I was going to see the Bad Bunny concert in Puerto Rico, when a friend sent me a post about Faro de los Animales - an animal shelter in need of volunteers. It's located in a rural area of the island, so I Ubered to the shelter.

At Faro de los Animales, we take care of stray dogs and cats in Puerto Rico. After Hurricane Maria, the stray animal population exploded. Many people abandoned their pets due to cost of living increases, destruction of property, or because they had to leave the island and couldn't take them along. Now, Puerto Rico is starting to learn more about TNR (Trap, Neuter, Release), which is helpful in controlling stray animal populations.

Places like Faro de los Animales help give stray dogs and cats second chances. I was happy to volunteer and get to spend time with these animals- we walked the dogs, cleaned the cages, cleaned the dogs' ears, and spent the whole day with them. But, there were very few volunteers helping the shelter. Faro de Los Animales is a great organization, and it needs more volunteers.

At the shelter, they take very good care of the animals, getting to know their personalities, and giving them the resources they need.

Now that I've volunteered once, I'd love to go back and bring my friends next time.