“Are you, um…?”

“Yeah. Are you, ah…?”

No matter how hard the work, happy tails and a fantastic smile make it all worthwhile. (Nola Lee Kelsey)

One by one strangers arrive—nurses, travel writers, CEOs. Each one pours into a taxi outside Chiang Mai, Thailand’s sleepiest of international airports. Past golden wat temples and fragrant food carts they journey, making their way to my writer’s hermitage southwest of the city. They arrive during all seasons and for varying lengths of time, but their mission is the same.

What brought them so far? Have they traveled halfway around the world for the joy of my temperamental personality or the questionable comfort of the frameless mattress adorning my guest room floor?

Alas, they have not. They have come here for dirt, for physical exhaustion, for drool, and for unyielding love. They have come for dogs.

A Mission for Travel

Many are serial volunteers, returning with disturbing frequency. Born from every walk of life, each turns up at my home to utilize a guest room and my haphazard guidance while volunteering with Care for Dogs Foundation, an animal shelter and rescue group tucked away among the rice paddies near my home. I, their hostess, never cease to marvel at the tales these philanthropic travelers serve up over morning coffee.

“I participated in a total of six healthcare projects with four organizations and made repeat visits to Cambodia and Peru,” says Barb Hautanen of Fargo, North Dakota. “Then, after teaching HIV/AIDs education in Tanzania, I went on a safari and when I saw the lions, elephants and much more, a light bulb in my head went on. I said, ‘I want to work with animals!’ The switch to animals has been good for me because it is so different from my nursing career.”

This month Hautanen is preparing for her third visit to Care for Dogs, followed promptly by a trip to Animal SOS in Sri Lanka.

The Rise of Animal-Related Working Holidays

A volunteer gives a much needed medical shampooing to a reluctant shaggy dog at Care for Dogs in Chiang Mai, Thailand. (Nola Lee Kelsey)

For those of us in the media, it is now old news that volunteer travel is among the fastest growing segments of the 89 billion dollar adventure travel industry.

This explosion of growth has opened up a dizzying array of give-back opportunities for travelers to choose from. Of course, there are the old standards: building, teaching, and archeology. But there are also some modern twists: music production for at-risk youth in East Africa, bringing solar power to isolated communities in Central America, and even teaching tennis to the blind in Japan.

Animals, most notably wildlife, have found their own place within this booming market, benefiting from tourism dollars. From organizations such as Earthwatch, the granddaddy of field study volunteering, to the lean and edgy Biosphere Expeditions, zoological research programs are reaping the rewards of voluntourism’s stratospheric rise.

Fees charged not only secure travelers’ personal accommodations, meals, and transportation throughout their trip, but also support scientific research, pay staff, and finance equipment, all while bringing in extra eyes and hands to collect data in the field.

Wildlife and domestic animal rescues are also increasingly reaping the benefits of this voluntary niche. In Indonesia, the fledgling Tasikoki Wildlife Rescue is funded almost entirely by short-term volunteers. On Caye Caulker in Belize, P.A.W. Cat Sanctuary and Humane Society founder Madi Collins’ main source of hands-on help comes from the assistance of the occasional traveling volunteer.

“I am right in the center of town within walking distance from everything. Volunteers usually help two hours early in the morning and two hours in the afternoon so there is plenty of time to enjoy the island,” says Collins, who charges $100 per week to volunteers, but provides them accommodations in a small cabana on the beach, while utilizing the money for the care of the animals.

From Hand to Paws

It is little wonder that shelter and animal rescue volunteering is increasing in popularity. The diversity of work and the generally small size of the organizations accommodates a wide variety of travelers. Be it wildlife or domestic, most any animal lover can clean an enclosure, prepare food, or bottle-feed orphans. But there is always more to do for those who want it.

“I am desperate to have volunteers that know a little bit of carpentry,” says Collins. “I never turn anyone away. I feel like everyone has something to offer and welcome anyone who can help in anyway.”

Temple dogs at Wat Chedi Luang in Chiang Mai move toward the front gate at the same time each evening where a they will be fed rice with a bit of boiled meat. (Nola Lee Kelsey)

Diversity of opportunities is true at most rescues. Education programs, veterinary care, construction, fundraising, these skills are all always coveted. Apparently, it takes a village to rescue an animal.

Fortunately, working holidays with animals can often be done on a shoestring. Wildlife rescues usually charge fees, but the costs are often nominal when compared with other volunteer opportunities, and their need for rural locations forces many to include accommodations.

Domestic shelters are notoriously budget-friendly and often fee-free. Shelters rarely provide meals or accommodations; however, they offer more flexible work schedules and are a great option for independent travelers mixing in a bit of local tourism throughout their stay.

Ultimately, uniting travelers and local people in any common cause facilitates a more complete immersion into a culture. And animals, especially dogs and cats, offer people a sense of familiarity within a strange new world. That comfort, unconditional love, and an instant sense of the good being done keep those serial volunteers coming back for more.

As I wait in the arrival area of Chiang Mai Airport for the next victim of my hospitality, I often wonder about their story. How did they first discover the fuzzy side of voluntourism? What tales will they tell?

In the end, however, it makes no difference to dogs in need. For them, the kindness of a traveling stranger is simpler—it is joy.

Nola Lee Kelsey is the supply chain columnist for the VolunTourist Newsletter, the author of “700 Places to Volunteer Before You Die: A Traveler’s Guide,” and she also penned the newly released “Animal Addict’s Guide to Global Volunteer Travel.” www.NolaKelsey.com