Animal Rescue: Volunteering Abroad with Strays

Julia Wolfer Start Date: Jun 27, 2022 - End Date: Oct 26, 2022
  • Cultural Exchange
  • Professional Development
  • Volunteer Trip
  • Buenos Aires, Argentina

My Travel Story

by: Julia Wolfer Start Date: Jun 27, 2022 - End Date: Oct 26, 2022
  • Cultural Exchange
  • Professional Development
  • Volunteer Trip
Anyone who knows me personally is aware of my life-long passion of caring for and protecting the welfare of animals. I've spent several years accumulating experience in animal rescue and management, and recently I have felt called to volunteer my skills and labor to an independent animal sanctuary in Buenos Aires, Argentina. 

Animal Control programs in Argentina are rather scarce compared to what we are used to here in the United States. Even though the excessive amounts of stray dogs in the streets compromise public health and economic growth due the tourism industry, the government allocated little funding to the removal and care of these animals. As a result, independent shelters and rescues take initiative, providing veterinary care, access to essential resources, and of course, lots of TLC. This can be time consuming and expensive for these organizations, especially considering that they are almost entirely volunteer based. By offering my time and experience to these sanctuaries in Buenos Aires, I hope to help reduce the strain on resources and guarantee that these animals have their needs met. 

Addiitonally, I am motivated by the prospect of improving my Spanish language skills. It is a personal goal of mine to become fluent in Spanish, which I believe can obly be achieved through complete language immersion. A casual and colloquial Spanish conversation style would help me better communicate with clients even once I return to the US, so I do hope to learn some Spanish dog terminology while I am there.

I am thrilled to announce that I will be spending two weeks in Buenos Aires in November/December. I can't wait to share my experiences and stories once I return. In the meantime, stay tuned for updates!

  • Buenos Aires, Argentina