If you are an animal lover and a traveler like us, volunteering at a dog shelter abroad can be a fantastic experience, either just for a day or for an extended period of time. Not only will you get to play with hundreds of puppies and meet new people, but you will also make a huge difference both for the shelter and for the life of these animals. And one such amazing dog shelter to check out on your trip to Malaysia is 4PAWS.
Pets in South East Asia have it rough. Dogs get tortured and slaughtered for their meat. They get packed in the crate so violently that they often get broken bones and get shipped cross country on a long, water and food-less journey before getting skinned, sometimes still alive. In Malaysia, where a large part of the population is Muslim, dogs are considered unclean by some. Several dogs suffer severe burns from hot oil, get stabbed, dumped, tossed, discarded. Dog shelters need help to provide care for hundreds, if not thousands of injured dogs.
After meeting the wonderful Barbara who runs the Penang Animal Welfare Society (4PAWS) in Penang back in July, we felt compelled to go and give a helping hand washing the pups at the shelter for a day last month. Although it was a little sad coming to terms with the number of dogs that have been abandoned (they have 360 dogs and counting), it was one of the best and most rewarding days we’ve had in some time.
4PAWS is a non-profit dog rescue organization that provides a home and care for stray and abandoned dogs in Penang. They are located in the quaint little town of Teluk Bahang in Penang, Malaysia where tourists often go to visit Penang National Park. Society has a no-kill policy and provides continued care for animals whose age or disability may make them less likely to be adopted. Their existence relies solely on volunteers and donations.
Volunteering with animals while traveling isn’t a new idea, but it can be tricky to find opportunities that are ethical (especially when it comes to wildlife like elephants or orang-utangs) while remaining cheap or free. If you are considering doing some volunteer work with animals or even at an orphanage abroad, do your research first and make sure that the organization provides an actual benefit for the community rather than you ending paying money to steal jobs from the locals.
There are dog shelters all over South East Asia that rely on people like us to help make a difference. Several of them offer long term volunteering opportunities, including 4PAWS in Malaysia.
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Hi. Thanks very much for mentioning my article as a good read. Its sounds like your volunteering experience was as incredible as mine 🙂
🙂
Thank you so much for mentioning us and our post about volunteering in dog shelters. Shame we didn’t make it to 4Paws whilst in Malaysia, we would have loved to help and meet these lovely dogs. You’re right about volunteering, it’s not always easy to find the places that are also ethical, that’s why information and research are key. Thanks for sharing your amazing experience 🙂
Thanks Franca! 🙂
How adorable are these dogs?! As a big time dog lover, it’s been heartbreaking to see how they’re treated in SE Asia. Will definitely consider volunteering in one of these places when we’re back in Asia next month.
Yeah, the relationship of SE Asians with animals is a complex one I’m still trying to figure out. We’ve seen so many injured and suffering dogs along the way and haven’t always been in a position to do anything about it and it’s just been breaking my heart. :/
You’re a good soul…God bless you!
Aww, thanks so much! 🙂
Hello. I want to ask u. I wanna take a dog from chelter. How much do i have to pay?
Hi Milana! I’m not sure, you would have to get in touch with the shelter: http://4paws.com.my/
Thank you so much for the sweet and informative post! I will be in Penang soon and can’t wait to volunteer with 4PAWS.
Oh yay! Send my love to Barbara from Richard and Amelie <3