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F.A.Q.

Volunteering

You can become a volunteer by reaching out to us via our contact form or by directly emailing our Volunteer Coordinator on [email protected] who will arrange your trip with you.

The shortest volunteer experience we offer is 2 weeks. We do not have a limit on the length of volunteering, however it is subject to cost, visa restrictions and availability.

Yes. Program fees go towards the payment of your accommodation and utilities, your transportation to and from the airport, as well as the training you will receive during your volunteer placement. The money we receive from volunteers feeds into the necessary operating costs of of Rescue P.A.W.S. and providing care to the stray dogs of Hua Hin.

We rely on the help of compassionate individuals who volunteer their time in order to complete the day-to-day activities around the facility or those who donate money to supporting the cause.

Our volunteer placements come at a small cost that goes towards the running costs of our operations, and is inclusive of accommodation and training. The minimum placement length we will accept is two weeks to allow enough time for training and to allow volunteers to gain a full experience of the Rescue P.A.W.S. operations, including feeding runs, lake and/or beach walks, bathing and de-ticking, watching veterinary procedures and talks from our resident vets and a relaxing meditation seminar to top it all off!

Alternatively, if you cannot spare two weeks or more to volunteer with us, you can arrange a day visit to our center. These informative sessions last two hours and provide you with the opportunity to learn more about our organisation, the stray dog problem in Thailand, dog care and even walk and bathe some of the dogs we have at our kennels at the time of your visit.

To arrange your volunteer experience, contact us directly at [email protected] where our resident Volunteer Coordinator will reply to any enquiries.

You can arrange a day visit which generally lasts around two hours. You will get hands on experience with the dogs in our care – this includes walking and bathing. You will also learn about our organization and its mission in Thailand.

To arrange this experience, please get in touch with our Volunteer Coordinator at [email protected] who will be able to organise your visit. Bookings are essential.

If you are booking your extended volunteer experience directly through us, we will arrange your transportation to the volunteer accommodation on the day and time suitable to your travel plans. This transportation will be organized with our Volunteer Coordinator.

If you are coming to Rescue P.A.W.S. through one of our third party agencies that we partner with, it is best to organize with them about what your transport will be and where it will be picking you up. We do, however, ask that you inform our Volunteer Coordinator about your estimated time of arrival so that they can greet you at the volunteer house where you will be staying.

For a day visit you will have to arrange your own transportation to the Rescue P.A.W.S. centre. Appropriate date and time will be organised with the Volunteer Coordinator for you to visit. Advanced booking is advised. We cannot conduct day visits without prior notice.

We would like to encourage those interested in volunteering to sign up to our extended volunteer program to gain the most out of the experience- the shortest time available for this type of volunteering is two weeks and can be extended dependent on availability. During this course, you learn about dog health and veterinary practice, get hands-on experience in looking after the animals and receive training on how to care for and train dogs.

If you are still looking to visit Rescue P.A.W.S., we would like to conduct day visits during the working week as this is when our Volunteer Coordinator and Lead Volunteer will be in the center to provide the experience. In some cases, we may be able to arrange a day visit on a Saturday or Sunday, but this will have to be arranged well in advance.

If you want to volunteer at Rescue P.A.W.S., you will need to prepare for your trip! Firstly, all volunteers must have up-to-date rabies vaccinations due to the nature of the placement.

The Rescue P.A.W.S. centre is located on temple grounds; it is, therefore, required that you bring light clothing that covers your shoulders and your knees to show respect to the Buddhist Monks who own the land. Clothing must not be too revealing or too tight. You will need enough to get you through the week. Thailand temperatures can reach highs of 40 celsius/98 fahrenheit so ensuring your clothes are light and breathable will help when working outside, which should also be considered when bringing clothes to wear on your days off. Most volunteers choose to wear leggings or lightweight pants with loose, baggy shirts that cover their shoulders, chest, and hips. Keep in mind that whatever you choose to wear during your time at Rescue P.A.W.S. will definitely be getting dirty! There is free-to-use washing facilities at the volunteer house to wash your clothes when needed.

Having a small bag to carry items back and forth from the clinic is useful. You will find during your volunteer experience that you will drink a lot of water during the day and having a bag to store bottles will make keeping hydrated easier. Down the road from the center is a water station that allows you to refill plenty of bottles for 10 baht or under which is cheaper than buying water at the shops and more eco-friendly!

You will need to bring plenty of sunscreen. Thailand is very hot and you will be working outside a lot of the time. Bring enough to last the duration of your volunteer trip and remember, if you buy any sun cream in Thailand, check that it does not contain whitening agents (sun protection in Thailand often contains these and may not be suitable for some volunteers).

Because you will be working closely with stray animals, we strongly advise vaccination against the rabies virus. If you are not covered and are already in Thailand, you can receive these jabs at Bangkok Hospital in Hua Hin.

You should bring some of your money in the native currency (Thai Baht) as the nearest ATM is a 15-minute walk away from the center and a 40-minute walk from the volunteer house. Remember to bring a card or extra cash with you to last the duration of your trip in case your budget does not stretch for the length of your stay

Remember to keep your departure card from immigration in your passport.

If you have any left-over room in your bags, please consider bringing dog toys and veterinary supplies along with you to donate to Rescue P.A.W.S. Our dogs are always ecstatic to receive new gifts; a feeling that is reflected in our resident vets when they receive medical supplies.

We send every volunteer introduction packs with more comprehensive and useful information and are always on hand to offer assistance with visa applications. Should you need any additional help, please contact [email protected]

A flight volunteer is an individual who takes dogs from Rescue P.A.W.S. who have been adopted by families in other countries back with them on their returning flight. If you are currently in Thailand and want to help us by taking dogs home with you on your flight, please contact [email protected] to discuss this opportunity further. You can also find more information on our flight volunteer page.

We are always happy to hear from individuals interested in joining our team. You can find the current job vacancies on our job bulletin board.

Still have questions?