Volunteering in Puerto Rico: 2 Fun Hours Walking Dogs

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I did not travel to San Juan with the intention of volunteering in Puerto Rico. In fact, the entire trip was based around the fact that I would be attending the WITS Women in Travel Summit, an annual travel blogging conference that was being held in San Juan, Puerto Rico that year. The conference was only three days, and since I had to take time off work anyway, I planned to spend a few days in Puerto Rico before and after the conference to actually get a chance to see the country outside of a hotel lobby.

In total, I spent ten days in Puerto Rico! I was on (somewhat) of a budget, so I didn’t do too many activities as I normally would have. I did still eat a TON of fantastic food at all the best restaurants in San Juan though, hahah. But I’m getting off topic.

I’m not exactly a beach person, so while it was nice to frolic in the sand for 34 seconds, I soon found myself on the internet and looking for things to do in San Juan that wouldn’t cost an arm and a leg. Now, I’m not the biggest fan of Airbnb, buuut I will give it to them that their “Airbnb Experiences” feature is golden. In particular, I found an experience volunteering in Puerto Rico at a local non-profit dog shelter.

It was affordable, it was a bit of light exercise, and we would be able to chat with a local resident about Puerto Rico (y’all know how I always love to ask questions). I signed up and the rest…well, keep reading to find out!

About the Shelter

To start off, the shelter I volunteered with was Amigos de los Animales Animal Shelter. They are a no-kill Dog Shelter in the small coastal town of Piñones, dedicated to saving and giving forever homes to the street dogs of Puerto Rico. The shelter is housed in the beach home of the Shelter Director Adrienne Galler Lastra (or Adri for short) and has been operating from that location since 2008.

There are a few opportunities for volunteering in Puerto Rico with Amigos de los Animales. If you are in the area for a while, the shelter is particularly looking for individuals that are available as substitutes for regular week-day shelter cleaning activities when regular staff or volunteers are absent. The hours are from 8:30am until 12pm. Requirements: Must be able to assist for a few days of training, as well as reside in Puerto Rico.

But if you’re just in Puerto Rico for vacation like I was, then the options are a bit more limited to dog walking/socializing and shelter cleanup. Dog walks are held from 9am to 10am every Wednesday, and shelter clean ups are every Saturday 9:30am and we go until 12pm (with some dog playtime thrown in of course)!

So for my experience volunteering in Puerto Rico, I signed up to walk the dogs through Airbnb Experiences. I checked the ADLA website, and I’m not sure if you can do so directly (maybe you can call them?), but I do feel like putting the opportunity on Airbnb gets it a bit more visibility to travelers. I would’ve loved being able to book directly though so the shelter is able to get the entirety of the money.

Logistics

• Location: Amigos de los Animales Animal Shelter, Carolina, Loíza 00983 (~20min driving from Old San Juan)
• Cost: $25 USD per person booked through Airbnb Experiences
• Transportation: You will need a car. Rideshares will be about $17-$20 from Old San Juan area
• Parking: Free nearby parking, directions will be sent and is less than a minute walk to the shelter
• Duration: 8am-9:30am, but arrive about 10-15 minutes early to get paired with a shelter dog and get debriefed
• Activity Level: Beginner friendly, will need stamina for 1.5hr walk (both paved and sandy terrain)

Experience

As usual, I was running late.

If you put Amigos de los Animales Animal Shelter into Google Maps, it won’t exactly get you to where you want to go, so I’d recommend getting directions to the parking site, or get directions for the Waterfront Restaurant Bar and Seafood nearby – it’s their parking lot. The area was super calm and while it’s generally a good idea to remove/hide all valuables in your car, the spot didn’t seem sketchy or anything.

It’s true, you WILL hear the dogs before you see them.

The shelter is just about a minute stroll from the parking area, and you’ll follow the unpaved road down a back alley that runs behind the houses lining the street. Since we were the last to arrive, everyone else was already inside the gate. Malary, the host of the experience, will meet you at the gate. It’s a very clever two gate system to ensure none of the dogs will escape, so after a few pleasantries you’ll join the other guests who signed up for volunteering in Puerto Rico!

I’m not sure the average group size, but ours consisted of four pairs and each of us were matched with a pup. Malary also took a dog out, so there were nine dogs in total that morning!

You are matched with a dog based on your general size and experience/comfort handling a potentially over-excited pup. They’re all good pups for sure, with great training and socialization from the shelter. But again, they are dogs. They all have unique personalities. Some needed a little firmer direction on walks, others preferred walking in front, and a few needed a little extra encouragement to stay focused. Malary gave us all specific tailored instructions to make sure both ours and the dog’s walk went well!

We walked for about 15 minutes, chatting about Puerto Rico, the shelter’s history, and just life in general. We made it to a beach with a protected barrier from the ocean’s waves. While the pups splashed around in the water (or rested on the beach), the rest of us volunteering in Puerto Rico used it as an opportunity for small talk. We stayed at the beach for about 20 minutes before we continued on our walk.

The next part of the walk was mostly shaded, which was nice as the sun began to heat up a bit. Thankfully, Malary gives everyone a bottle of water at the start so we could all stay hydrated. After another 15min or so, we started making out way back towards the shelter. Since all of the pups are adoptable, one couple ended up taking home their furry friend!

Conclusion: Volunteering in Puerto Rico

Overall, it was such a lovely experience! I don’t often seek out these opportunities, but I am so grateful that I was able to experience volunteering in Puerto Rico where my fee went directly to a cause run by residents of the destination. I didn’t solve world hunger or anything, but some pups spent the rest of the day feeling a little extra loved while waiting for their forever home, and that’s not a bad second place!

And then after a long day (well, 1.5hrs) of walking and playing, you can refuel at some of the best restaurants in San Juan! If you are looking for opportunities volunteering in Puerto Rico during you next visit, I highly recommend dog walking at Amigos de los Animales Animal Shelter! Give the doggies a belly rub for me!

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