Hi friends, and thanks for stopping by to read Volunteering at Isla Animals: Living at an Animal Shelter in Cancun.
When I told people I was spending six weeks in Cancun, they probably pictured beaches, sunshine, and turquoise Caribbean water. The reality? I didn’t step foot on a beach once. Instead, I lived at an animal shelter and spent my time caring for dogs at Isla Animals.
Cancun was the last stop on my Great South American Adventure. But before that journey began I’d already made arrangements with the shelter to volunteer, roughly from late March to early May. I just hadn’t figured out all my stops at the time of the first contact.
By the time Black Friday sales rolled around, I saved a few bucks booking with Volaris and my arrival date in Cancun was March 25, 2026. Though it took me a couple more months to figure out my exit date from Cancun. I was just waiting for one of my regular housesitting clients to advise when she’d need me.
Arriving in Cancun
I’d just spent the last couple of weeks in Guatemala and I had a morning flight to Cancun. One of the ladies who puts in a lot of time at the shelter also works for a company that provides rides to/from the airport and she’d arranged for one of their drivers to pick me up.
Of course, when I got out, the driver, or at least a company rep, was not where I was told to meet them.
Ah yes, visions of my arrival in Guatemala all over again.
A couple of messages on WhatsApp and my driver appeared within minutes, so I didn’t have an overly long wait.
It was about a 25 minute drive from the airport to the shelter, and after I arrived I was shown to the volunteer’s apartment and my room. They were a little busy and just asked me to put away my stuff and relax and then I would get a tour and meet the dogs.
Volunteering life
The volunteers stay in an apartment on the second floor of the building that houses the shelter below. I had a private bedroom and there is another bedroom with 4 single beds. There is a bathroom with shower and a kitchen for the volunteers to share.
And in case of emergencies – there is a second bathroom downstairs adjacent to the surgery room.
Yes, there is a surgery at the shelter, which I’ve never seen at any other rescue I’ve volunteered at. Oh sure, they’ll have a room with first aid supplies and dog food, but nothing this advanced. A vet comes in twice a week to spay and neuter dogs. Or cats. Other surgery procedures may also take place here. Unfortunately two dogs had damaged legs that were amputated during my stay.
Our day begins at 8am feeding the dogs. There is a full time staff member who prepares the food during the week, and one of the full time residents prepares the food on weekends. After feeding the dogs, I got to work cleaning the puppy kennels. And some of them were pretty nasty. It was hot work under the hot Mexican sun.
Luckily the shelter provided bottles of Gatorade in the fridge for the volunteers. I’ve never been a sports drink person, but I was drinking the Gatorade during my stay there.
Usually a break from 11am or noonish until 3:30 when the dogs get fed again.
There’s a variety of work to be done, anything from sorting collars and leashes, to bathing dogs, to assisting with spay and neuters.
What about food?
There are no grocery shops or restaurants within walking distance of the shelter. There’s not even a bus stop within walking distance!
Fortunately, one of the full time volunteers has a car and makes frequent trips to Walmart, Costco, and other grocery stores and bakeries and drives us to these locations to stock up on food.
Let’s talk about water because we’ve all heard that tap water in Mexico isn’t safe to drink. There are water coolers in the volunteer apartment and the main house and bottled water is brought in that’s safe to drink. The dog water bowls are filled from the same bottled water – theirs just don’t go on a cooler. And I use “cooler” loosely. Dispenser is more accurate. The water coming out is not cool. I reused a juice bottle, filled it with water, and kept it in the fridge so I could have cool water.
Dog adoptions
During the time I was there quite a lot of dogs and puppies were being adopted and flown to Canada with their accompanying flight angels. I went along a lot on airport days as an extra pair of hands.
Why do so many dogs fly to Canada? Well, in 2025 the USA came up with stricter restrictions for dogs entering the country. Canada is a bit more relaxed. Isla Animals has partnered with dog rescues across Canada who take the dogs and find homes to adopt them.
Occasionally visitors come to the shelter, fall in love with a dog, and take it home.
Puppy love
I’m sure everyone is here just to see cute puppy pictures and videos. If you’re a subscriber to my YouTube channel, you would have seen a lot of videos I uploaded during my stay there. I have a few more dog photos for you to enjoy. And sadly for you, but good news for the dogs, most of these dogs have already been adopted.
I spent a lot of time with Rambo who was about three to four weeks old when I arrived at Isla Animals. Someone put him in a bag and hung him on the doorknob of a house. When the residents of the house found him, they contacted the shelter and they took him in. So Rambo ended up being one of the lucky dogs. During the day he was inside a portable fence and at night he went into a carry kennel.
He was all by himself but could see people walking past him and the older dogs in a nearby yard. He couldn’t be put in with the other puppies until his vaccines were up to date with the appropriate waiting period.
When one of the kennels upstairs near the volunteer apartment became free, Rambo was put in there. It was a larger space, but due to the walls he couldn’t see anyone. I tried to spend half an hour or so twice a day with him.
Pinky was another dog I spent a lot of time with.
She was a stray who had taken up residence at a school and I think was being fed there by kindhearted people. Someone on staff was not so kindhearted and turfed her out of the school grounds and kept the gate shut so she couldn’t get back in. Someone managed to get her to Isla Animals so she could start a new life. I have a feeling that Pinky was previously owned by someone and may have been a house dog. It’s unknown what her circumstances were before coming to the shelter.
Above photo with both Rambo and Pinky.
Rambo
Part of being a volunteer is getting to spend time with the dogs who need extra love. Rambo was not my kind of a dog, but he needed me. Sometimes as a pillow so he can feel safe going to sleep.
Little Rambo is starting to get bigger.
You can tell he wants my shoe by the way he’s eyeballing it above. In fact, he says these are the ugliest shoes he’s ever seen.
He prefers the shoe to the stuffed toy.
I’m sure Rambo is thinking: “Here’s what I really think about these ugly shoes.”
I know, I know. Probably not a good idea to let a puppy get the idea that’s it’s OK to chew on shoes – ha ha! The music is because these deck shoes come from the Margaritaville brand. I bought them at a second hand shop when I was in Guatemala knowing full well I was going to leave them behind at the dog shelter for future volunteers to use.
Check out the photo below. Rambo has now passed the quarantine period with his vaccines and can be introduced to the other puppies. He stayed in the run with these little cuties who were just slightly older than him.
And another look at the puppy kennel.
And yes, towels will be put inside the sleeping crates a little later. If we put the towels in during the day, the puppies use them as their toilet area.
Rambo is all tuckered out after playing with his new puppy pals.
Snuggle time with Rambo.
After Rambo was neutered, he was put back inside his former kennel so he wouldn’t get the stitches dirty rolling around in the dirt with his new pals.
One last Rambo video. Yup, even though he had toys with him, his preference was to play with shoes and Gatorade bottles.
OK. I lied. One more of Rambo. We all knew this little cutie would get snatched up fast. One week after I said goodbye to him, a flight angel accompanied him to a dog rescue in Vancouver, BC where he was put up for adoption. And three days later someone snapped him up. The new owners have the cutest puppy who’s going to become a great dog. The dog adoption agency gave Rambo a bath after he arrived and sent this photo – the last one I have of him, now a Canadian.
Aw, look at that face. We all love a happy ending.
Pinky
As mentioned above, Pinky was another dog I spent a lot of time with. She liked her alone time and would try to follow us through gates. I began taking her upstairs to the volunteer apartment so she could spend time with me – and she loved it.
Pinky really made herself at home on my bed.
If you’re wondering about the surgery shirt Pinky is wearing, it’s a real unfortunate story. In Mexico when dogs are spayed and neutered, the vet tattoos them to identify it’s a sterilized dog. And this is because there are so many street dogs who may be caught and brought in to a sterilization clinic one day. The tattoo avoids an unnecessary surgical procedure.
A vet came in to the shelter twice a week to do spay and neuters. This is both for dogs that live in the shelter, street dogs on a catch, sterilize, and release program, and low-income families who can’t afford to have the procedure done.
All dogs at Isla Animals are spayed or neutered before adoption.
I assisted in the surgery room, mostly in the recovery, cleaning up the dogs, nail trims and cleaning ears before they came out of the anaesthesia, so I was in the surgery the day Pinky was spayed. The vet opened her up and couldn’t find ovaries. More anaesthesia was given. Finally the verdict by the vet – Pinky had previously been spayed.
And then lots of cursing because this poor girl unnecessarily underwent the procedure. To make matters worse, Pinky had an allergic reaction to the stitches. To prevent licking, the surgical shirt was put on her. And to make matters even worse, Pinky had been scheduled on a flight out that had to be cancelled because of this reaction.
Pinky spent time with me during recovery.
Here’s another shot of Pinky in the volunteer apartment, in the other bedroom.
She got real used to coming up to the apartment that she would rush through the gate whenever anyone opened it, run up the stairs, and wait outside the door.
A day at the mall
One day we went to La Isla Mall in Cancun for an event. A company was holding a conference in Mexico and wanted to volunteer with a local charity as a team building event – and Isla Animals was chosen.
They were building pet crates, putting together grab bags for travelling dogs, and got snuggle time with puppies. We provided the puppies and three older dogs, including Pinky, came along to the event.
Assembly line.
Putting together flight packs.
Pinky!
Crate assembly.
Puppy snuggle time!
Pick me, pick me!
Pinky break dancing.
Pinky checking on the crate progress.
Puppy snuggles!
Pinky by the finished crates.
Puppy time!
At the shelter
Here’s more photos around the shelter of the dogs lucky enough to spend time here.
Here’s a dog who prefers to be on the crates instead of in them.
Aren’t I cute?
No, you’re not a lap dog!
This pot became a dog magnet. I’m not sure what doggie was digging for. The pot had dirt inside it but nothing growing there.
Doggie see, doggie do. Come on, Vagabond, get out of there!
What is it about a pot of dirt that attracts the white dogs? Well, I put a stop to that with a lid on the dog magnet.
Vagabond was a street dog that came in on the catch and neuter program. The organizers decided he’d be a good candidate for adoption so he stuck around. He couldn’t be put in with the other dogs until about a week after getting vaccinated and was kept in a temporary fenced area during the day and a crate at night. He wasn’t eating, which isn’t unusual for street dogs who take a few days to adjust. I brought him up to the apartment hoping he’d get hungry. That’s part of the volunteer kitchen behind him.
Vagabond lying in the hall.
Even though I put a blanket on the floor, street dogs aren’t used to that kind of luxury and he preferred the floor. For reference sake, the dorm room for volunteers is the closed door behind the dog’s head. The bathroom is straight ahead, and my bedroom is to the left down a short hall.
I put Vagabond up on my bed but he doesn’t look too thrilled. It’s probably his first time ever seeing a bed.
Eventually Vagabond realizes he can look out the window and see dogs in the yard below.
It didn’t take long for Vagabond to get used to the apartment. Even after he was put in with the other dogs, he’d do a Pinky and make a rush anytime opened the gate and run up the stairs to the apartment. And in case you’re wondering, Pinky had already gone to her new home in Canada by the time Vagabond arrived at the shelter.
Then there’s Pippa. She also enjoyed spending time in the apartment with me.
She’s looking outside. Maybe she wants to rejoin the rest of the dogs in the yard.
Pippa rolled around on the bed, eventually picking up my sports bra – and then tried to steal it! Ha ha!
Here’s a view of the dog shelter below the volunteer apartment.
Vaquito and Vagabond.
Happy to see me or do they just want a chance to run into the garden?
Travel day for some lucky puppies heading to their new life in Canada. These are the two ladies who run the shelter and coordinate the volunteers. This was a busy day with six dogs flying out. Wow! Afterwards we went to a vegan restaurant for a well deserved dinner.
Downtime
The two things I wanted to do while volunteering at Isla Animals was visit Chichen Itza and swim in a cenote.
One of the coordinators is friends with a man who has a taxi and arranged for him to drive me to Chichen Itza, so here are a few photos.
It was a hot day – normal for Chichen Itza. Most people don’t last much longer than 90 minutes or so on the grounds. I made it about two hours! But I’ve knocked another wonder of the world off the list. That makes 4/7. Which wonder will be #5 for me? Hmmm….
We’d been planning a trip to a cenote almost the entire time I was there, but it kept getting cancelled for one reason or another – usually a dog emergency. And then finally – with four days left before my flight out of there – we made it! A cenote called 7 Bocas (mouths). Sorry, the picture quality is not that great.
The part of the cenote gets full sunlight and is where we enter the water.
The photo below shows the underground cavern that we swam in which was pretty cool. Except for when the bats started flying around. Yikes!
And a few days later I said goodbye to Isla Animals. I loved my stay here. It is so rewarding making a difference in the lives of dogs who have escaped a life of suffering. Also, my presence gives the full time volunteers a little break.
I did my April recap from a yard inside the dog shelter. Check it out!
If you’re interested in volunteering and living at Oasis Animals, click here for more information for volunteers.
Departure day
I managed to get a good deal on a flight to Vancouver with United Airlines, that meant changing planes in Los Angeles and continuing with their partner airline, Air Canada. One way ticket cost me $509. That was half the price West Jet was charging for a non-stop one way flight. Well, I can handle a 3 hour layover if I’m going to save a few hundred bucks.
And oh yeah – this was a business class fare!
A little tip when choosing flights. I can normally only afford to fly economy but it doesn’t hurt to always check the price of business class which is usually at least triple the price. In this case it was $50 more so I snapped it up before it could go back to it’s regular price. Sometimes airlines drop the price on less popular routes for a few days to see if there’s any takers.
My ticket meant priority boarding. I’d be one of the first people on the plane.
It was an early flight, departing Cancun at 8am, which meant I had to be at the airport around 5am. As you can see the sun has not come up yet.
Anyway my boarding group is called, I go to the gate agent who scans my ticket and then sends me to see the two security officers who are standing at a table outside the jet bridge entrance.
Oh my god – they did a full security search of me. Body scan. Checked my daypack, looked in my fanny pack, had me take off my shoes, hat, and vest.
Meanwhile everyone else has boarded the plane and I’m like the last one onboard. So much for my priority boarding.
You’d think the security agents would have better luck doing a search of a suspicious looking younger person instead of a senior woman with no criminal history.
Getting back to the flight – it was a good one. I watched The Housemaid movie and got my vegetarian meal. Everyone else got pancakes and sausages for breakfast, and I’d have been fine with pancakes minus the sausages. Here’s what I got: vegetarian lasagne and salad. Yeah, pasta for breakfast.
Yes, that’s ginger ale I’m enjoying with my breakfast. The Ginger Ale Nazi only works for Air Transat.
We arrive at LAX around noon but are stuck sitting on the tarmac for about 30 minutes because another jet is still sitting at the gate where the pilot needs to park this one.
That 30 minutes was all the edge a flight from Hong Kong needed so 300 passengers got to passport control before our plane. There was only about 3 agents working. Yup an hour later it’s my turn and I’m there less than 30 seconds. The agent scans my passport and asks: “In transit?” I say yes. He returns my passport and away I go.
To the Maple Leaf Lounge that is. One of the upsides of flying business class with Air Canada is free access to the Maple Leaf Lounge and they have one at LAX.
I had a small amount of Bailey’s – needed it after that line up – and maybe about three chocolate chip cookies.
The flight to Vancouver is just over two hours long, and I got another vegetarian meal. Which looks surprisingly like my breakfast.
Even down to the ginger ale! I watched the movie The Descendants on the flight, because no matter how many times I’ve already seen it, it’s no hardship watching George Clooney wander all over Hawaii.
Another advantage to flying business class is that luggage gets marked priority. My bag was already on the carousel by the time I got there.
I have arrived back in British Columbia where more housesitting adventures await.
Thanks for tuning in today and I hope you enjoyed the puppy love pictures.
I also hope you’ve been enjoying the Saturday uploads to The Lifestyle Digs where I’ve been sharing my Great South American Adventure while they’re still fresh in my mind. I now return you to the regular Monday and Thursday postings.
xoxo
Published by Cheryl @ The Lifestyle Digs on August 22, 2026.
More reading:
