Volunteering Policies

We welcome and encourage people to join us in volunteer activities, as we cannot afford to have any employees at this time, so all care, cleaning, feeding, and building is done by volunteers. There are many areas to help in, and we eagerly accept friends who wish to join us. Every weekend there are events! As you prepare for coming to volunteer, please keep in mind the following policies that we ask everyone to keep while at BAPS.

We especially need people who can help in areas related to dog grooming, construction, landscaping, public relations, and organizing community outreach projects. Another area that you can volunteer is by providing temporary foster homes to animals in particular need of care and love.

VOLUNTEERING POLICIES

Thanks for wanting to volunteer at the Busan Abandoned Pet Sanctuary, we appreciate all the help we get!




PERSONAL INFORMATION

If you wish to volunteer at BAPS we require some basic personal information. Usually this can be done by “friending” an administrator on Facebook. This will allow us to get in touch with you, communicate, and know a little about each other.

When registering for a volunteer event, EVERY person in your group must register individually with their Facebook account. You may NOT say: my two friends are coming with me.

Please do not bring your personal pets to BAPS Volunteer days.

AGE

You must be at least 15 years old to volunteer (western age). This means children born in 1996 and after cannot come.  Children 15-18 must be pre-approved by the management and have written parent’s permission.  They also must complete a 4 week training period before they are allowed to handle the dogs.

This policy is due to the Korean Government Law that states "if a dog bites a human, the dog must be euthanized if ANYONE demands it."   This means if there is an accident, and one of our dogs bites a child, any parent or grandparent can force our dog to be euthanized. We love and protect our dogs, and we do not want to risk our dog's lives.

Eligible children over 15 must come with their parents, and permission must be obtained beforehand from the administration before EACH visit.  Only a child’s actual parents may bring them. Each child should have at least ONE parent. Parents should supervise their children at all times, and prevent them from behaving in a way that disturbs the dogs or others volunteers.

Special animal education activities involving school classes, groups of children, or school projects may be requested, and will be provided. A donation to BAPS is required for special activities.

NOTE: Children WILL be allowed to come if the purpose of the visit is choosing a dog for fostering or adopting, but they are restricted from direct animal contact while on the facility.


DOG HANDLING

We ask everyone to exercise caution and respect to the animals at all times. Please keep safety in mind.

-Do not open a cage by yourself.

-Do not lift the dogs by the legs, head, or tail. Ask for help if you are unsure how to carry them.

-Always keep a harness/collar and leash on dogs who are in the open

-Do not allow dogs to walk through the shelter cage area- Even if they are leashed!

-Do not attempt to touch or take out of the cage a dog that does not come to you when called.

-Do not hit the dogs

-Do not let dogs sniff each other outside of cages. Keep them apart to prevent fights.

- Please treat the dogs with respect. Do not annoy them, tease them with treats, or spray them with water.

-Please follow the directions given by more experienced handlers.

-If a fight breaks out, try to separate the animals by pulling the leash. Do not try to touch them.



DRESS CODE


-The shelter can be a messy place. Bring clothes you don’t mind getting dirty or damaged.

-If you are walking dogs, it is advised wear shoes (not sandals). We also have a number of rubber boots available.

-No skirts, hoop earring, necklaces, or high heel shoes

-Bringing a spare set of clothes is recommended on rainy days.

-In winter, dress warm. There is no heating available.


PRIVACY

At BAPS we keep our location a closely guarded secret. Unfortunately, in Korea, shelters that have made their address public receive large numbers of unwanted dogs by mail or delivery service, and often find dogs dropped off at the front door.

For this reason, we ask that when you are entrusted with our location, you do not disclose it to people outside of the Facebook BAPS community.


INTER-PERSONAL BEHAVIOR

Every week we have a diverse group of people participating in volunteer events. We ask that everyone behave in a respectful manner to others.

-Smoking is not allowed at BAPS.




** A NOTE FOR OUR KOREAN FRIENDS **

We know that BAPS can provide an opportunity to meet people form other countries. We support building the community, and encourage positive relations between Koreans and expats. We welcome all Koreans who have a genuine interest in caring for dogs.

However, please be aware that volunteering at BAPS means your primary purpose is to serve the dogs, not perform language practice. Please respect that many expats are language teachers Monday through Friday, and on Saturday they come to care for needy dogs, not provide English conversation classes. Do not spend excessive amounts of time with the “interview questions”: where are you from, what is you job,  do you like Korean food, etc..

On Saturday volunteer events, the language of communication is English, so we ask that participants have a good level of English conversation skill, as often there is need for immediate communicating for safety reasons.

Remember, the dogs are the focus on volunteering days. Other events may be scheduled for educating about dogs, confidence-building, and other human-centered activities. But on volunteer days we need to focus all our energy on caring for the dogs. Therefore, if you are afraid of dogs, or uncomfortable handling them, Saturday is not a good day for you to come, as volunteers are too busy to “baby-sit” or train people who are afraid of dealing with the dogs.

No experience is required, but volunteers should not be afraid of handling dogs at a close range!


TRASH

There is no public trash collection at BAPS, so we ask people to please take back  any trash you brought, such as bottles, cans, food wrappers, etc.


SAFETY LIABILITIES

By coming to BAPS you acknowledge that you are willfully putting yourself in a situation of risk, and take responsibility of that risk.

Our dogs are mostly friendly, and those that are known to bite have cage cards noting it. (always read the cage cards!) However, dogs can act in unpredictable behaviors when facing new situations, so we cannot guarantee your safety.

BAPS is not responsible for any injuries suffered while volunteering, traveling to and from BAPS, or any other activity related to volunteering.


OTHER POLICIES

There are countless issues that come up in the environment of the Sanctuary, so we ask that you follow the directions given by the staff and senior volunteers.


Thanks for the interest, and see you soon!




last revised: June 14, 2011