5 doggies...
A year ago a young English family came to Spain. Their dream came true. She was a teacher, he a photographer. They had two beautiful children and 5 doggies, 5 spring spaniels, a dynamic family with a dynamic future,…. At least that is what they thought…
A year later,…the young family was cheated on and conned, ripped off and emotionally drained… no more money, no job, no opportunities… To fix the damage done, the father flew over early September to the UK, to look for a job and to rescue what could be rescued… to pay for the return tickets of his family and his dogs…
The mother stayed behind with the 2 children en 5 dogs, hoping for a solution so everybody could go back safely home, to England…
On the contrary,…
31st of October, a young woman, pale with red eyes stands with her 2 kids and 5 doggies in front of me, … very difficult to understand because of the crying, she begs us to save her dogs. She looks grey and besides herself, she does not know what to do anymore, the tears roll down her face…
The dogs do not know what is happening, a bag with food, their leashes, theirs toys, everything is there… The desperate woman looks at me with so much grief and sadness, this is not an act, this is real, from the heart…
We take the dogs and promise to take good care of them…
We end up crying all together, this is just too sad…
Slowly the mum walks away with her little children, physically and emotionally spent, she looks back one more time. The little kids cannot be comforted, they do not want to leave their dogs behind,… they do not understand, nor do the five dogs, their world collapses.
What can you do? The suffering of human kind and of the animals always touches you. You do not wish this upon anyone. Faith has decided.
Because of this we received Ed, Bagel, Sparky, Moppie and Belle, from a warm basket to a cold cage. No matter how hard we try to comfort them, their world has collapsed. Their look is sad, they don’t understand why…
Each of them deserves a golden basket, these cuties are so used to a nice warm home, they did not deserve this.
You can wonder how is this possible? They should have foreseen this, but in life you never know. Never say never…
The young family which came 1 year ago to Spain full of dreams and expectations is today a wreck… unfortunately these 4 sweethearts are victims too, and like this, every day this goes on and on…
This is one of the stories which we see every day, every abandoned animal has its own story, had an own life…wherever that might have been…
The enormous return of the English to their country, causes every day so many dumpings…Most of them do not have a problem with it and dump the pets quickly before they go to the airport, they put them quickly outside together with the last piece of trash,… but others did not want it to happen in this way….
CRY FOR THEM ANDALUSIA
Today 20th of October, the day started busy, this morning I brought 2 of our volunteers together with Adam and Nymfa, 2 kittens successfully operated, to the airport. Other volunteers took some doggies with them as well.
Everything goes well and after the flights I go together with Kerry, our new work force to Cartama killing station, determined I want to save lives….
When I arrive in the killing station it is very busy, full cars arrive and leave empty, dogs are being let out of the car and forced immediately in the killing room…
The crying and the mortal fear go through your bones. Men come and go, with big sticks with hooks to fetch the dogs by the throat from a distance … enabling them to do their work with force without being bitten… it our men with glazy eyes, no emotion no humanity….The podencos watch you, they are being slaughtered here in large numbers.
Quietly at the side we saw with horror what was happening …helpless en hoping for a miracle we could save the animals… but nothing is further from the truth…
We were seen and chased away…they did not want us to watch it… this was their power, their world, their killing and their obligation to the Spanish government… no sterilization plan, not thinking why every year thousands of dogs are being killed, not thinking if it is normal that the oven is working day and night, every minute…
People don’t think here, they do not feel, here it is killing time, day and night by those men wit their cold glazy eyes… in assignment of the Spanish government.
Further on we discover another horror. All the puppies who enter the killing station sit together on a small piece of land, 4m by 4m, the very little ones with the big ones, it does not matter…
Some are almost dead, others look sad and scared. All of the sudden we see that other puppies eat from a dead little body…
When we saw that we screamed and raged: enough is enough…
Half of the little dead body was already eaten; eventually they took it away… The puppies immediately attacked the most little one… to kill it, to eat it..
Luckily we could save this one… Finally some biscuits were thrown in the corner…
All the puppies ran to the biscuits… they were starving and so hungry they ate the ground around it together with the biscuits… They ate each other because they were starving..
It is so unlikely but true… 15 puppies we took with us. We did not have a lot of space, but we tried to take as much as possible…most of them are sick are almost dead, but at least they will die in a dignified way.
They were put on this world to live, not to be dumped in this way and then to be killed in the most horrible way…
Are we truly living in 2008??? Is this Europe? Once again is this a country with culture and moral?? For me this is hard to believe.. It is barbaric, sadistic, cruel and inhuman…
What we have witnessed today makes you disgusted… I cannot express this with any words…
We came back with an overloaded car full with life, they are our new projects…
When they arrived in the refugio, they could all run, eat, drink, cuddle and be crazy..
You saw the change in their little faces.. No matter how sick or hungry they were, they were rescued and they knew it, they smelt no longer death but life, to which they were entitled.
The big sick mastian female, skinny and very undernourished, but frolicking, dancing because she was so lucky, she licked the vet up to heaven as she was so grateful for her first biscuit, for her first help and treatment…
The 2 galgos, spurting over the refugio area, jumping, waggling their tale as they are so happy.
The little cocker, the handsome street dog, the tough beagle and the many puppies… they are saved now... But your heart hurts when you think about the many doggies you needed to leave behind, their suffering, the way they looked… it leaves a stain in your mind, you can not let it go, it changes you… Kerry our new work force could not believe what she saw…very few people can understand us, but if you see and feel it like we did, only then you can judge and know what happens here every day…
This country is the horror for every animal… words cannot describe it…no rights no dignity, no significance… no guaranty for life…
When will they listen to our calls for help?? When will someone listen to the dogs crying for help in the killing station… When will someone free them from this horrible practices, which happen here year after year … which is normal here, which is the law…
Fabienne
Old Podenco
In September I received a phone call from an old man, a real Andalusian.
He was a hunter and had seen passing many podencos during his life…
He told me that it was normal practice that after hunting he hung up the animals which were too weak or he shot them. It has always been like that. However, with Phil he had difficulties, 10 long years he had worked for him, hundred little puppies were made by him, he went through a horrible life…
Proud as a peacock he asked if it was possible if we could take Phil. He did have difficulties to pull the trigger with this one or to hang him up. In one way or the other Phil was his favorite and because he had heard that we take as well the old trash, that’s how he said it, he asked if we could take Phil.
Completely disgusted and agree immediately I let the old man come with his old podenco…
When I saw them, they were completely as I had imagined them… A typical kadeto, rough and unshaved, emotionless… and next to him an old podenco, calm and faithful, waiting at the side of his boss, wondering what the boss wanted to do with him, no emotion, no tail waggling, eyes tired of being used, his body fragile and underweight.
That is how Phil arrived at us… and now he is lying better than ever in a basket with us, enjoying the sun. He is not used being fed every day… He sees everything with is old gentle eyes, never has he been taking care off, never has he been cuddled…
A new world opens for him on his old day… now laying somewhere warm and being beloved, so he could enjoy at least a little while from this short life…
Jefke was too old
Day after day a few doggies come in, some go quickly, others stay for a while, but those who touch you the most are the sick and the old ones. Little Jefke sat with his back towards us, shaking in his little cage… When we went closer we saw he had an enormous wound at the bottom of his back. He had pain and did not understand why this has happened to him… this was his life, dumped.. nobody wanted to spend any longer money on him, nobody wanted to do any effort for him… His owner thought the killing station was good to end up in…
Jefke tried to bite us a lot, slowly and carefully we could take him with us in a little blanket. The whole way back we talked to him and cuddled him. Bit by bit he became more happy. But the pain… we could not take it away from him… he had fever and was sick, he felt so miserable but still grateful that we took him with us and cherished him, although it was just for a little moment…The vet decided that little Jefke would not improve anymore and it was time to let him go… It was the best for him.
Moments like this make you think, a little doggie that should have been for years your little sweetheart, how can you dump it like a piece of trash? How can people steep so low? Don’t they have a heart?
If I watch my own oldies, our old grumpy Honey, Siebe who is snoring all the time, yes they have their little problems, yes they can be moody… but for no money in the world I would leave them in the cold or dump them in a killing station.
So many oldies with us, so many dogs who have been someone’s companion for a life time,…giving up and sad, thinking about before , holding on to that thought, that their owner might come by and take them back, and then they give up and realize this is the end… our oldies,… they deserved so much better…
Popov
The economy is going bad and that means here in Andalusia the mass dumping of dogs and cats. Most killing stations have a huge turnover, killing and killing, every dog means money. The Spanish families dump their puppies in the bin bags, on the street or at a rope on our gate. Many of them end in the “perreras” ….
Even the bad breeders start dumping their animals, their dogs are no longer sold and then,… if these poor cuties are lucky, they end up with us, in any condition. I do not have any words to describe my disgust for this kind of humans. Although with anger, you welcome every animal in need.
For example this week arrived, “we do not ask ourselves questions”, 4 basset doggies, 1 beagle breeding bitch. Each of them was so frightened, they have never before been cuddled, and they did not know the touch of a human hand. For months they have been waiting for a new boss, but he/she didn’t come, their little cage made them weak and miserable. Now they became too big, so lets get rid of them….
Popov is one of them, a little shy boy, who did not learn to know anything or anyone, his back legs are weak and his sphincter has never been developed. He did not know the gentle touch of a hand, nor a garden, house or a car, nothing. Together with his other fellow sufferers, a new world went open for them, the day they arrived at our Refugio…
Little Popov is the most unlucky dog, his little feet are malformed as he needed to stay way to long in a too small cage. Someone who has a lot of time and patience and wants to fight for this little fellow, is always welcome. Little Popov cannot control his calls of nature, so it is important that people know this. We are trying to improve this area. However his character is extremely beautiful, a little shy timid rascal. He loves to play with other dogs. Bit by bit he starts approaching us, slowly he start to discover love and comfort. Sometimes he comes towards me and gives me little nips in the hand, very special, and then he runs away very fast and comes back again…
Slowly, we are getting there.
Together with Popov, the following dogs came in as well: Farah and Romeo, Charly and Chula. Charly is one of the most funniest bassets I have ever seen, he feet are comically big, I am sure he will never step on his ears,… All of them are still frightened, but every day we make a little bit of progress. I am pretty sure they will end up fine, as they start to like their new life already,….
Podenco dumped..
Again and again and again........ again another Podenco dumped. I know we have so many of them. But how can we ignore them, let them suffer when they cross out path. Look at this poor little one... she does not make eyecontact, pushes her body away hoping you will leave, that you will not hurt her. The fear, the memories, the humiliation, the mankind, a person, why would she trust those people ...would she trust us..... a little mouse full of thicks and other parasites trying to survive.
Be invited little poco o poco, maybe a warm soft basket for you in the future. A loving home where you will be cared and charished and will learn to wag your tail again when you are pleased with your new life and your own loving family.
Historia de Señor
A Señor lo tenian para la caza mayor, pero como siempre el supuesto dueño de señor como tantos cazadores una vez que ya no les sirven los avandonan a su suerte. Esta gente (los cazadores) suelen tener muchos perros y a las mamas las tienen siempre pariendo, y los que a ellos no les gustan pues tienen un final muy tragico y doloroso ya que los avandonan siendo cachorros que no saben defenderse y acaban tragicamente muy mal. Señor por suerte o por mala suerte fue erido por un javalí, y su erida fue tan grave que lo dejo sangrandose en el campo e indefenso ante los peligros que ello conlleva. Su erida fue en la pata trasera se la abrio de tal manera que se le veia el hueso. La suerte de señor fue un chabal que pasaba por alli y se apiado de el. El muchacho no tenia recursos para llevarlo al veterinario pero le intento coser la enorme erida con hilo y una aguja de coser. El muchacho lo tuvo con el y a su manera consigio que la erida no se le cangrenara aunque tenia una severa infección.
Un dia pasando por la carretera donde yo vivo, se alerto de los ladridos de mis perros y me pidio por favor que me quedara con el, ya que el tenia que ir a Malaga y hiva haciendo autoestop. Yo no pude negarme pues se le llenaron los ojos de lagrimas cuando le dije que si. Entonces fue cuando el me conto esta historia y me pidio por favor que lo cuidara mucho porque Señor era un perro muy especial.
Yo lo lleve a la clinica veterinaria y su erida todavia avierta e infectada se fue curando con el tiempo. El muchacho tenia razon, señor es un perro muy especial es muy cariñoso y cualquiera que aprecie a los animales podia ver sus ojos lleno de noblesa y de cariño a pensar de todo cuanto avia sufrido. Ahora el es feliz pero necesita una familia que lo quiera ya que tiene mucho amor para dar. Es toda elegancia y como su nombre indica es todo un señor perro digno de ser amado y mimado por cualquier persona con buen corazon.
No se puede describir todo el sufrimiento que puede llegar a sentir un animal con tampocas palabras pero espero que sea recompensado algun dia por lo que son todos.
gracias.
Tok Tok
TOK TOK, a little dog, just a year or so, was hit by a car. He crawled to the roadside where he lay for hours and hours without movement. No human did care to look.
He could not walk, just cry in silence as it hurt so much, crying for help that came way too late but finally he was picked up and brought in to a clinic by the police. His paw is broken in many places and his body is totally bruised…. As by miracle he kept on fighting for his life and now we are fighting with him. After an emergency surgery he is now outside the danger zone. But of course he has a long road to go to total recovery. Not with his boss at his side, he probably did not care as there came no sign anyone was missing him, searching him, worrying about him. TokTok probably is forgotten as if he never had existed.
At our home Toktok is an happy bird, sweet and social with cat and dog. Very brave and patiently waiting till all those bandages can be taken off. Then he will be able to fully enjoy life, surrounded by people who love him and cuddle him. People who adore him and can not imagine having to miss him. People who will care and protect him; today, tomorrow and the rest of his life. TokTok deserves the very best.
While writing these lines Toktok is laying at my lap. One big plastered leg and the most graceful loyal eyes. One deep breath as he knows, understands , little fellow, everything will be alright, for you it in the end all will become a happy ending.
Vicky
Fabiënne´s Diary 
