we rescued
You can help us finish building the rescue centre
You can walk one of our rescued dogs
You work with volunteers from all over the world and with local people also
You can help us with educational programs in animal welfare
And most importantly, you get lots of love from our rescued dogs
We are a new rescue centre and the first one in the entire Sacred Valley. This is an exciting time to get involved with us. There is so much work to be done. Join us!
Very Important: setting realistic expectations
It is essential that all volunteers are realistic about their expectations of our rescue shelter.
It is not an Instagram, picture-taking paradise. Please don’t expect a romantic volunteer holiday. Our shelter grounds and amenities are rustic.
We need volunteers who are great team players. People who work well on their own and take initiative. With our limited resources, we often do not have a volunteer manager onsite. As a result, we have to put a lot of trust and faith in our volunteers.
Each individual must be respectful of our rules and other volunteers. We seek volunteers who are cooperative and possess good communication/conflict-resolution skills.
Helping neglected, injured, sick, abused animals can be very stressful. Working with different personality types in a minimally comfortable setting takes fortitude, focus and resilience. We need people who are realistic and despite the conditions and circumstances will remain positive and pleasant to work with. It is essential to be a community/ team-minded person. It is a selfless endeavor to volunteer for our cause.
We are indeed very grateful for all the wonderful volunteers that we receive. One difficult personality can infect the whole team environment. If we find that a volunteer is being more problematic than useful, we will be forced to ask them to leave the premises.
It is unfortunate that we have to leave such a message but, based on the handful of bad experiences that we have had with a small number of our countless volunteers over the years, we have no choice. We need to mitigate the possibilities of receiving difficult volunteers who sadly do more harm than good. We strive to create and maintain a healthy-minded, collaborative volunteer team so that together we can continue to help as many dogs in need as possible in Sacred Valley of Peru! ❤
In-house volunteers
In-house volunteers are volunteers who help us for a continuous period (minimum two weeks), as opposed to daily visitors (who may kindly and casually help us for a few hours that day) and local volunteers from the Sacred Valley. The possible roles of an in-house volunteer at our centre in Urubamba, Peru are as follows:
1) Day-to-day operation of the rescue centre: this will be your main work and required for all volunteers
- Socialize and walk the dogs. So that our dogs can be adopted, it is essential to teach them to trust people; and to train dogs to walk on a leash
- Feeding the dogs
- Administration of the medical treatments
- Assist with rehabilitation therapies for recovering animals
- Cleaning (dog grooming, cleaning the shelter facilities and property grounds, cleaning the dog kennels, and cleaning your volunteer accommodation and communal areas)
- Hosting tours of the shelter and talking with visitors
2) Construction of the remaining unfinished pieces of our infrastructure:
- A green area of 1200 square meters divided into three sectors
- A play area with a pre-fabricated pool (for the animals to play, and for us to work on rehabilitating the injured or post-operative animals)
- Second room for dogs (kennel)
- Room for quarantine
- Recovery room
3) Working with the local population to raise awareness in dog welfare
- Installing drinking troughs, food dispensers and sheds in different parts of the cities and rural areas of the Sacred Valley
- Working with schools: volunteers will give talks in schools and teach children about being responsible with pets (for volunteers with a very good level of Spanish)
4) Updating our website (Adoption page and News page)
Vet and vet nurse volunteers
We need qualified vets and vet nurses, or vet students, who are prepared to occasionally witness difficult situations.
You will be contributing to helping control the overpopulation of strays and lessening the pain of animals.
You will need to spay and neuter animals; as well as examine and treat pets.
Please go to our Vet and Vet Nurse Volunteers page to learn more about this volunteering opportunity.
Commitment and attitude
Working with us is an immensely rewarding and fulfilling experience, and it requires commitment. This is hard work that can include cleaning, maintenance, animal welfare duties, and hosting tours for visitors. You’ll be expected to be reliable, friendly and mature. A good attitude is a must.
Time and work schedule
For our in-house volunteers: we ask for a minimum commitment of two weeks. Training for in-house volunteers takes time and resources, and we can’t offer a turn over that is too frequent.
You will work for 6 hours a day, with breaks, with 2 days off per week.
The start of your shift will vary based on the number of other volunteers present, and the current daily needs of the shelter. Everything will be talked about and mutually agreed upon.
Volunteering suggested donation
The suggested donation towards volunteering at Allqo Llaqta Rescue Centre is USD $ 35 per week ($5 per day). This would help us with the costs of the following:
- Purchasing volunteer amenities (beds, matresses, cleaning supplies, infrastructure...)
- General maintenance of volunteers amenities and facilities
- Utilities (hot water, electricty, propane...)
- Laundry machine
- Wifi
- Some basic food ingredients.
If you kindly wish to donate, you can do so by credit card or by Paypal, by using our secure Donation page.
Without donations, our project would not be sustainable.
Extending your stay
If you wish to stay longer at the end of your original volunteer stay, there are no minimum days required for an extended stay, but:
- You can do so upon Luisin or Fabrizio's approval.
- You can do so if we have availability for our volunteer beds.
Food
We provide ingredients for you to cook your meals in our equipped kitchen. Please know that because we are a small local non-for-profit rescue centre, we have limited financial resources and we can only offer basic ingredients (coffee, bread, jam, rice, canned beans).
We offer the same basic ingredients every day for everybody, we cannot customize based on dietary preferences or restrictions. If you wish to supplement this with something of your liking, we are only 2 kms away from the central market of Urubamba where you can find anything for a reasonable price. We are also right by a bus stop.
Working at Allqo Llaqta
We are still a very new rescue centre, so please don't expect a very organized work environment. You won’t be given constant direction, we encourage you to act on your own initiative.
So we encourage you to go with the flow and enjoy it. Things will likely be very different from home, but that's all part of this enriching experience. Adapt to the situations that might arise, make the most of your time and get as involved as you can.
You may be volunteering as a working holiday or as just a part of your holiday, but it won’t be a typical holiday. Volunteering is a challenging process involving many unpredictable factors. But most likely, your experience will leave a lasting impression on you.
Our volunteers’ accommodations
- We have two rooms for volunteers in the main building. One bedroom has one double bed (perfect for couples or friends) and a bunk bed, and the other bedroom has a bunk bed and a single bed.
- The main building contains a bathroom (with hot water) and a communal kitchen.
- We also have a laundry room that you can use for your clothing and bedding. Please bring your own laundry soap.
- All volunteers will share domestic duties in all shared living areas.
- Bed linens, covers and pillows are provided. Toiletries, including towels, are not provided. Please bring your own.
Some rules
Adoption
No dogs can be adopted without Fabrizio's final approval. Fabrizio knows all the dogs very well, and we ask volunteers to never make any final decision on their own regarding adoption. This is to ensure that all dogs go to a proper new home.
Smoking
You can smoke on the Allqo Llaqta property but outside of any facilities/buildings/rooms/kitchen.
Parties
No parties on the Allqo Llaqta property. No exceptions.
Outside visitors
You are encouraged to bring visitors to Allqo Llaqta but only during regular public hours from 10am to 4pm, and with the purpose to visit the shelter and see our work. No person who is not an approved volunteer can stay overnight in the Allqo Llaqta rescue centre. No exceptions.
Main gate
The centre is right by a busy road, so please make sure the main gate is closed at all times. Visitors have to ring the bell. So if you hear the bell, please open the gate but make sure no dogs run outside.
Age
All international volunteers must be at least 18 years old.
How to get from Cusco to Urubamba
We do not provide transportation to our rescue centre, but it is very easy and very affordable to go to Urubamba from Cusco.
The distance is about 50km. The road is a paved two-way road with great views of the Andes Mountains.
1) By bus:
From the bus terminal in Grau in Cusco, you can get a local bus to Urubamba for 4- soles. The journey by bus takes 1h40, and the buses leave every 15 mins until about 6.30pm.
2) Shared Taxi (“Colectivo”):
This option is a little more expensive but it is quicker and more comfortable. Go to the taxi terminal on Pavitos street. It will cost you 8 soles per person. Shared taxis run until approximately 6.30pm and leave as soon as they have 4 passengers on-board. Journey time is 1h10-1h20.
3) Once in Urubamba:
From the bus terminal in Urubamba, take a mototaxi to our rescue centre. It is a 5 mins ride. If the mototaxi driver doesn’t know our centre, tell him it is in front of the Alhambra Hacienda and just before the restaurant Inkalicious and Minimarket Rosita.
And there you are, welcome to your new volunteer home!
Important:
Please let Luisin and Fabrizio know about your arrival time, so we can arrange for someone to be there to welcome you. You must ring the bell at the gate, as we keep the gate closed at all times so the dogs don't run out on the main road.
What happens when you arrive
Upon arrival, volunteers will be greeted by an Allqo Llaqta staff member or another volunteer, and shown to their room with a briefing regarding the basics of the facilities.
You will get a brief description of duties, including instructions on health and safety.
The day of arrival has time scheduled for relaxation, orientation, training regarding duties etc. and for acclimatizing yourself.
How to spend your free time
You can explore the Sacred Valley of the Incas, which was an important site for the Inca Empire, and is the home of some incredible Inca archaeological sites. The most famous being Machu Picchu.
This beautiful and peaceful valley is home to a number of Quechua villages and colonial towns. Star attractions in the Sacred Valley include Machu Picchu, the Pisac Market and the lofty Inca citadels of Pisac and Ollantaytambo; however, the valley is filled with other Inca sites that are well worth visiting.
So this is a great opportunity to learn about the Inca civilization. Urubamba is in roughly the middle of the Sacred Valley.
Many people in the Sacred Valley still speak the Quechua language (Quechua was the main language family of the Inca Empire). In 1975, Peru became the first country to recognize Quechua as one of its official languages, and it is still the most widely spoken language of the indigenous peoples of the Americas.
Urubamba is also a lovely town with good restaurants.
You can socialize with the friendly people of Urubamba. You can learn Spanish. Whatever suits you.
Outdoor activities: hiking, biking.
Take a day trip to world-renowned Cusco (the capital of the Inca Empire): easy, frequent, and affordable transportation between Urubamba and Cusco, about 1hr one-way.
Transportation within the Sacred Valley is straightforward and frequent with Collectivos (mini-vans). Our centre is right by a bus stop.
There is always some kind of work you can help with if you ever feel that you have too much free time on your hands ;)
Will I be working with Peruvian people?
Yes. You will be working with the founder and veterinarian Fabrizio, with local volunteers, and with the local population, so you will learn the lifestyle, working ways and cultural practices of the local community.. Some are more fluent than others in English so please be patient. Fabrizio speaks good English.
Urubamba is a very authentic town, not as touristy as Cusco, giving volunteers a great opportunity to get immersed in the Peruvian life.
Do you have Internet access?
Yes our rescue centre has wifi.
The benefits of a placement at Allqo Llaqta?
We are a new rescue centre, and the first one in the Sacred Valley, so please know that your contribution will make a massive difference to the welfare of stray dogs in the valley. You will receive the satisfaction of making a positive difference to the lives of these animals while acquiring new skills and knowledge.
Application form
Okay, so you want to volunteer for us? Great!
Please fill out our Volunteer Application Form. We will get back to you right away.
If you have any additional questions or specific concerns, please contact us.
We can't wait to meet you!
Current Updates
So that you are aware of the current shelter updates. Fabrizio (the owner of the rescue centre and local veterinarian) just left recently to Nevada, USA for a period of time for an educational opportunity related to his veterinary career. We are in transition since he left. He is still the owner and is involved with everything but not in a hands-on manner right now. We are adjusting to his absence, making progress and some needed improvements.