European Animal Welfare

Rocky- A New Addition

debbiegreen@gmx.net (Debbie) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 21:49:24 GMT

Rocky, a cocker spaniel, is the latest addition to my own menagerie, he has been living with me for around 4 months now.

Here in the North of Spain, the winters can be quite cold, and I first saw Rocky running along the side of a dangerous main road around Christmas time. It was around 7pm on a cold dark rainy night.

I was in the middle of thundering rush hour traffic and there was no way I could stop. When I did eventually manage to turn round to try to approach him, he had disappeared, or it was just too dark with poor visability to see him. I went home praying that he had known where he was going and could find his way home.

The following day I caught sight of him again- still on the main road. He was about a mile from where I had seen him the previous night. This time I was able to pull over, but as soon as he saw me he bolted into the oncoming traffic which by a miracle missed him and ran into an area where there is housing, away from the horribly busy main road. I searched the area for over an hour but did not catch sight of him again.

I could only hope one of the house owners would see him, and realise that he was lost. However, there are many lost and abandoned dogs in this area, and most homeowners do not react at all other than yelling and hitting out at the dogs. My only hope was as he is obviously a breed as opposed to a mixed breed mongrel that he might get lucky.

The following day, I caught sight of him again. Again a three hour search ensued with no luck.

On day five, I got lucky. I was heading off the main road to a friend's house and Rocky was just coming in the other direction but fortunately was still on a side street without passing cars. He was bedraggled, wet dirty and obviously starving. He came to sniff the food I held out to him, and I was able to slip a collar round his neck.

I subsequently discovered, due to a microchip that he is six years old and had belonged to a Spanish man and his wife who lived in a seaside town 20 miles from where I had picked him up. The man had died, and his wife was unwilling to care for the dog. Five months earlier she had given him to a couple who already had two other dogs although she 'had her doubts'. I do not know how Rocky had come to be on that stretch of road, but my guess is he was dumped there. He was filthy and covered with fleas, which did not just appear over the five days he had been wandering on the road.

He was very traumatised and had an exceptionally sad dull look in his eyes, however I am pleased to report he has now cheered up no end, and loves his daily walk with the other seven dogs in my care.

He eats very well, and shows few signs of the trauma he has endured in his the last year. I believe prior to his master's death he was well looked after.

The Refuge

debbiegreen@gmx.net (Debbie) — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 21:32:14 GMT

Frustrated barking greets you
Have you come to chose me?
Oh how many beautiful animals need a home so desperately.
Cats, purebred dogs and mongrels
Fill compounds as far as the eye can see.
They will never find love in Spain,
It is up to you and me.
Some have been there several years,
Some give up, lie quietly
Others jump up, frantically.
Some are ill,
Money is scarce
The vet will see who needs him most.
Three hundred dogs to treat and feed,
Eight hundred cats, can you believe?
With trusting eyes just waiting for
A life with some normality.
A caring owner, proper food,
Two walks a day, that would be good.
They don't ask much, they don't expect,
They've never known man's respect.
Some we can save and some we must leave
And be thankful that through people like you
We have given a new life to more than a few
Dogs and cats, all now happy and free
From their anguished lives of misery.

Another Toby

debbiegreen@gmx.net (Debbie) — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 17:52:44 GMT

Nearly a year ago, Jo from Essex wrote to us, explaining how she had recently lost her dog Ben, after having him for 17 years. She was wondering about the possibility of rescuing one of our Spanish strays.

Luckily, there were a few dogs ready to travel, one of them being Toby, who had arrived at the Tossa de Mar refuge from another refuge, which is most likely to have been the Town Hall Dog Pound, also in Tossa. Toby arrived with his brother, Willy. He was nervous and wayward, and nobody could get near him.

He went to live with Jo, her son Shaun and daughter Shannen in April, 2007.

For the first six months he did not even bark, but now he will when someone is at the door.

His hobby is eating, he loves food especially pasta, potatoes and dog chews.

Jo and family visited the refuge in Tossa last August, and were able to meet Toby's brother Willy. There was talk of Willy going to join Toby in Essex, I will have to ask for an update on that.

Below is a picture of Toby and Shannen taken a few months after he arrived in the UK at his dog training class.

Toby was made a fuss of at the class because he was Spanish!

Toby gets comfortable with Jo

Toby- The Puppy who was Left to Drown

debbiegreen@gmx.net (Debbie) — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 19:39:42 GMT

I have so many pictures of animals we have rescued over the years, I decided it is about time to post some of them.

I found this little dog when he was about 10 days old- I am not sure of the date, but believe it was around January, 2003.
He had been thrown into a lake and left to drown along with his sister. I was out walking my dogs by the lake, when I heard the puppies screaming from the other end. I ran as fast as I could, and found the two tiny puppies washed up in the on the bank. They were still half in the water and crying for their lives. It was also the middle of the winter, and freezing cold.

There was another puppy that had already drowned. I was able to get Toby and his sister out, and quickly got them home and onto an electric blanket. They were old enough to suck from a bottle and for a while it seemed they would survive.

I was working long shifts in a bar at the time, and had to carry the dogs into work in a bag to feed them every few hours. Luckily Kate came to Spain a few days later and she was able to take over the care of the puppies.

After a few weeks they began to gain strength and we thought they would survive- but unfortunately it was not to be.

Toby and his sister began having fits about a month after they had been found, and also started 'fading'. This would inevitably happen in the middle of the night- Kate would have to rush them to the emergency vet who would revive them.

One night Toby's sister had a severe fit and died.

Toby however, bit by bit, gained strength and eventually was able to travel to the UK. Kate decided to keep him.

He appeared healthy, and was a very loving, fun dog. He loved all people and other animals, and was a pleasure to be with. He adored to play with his friend Lucas, who was around the same age, they would run and chase balls together for hours.

When Toby reached a year old, the fits started again.

They began sporadically, he had one or two, and the vet commenced tests and prescribed some medication.

However he quickly worsened, he began having fits on a daily basis, and then two or three times a day.

He was shaken, nervous and traumatised after each fit- he lost his appetite and no longer had any interest in his walks.

The vets did not know what was causing the fits and could only put it down to the near drowning so soon after his birth.

Very soon it became obvious that apart from the fits, Toby also had a lot of pain, he would cry and rub his poor head with his paws. The vets could offer no solution, and Kate had to come to the agonising decision that is would probably be kinder to put him to sleep.

I no longer walk by that lake- due to I now more dogs to walk, and it is not a suitable place to walk many due to the Spanish people's intolerance of animals in public. Sometimes I think of Toby, and hope to God there are not more like him, thrown to drown in icy cold water because someone was too mean to pay for their dog to be spayed, and could not be bothered to subsequently search for homes.

Berba Having Fun

debbiegreen@gmx.net (Debbie) — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 20:22:30 GMT

Steven, the new owner of Berba, (Mary) has been as good as his word and sent some pictures of her enjoying her first days at her new home.

She appears to have settled in remarkably well. I do hope Joseph is coping without her too- hopefully I will speak to Kate over the next few days and have an update on him too.

In the park near Steven's home

She looks like she loves that new bed!

Joseph and Mary go to their New Homes

debbiegreen@gmx.net (Debbie) — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 21:12:31 GMT

Yesterday was the day Joseph and Mary finally left the quarantine kennels after three months to go to their new homes.

Unfortunately we were not able to home them together, Mary now named Berba has gone to live with Steven in London, and Joseph has gone to a home in the country with Dee and his family.

I do not have an update on Joseph yet, but Steven wrote to let us know that Mary is settling in very well considering it was her first day. It seems she was well behaved and appeared comfortble which is quite amazing when you realise she has probably never been indoors in her life.

We were very lucky to get two such good homes- it is difficult to home the larger male dogs such as Joseph.

Steven will be sending pictures of Berba in the near future.

If you think you would be able to give one of our Spanish Strays a home in the future, please call Kate on 07910531909.