Wendy Welt Animal Shelter Farm (CHE-50)

Type: Environmental/Green Projects: Animals - Country: Switzerland

Brief description and main aims

Wendy Welt is an association that offers a loving and caring home to neglected, abandoned and retired animals (mostly livestock and farm animals). Currently, about 500 animals live on the shelter farm: cats, dogs, ponies, horses, donkeys, cows, guinea pigs, chicken, rabbits, turkeys, goats and sheep.

Main Activities

It is a shelter farm for neglected, retired and abandoned animals; the farm wants to offer a caring and loving home to these animals. It is important that the volunteer understands this philosophie and that the volunteer is prepared to get actively involved in it.

The animals are the focus at all times; their well-being is the highest priority. At the shelter farm, the animals are no longer livestock or farm animals, but family members and are treated accordingly. Apart from the care of the animals, Wendy-Welt offers horseback-riding lessons and camps to children. 

Volunteer tasks

Taking care of and feeding animals, cleaning farm enclosures and stables, bedding, mucking out, putting up fences, taking animals out to pasture, looking after and visiting animals on various pastures, minor repair work on farm enclosures and stables, working and helping on the shelter farm wherever needed.

Volunteer requirements / Skills

Integration into the team of (voluntary) co-workers on the shelter farm, as well as experience the holistic and sustainable philosophie of the shelter farm and its lifestyle.                                                                                                                                    

• Being flexible, patient, animal-friendly, understanding towards the animals: we offer a home to partly ill, old or imperfect animals.
• Skills at crafting and manual/artisan work are an advantage
• OK to get dirty and to be outdoors at all weather conditions
• Being perseverant, honest and motivated, a teamplayer

Location

The shelter farm is part of the Hagenfirst farm settlement in the northern part of Switzerland, close to the border wirth Germany. The farm settlement has about 25 inhabitants. The farm is deep in the slightly hilly countryside - the next busstop is 1.5 km away.

However, it is a 15-minute drive to train station of Döttingen and from there it takes only 45 minutes to get to the Zurich, the biggest city of Switzerland. The team on the Wendy-Welt Shelter Farm are happy to give the volunteer a ride to or do a pick-up from Döttingen station.

Hosting Situation (Board and Lodging)

Residential project (apartment-sharing community)

The volunteer has own room with simple but functional furnishings. All meals are offered by the project: the community sticks to a vegan diet and cooks vegan meals together. The volunteer is however welcome to cook own (non-vegan) food.

More Information

Number of volunteers in project: 1-2