Djuke, devoted till death do us part

This week was filled with ups and downs, with a lot of good moments, but also very sad moments.

A couple of our dogs died. The rain, the cold wind, the winter claims many victims.

Malawi, Mathilde, Malta, some puppies and many other dogs are fighting for their lives.

Djuke, one of the dogs who were left by an English family, died, full of grieve.

Together with his two companions he was dumped at our refugio. We did what we could, but Djuke could not handle his grieve. He did not want to be here with us, he wanted to return to his family.

No matter what we tried, he turned his head when we gave him food and water. He did not want to live anymore and finally died...

Rest in peace, dear Djuke...

Fabiënne, March 13

It can't be true, horror in Los Barrios

Yesterday, Sunday March 7...

The ongoing rain has brought Los Barrios, the terrrible death station, a drama. I can't find any words to describe this...

The river next to the horrible death station flooded, and help for many dogs came to late, many of them drown... A terrible death: their cages were filled with 1,5 metre water...

We could not reach Los Barrios before the afternoon. The whole station stould blank. There were 30 large dogs still alive, but very cold and soaking wet and muddy. They were very sad and without any courage.

Peter took some dogs with him, and we filled our car with the remaining 15. The station is empty now. Together with the people of Algeciras and the owner of the death station we evacuated all dogs. Tears and sadness, powerlessness and anger filled our hearts. We were not thinking about if we had any room for them in our refugio, no, this was something we had to do: saving them.

While we were evacuating we could only think of the people who dumped them in this death station. God, how can you do something like that...

The dogs are now save with us in our refugio. All of them are very tired of their struggle for life. Especially Pastor and Touch are very ill.

We will give them special care, we all are emotionally very tired, and are feeling guilty of the ones we could not reach in time...

It is really terrible, but now we have to take care for the ones who survived.

May our drowned devoted four-footers rest in peace...

Fabiënne

Molleke and Bolleke - part 2

Do you remember Molleke and Bolleke (see below, February 9)?

They are doing very well, and are now waiting for a warm and cosy family!

The evolution of our smallest puppies, found in a garbage container (see February 8)...

Fabiënne, March 3

A new week just started with new courage. The weather is a little better, except for the strong wind we have some dry periods, and that is what our waiting dogs really need.
We have some dogs that are losing courage, our Modesto is giving up now. He does not leave his basket anymore and stares at you with blank eyes. He lost his patience, the days go by while he thinks of his boss who ever loved him...
He has given up now, our sweet poor Modesto...

Zyan we saved from Los Barrios. He had also given up, just like Zappy he was thrown out of a car window and got serious injured. Zyan has had medical surgery and is now, except for his morality, getting better. He looks so sad at you, with his sweet innocent eyes...

Zappy, also thrown out of a car, at our doorstep...

Our Isabelleke also has a difficult period. Her neighbours have fighting cocks and they cause a huge flea nuisance. The poor lady does not know how to fight this anymore.
We try by all means to fight this, but with the cocks near her house, the garden is immediately adjacent, she loses the struggle, no matter how many products we use to combat the fleas.
We have find a way, so all suggestions are welcome, because we are at a loss...
Little Isabel would be tremendously grateful...

Fabiënne, March 1

Blue Monday February 22, 2010

The continuing rain, the sad dogs, the illnesses and the overloaded refugio; as if it is not enough "people" dump another 9 little creatures at our door.

Thrown wounded over the gate, tied to a garbage container, or, with seven of them, stuffed like sardines in one of òur lent cages.

All of them adorable dogs, all of them worth to care for. We curse, bite our teeth, make fists and arrange our refugio in order to make room for them. Otherwise only death at the 'perrera' rests for them.

A brown wounded dog, probably dumped out of a car, a cute rough haired Houdini, a worried mother with 5 cute puppies accompanied by a 6-8 months old cavalier (maybe her son from a former nest). The mother was panicked, worried about the future of her family.

When we gave her and her puppies some food, water and sweet little talk, she slowly came to us and licked us. When she saw everything was allright, she started to eat herself.

In the afternoon the sun began to shine a bit. Hopefully the future will be better...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7n__vqjSC4

Fabiënne

It's raining bulls...

We are overloaded with rain and storm, everybody is getting tired and depressive. The dogs, the people, it is a long winter. We will never give up the hope that the sun will shine tomorrow. In our refugio it is also raining bull terriers at the moment, we now have 4 of them. The crisis also hits them, but also bull terriers deserve a chance. Here they are:

Our Chino, very ill when she came in the refugio, but is now getting better

Safira was dumped in the death station of Malaga. A hardly one year old female dog that was beaten already. In the beginning she was very afraid, but now she is getting very cuddly and gets on well with people and other animals.

Dartacan, a dumped bull that already has been through a lot. Only 4 years old and dumped already...

Bomba, a puppy of 6-7 months old and not wanted anymore...

All dogs deserve a chance, also breeds that are not popular. It are the people who judge them. All of the dogs are born pure, it is us who are responsible what happens to them. It is a pity that "macho" people take these dogs just to show them off.

Such a shame, as bulls are adorable dogs, if only they are adopted by the right people.
 
Fabiënne, 22 februari

Another week full of rain and floods, and a lot of grieve among people and animals. Besides houses especially our refugio cannot handle this amount of rain and floods. We managed through it, but sadly enough it costs us a few dog lives: our old Zulu, our new Kinba, 16 little puppies... Our heart broke again and again when a few dogs did not survive, no matter how hard we tried to save their lives...

We should not look back, we must go on for all the dogs who count on us.

There is still so much to do, our few foster homes in Spain are full. We all are overloaded, but just to be able to save more lives and to protect them from this winter. But hopefully the sun will shine again soon...

I like to take this opportunity to bring one of our dogs under your special attention: CANDELA.

She has been too long in the refugio and she loses courage. She is old and not beautiful, but she deserves a warm family. Candela is from one of the horrible sheds of one of the horrible hunters, where she was chained day and night. She would love to find a warm, loving and cuddly home.

Candela, in the shed where we found her

Another week has gone, tomorrow is another day.
 
Fabiënne, February 20

Molleke & Bolleke
 
In January we found them in a cardboard box in a garbage container: 5 newborn puppies, hoping for a loving mummy who would guide them into this world. But then they were dumped instead, in a garbage container.

Three of them didn't make it, two of them were lucky.

Molleke and Bolleke are being bottle-fed by us, and are slowly becoming puppies with a future.

Follow their evolution:

day 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CMAPVYFiXY

And now they are discovering the world, they feel well and play like they should. Every now and then one of the older dogs corrects them, but that is how they will learn. It always is a big job to get them through, but it is always worth it! They are small and lovely little wonders...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7bpcEn9SeM

Fabiënne, February 9

Cold in the garbage container

One of them cried out loud: 5 puppies, the navel string still there, and they were very, very cold. They are bottle-fed now, let us hope they will make it.

Fabiënne, February 8

HELP US FIGHT FOR RIGHTS FOR ANIMALS IN SPAIN!!!

Hello everybody,

May we please ask you to read this message. May we please ask you to fight for the rights of animals in Spain. We have no time to waste!

El proyecto de Ley de reforma del Código Penal
http://www.congreso.es/public_oficiales/L9/CONG/BOCG/A/A_052-01.PDF
 
This is a Spanish text, as presented by the Spanish government. Despite all promises it does not contain any laws protecting animals against tortures.
We must proceed fighting for them and approach the government. We cannot allow this anymore...
 
¡¡ EL ÚLTIMO CARTUCHO POR EL CÓDIGO PENAL !!
  
PROTESTA (autorizada)
el  lunes 22 de febrero 
a las 9:30 (9 y 1/2) de la mañana
en la sede del PSOE  de Ferraz en Madrid
calle Ferraz nº 70, metro Argüelles

Fabiënne, February 7

Carmela

Who wants to take care of an unknown, never been loved, sweet black dog...

For years she lived at a chain. We were not allowed to take her with us, not even allowed to touch her. Until the moment she was there, lying in her own blood. Then it was that they wanted to get rid of her immediately.

Carmela was alive, was breathing, and watching us with dead tired eyes. Hold on little girl, we will take care of you, please don't give up...

At the hospital the vet discovered that she had been pregnant, and that there were still some dead puppies left in her womb. It almost took her life.

Now she is better, still very weak, but she is alive. She is quiet and very sad, because she knows that because she is black and about 6 years old, she will not be very popular. But: she is a very sweet and very thankful dog.

I will be so very happy when somebody comes to save you, somebody who will love you very much, take care of you. And you don't know it yet, Carmela, but we will see to it that you get a warm new family to take care of you. We want to see you happy, enjoying a walk in the forest and be loved so much....

Fabiënne

January 25

Snoes

Snoes is a young sharpei who lives in a killing station. He was dumped because of his skin problems. He is a happy en very friendly young fellow who hopes not to stay any longer in the killing station. It is really heartbreaking to hear him cry when we leave... He is young and wants to play and be happy! He doesn't understand at all why he has to live in a dark shed while he is so young...

Snoes deserves better. Who will help him out?

Dear all,

Is there really nobody among us who can help us to bring these terrible practices to the attention of the European Parliament?

These pictures were taken in Valencia in one of the many killing stations of Spain, and somewhere in the field were maniacs killed their dogs. This is daily practice in Spain. Do we really have to accept this, live with this? Is this Europe, isn’t there anybody of the bigwigs with a heart for animals, who can help us to stop this?

We all seem to fight a losing battle. This time it is Valencia crying out for help, tomorrow it will be someone else, or us. But it always will be Spain. We are begging for help, proclaim our word, work as mad men to save some of the dogs, put in claims against the barbarians, but never get a response.

This is the place where you can torture animals while nobody seems to care. Why can’t we make a law which protects our animals from killing stations!?

Why can’t we work together with the killing stations. We could work on sterilization programs and projects that learn people how to care for animals, within 5 years we could already book some results. But, of course, killing stations then would not have any dead bodies and therefore no income…

How long will they remain keeping their eyes shut and will proceed like there is nothing happening. How long??????????

Fabiënne

January 19, 2010