When Ola and I signed up to volunteer at a dog shelter in Vlora, Albania, we were ready for a bit of hard work—but it turned out to be more eye-opening than we ever imagined. The shelter was run by an incredible woman funding everything out of her own pocket, but with just two people managing about a hundred dogs, it was clear they were overwhelmed.

Most of our time was spent walking the dogs through the streets around the shelter. Unfortunately, there weren’t any green spaces for the dogs to enjoy. Instead, we were walking past piles of trash, ash from burned garbage, and chaotic streets. Back at the shelter, the dogs didn’t have it much better. They were often stressed and fighting with each other, so part of our job was breaking up those squabbles. It wasn’t always pretty, but we did what we could.

Lessons in Dog Care from Volunteering in Albania

The experience also showed us just how much work is needed when it comes to animal welfare. There were strays everywhere, and people weren’t exactly lining up to help. One evening, we saw stray dogs attacking a group of tiny kittens. Ola jumped in to break up the fight, and we found a local woman who could take the kittens in for the night. Sadly, one kitten didn’t survive, and even though Ola brought food the next day, there wasn’t much more we could do. There’s just no infrastructure to handle situations like that.

Despite the challenges, we learned so much. Seeing these animals survive in such tough conditions made us even more committed to what we’re doing now with our dog-sitting business. It reminded us why it’s so important to give animals a safe, loving environment where they can thrive. Experiences like this one, while hard at the time, have definitely shaped how we approach caring for animals and why we want to make a difference.

Still, Albania was a mixed bag, and it stood in stark contrast to our experience in Montenegro—where things were a lot smoother all around. But we’ll save that story for another blog post!

Of course, there were some bright spots during our trip. We loved exploring the canyons and charming towns like Berat. And while much of the country was rough around the edges, we did stumble across a few hidden gems, like a secluded beach near Vlora where we could actually relax and enjoy the natural beauty.