What is volunteering?
Volunteering is often described as an unpaid activity where someone gives their time to help a non-profit organization in the aim to improving the life of other. One of the best known benefits of volunteering is the impact on the community. But not only human community can be the target of volunteering, but also volunteering with animals. Animals have the potential to love unconditionally and when you care for them, you’ll learn valuable skills and discover aspects of yourself you never knew.
You will find below five advantages to volunteer with animal that could be beneficial in your personal development and in your daily life.
1. They will teach you to be more patient
Animals have their own sensitivity and emotions and you need to deal preciously with that. In addition animals that you are going to take care specially in shelter have often been abused and that is why you have to spend a lot of times with them before to create a bond of trust.
2. Animals can make you happier and healthier
It is scientifically proven! Having a pet can dramatically increase your life. Studies have been done to confirm that having a pet helps you to maintain a stable heart rate in stressful situations. Playing with pets can heavily boost your mood in the space of a few minutes as your share both of you a moment of complicity.
3. Giving back without expecting in return
More than we believed, human exchange are based on self-interest, whether material gains or explicit services. When you help animals, you get in return great affection and memories; it’s not a selfish-gain. Looking after animals can help you to gain skills because you become more mature.
4. Learn to living in the moment
Working with animals can improve the way “you live the moment” because animals are sensitive and curious species so you have to be focus and attentive at their needing. Especially for animals who have experienced trauma or abuse. For them, that moment in your presence is the ultimate reality
5. Make new friends
By volunteering with animals, you will meet some people who share same passion as you for animals, who share the same values and are united with you in the pursuit of a common cause. It would be easier to get along well and to create a good relationship by sharing common love for animals. In addition to this you can also build friendships with animals and even adopt one.
List of different welfare organisation in Europe;
Bulgaria https://twitchynoses.org/
Croatia https://www.prijatelji-zivotinja.hr/index.en.php
Finland https://animalia.fi/
Ireland https://www.assisi-ni.org/
United Kingdom https://www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk/
Germany https://www.tierschutzbund.de/
Italy http://www.enpa.it/
