# Help Needed Urgently For Rescued Dogs



## Solwriter (Jan 10, 2012)

I am pleading on this forum as a last resort, after being in contact with every dog rescue centre we can find.

We have 9 dogs - 7 of them abandoned dogs we have taken in, nursed back to health and cared for.
It has cost us a great deal in time and money, but they are all special dogs and we love them all.

Most of these dogs were left on our doorstep by neighbours, thinking we would care for them as they did not want to.
However, it appears that their idea of 'looking after' abandoned dogs was not the same as ours...

A few weeks ago, my husband received a 'deputation' from a few locals to attend an immediate meeting at the mayoress's house.
The locals were complaining about the noise our dogs were making when we go out and demanding that we do something about it immediately.
These are the very same locals who had abandoned the dogs on our doorstep in the first place.
Getting rid of at least 5 of the dogs was the neighbours' suggestion...and they didn't care how we did it...

My husband immediately got in touch with every dog rescue he could find and I have been doing the same from the UK.
He also took to sleeping in an armchair in the room shared by the dogs at night so that they didn't bark, and cut down leaving the house to a minimum so they did not bark whilst he was out.
This could only be a temporary solution and was not satisfactory to the neighbours who, basically, wanted to see some of the dogs gone, whether they were making a noise or not.

But Spanish rescue centres are overwhelmed (or at least we assume they are, as only three took the time to get back to us).
So far, I have had no luck in the UK either. I am persisting, but all I have so far is a home for our smallest dog in the UK, which I have arranged myself.

Last night my husband received a very welcome visit from two female Spanish rescue workers who were looking to help.
But the rescue workers and my husband were verbally attacked by a group of male neighbours, so the rescue workers took their leave, one was in tears.

We have to do something quickly, or else we fear something bad may be forced upon all of our dogs, not to mention that my husband is now suffering severe stress because of ongoing harassment from a particular group of neighbours.

So, please, if anyone could help with housing a dog:

We have 3 small cross-breeds (2 males (twins) aged 18 months and one female aged 2). One of the males has anatomical problems which will make him hard to re-home, but, despite his slightly unusual looks, he is a healthy young lad.

We are hoping that if we can at least re-home these 3, we may get a little peace from the neighbours for now.

But if not, we also have 2 podencos (1 male aged 2 and 1 female aged 8), who will also be looking for a new, loving home.

Of the remaining 3 dogs, 2 of these we brought from the UK and 1 my husband brought up here from a tiny puppy living in a cave, and we have no intention of giving them up, despite local harassment.

But please, if anyone can help or suggest a rescue we may not have thought of, please answer here.

We are rapidly running out of good solutions...


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## Cazzy (Nov 23, 2008)

Sorry I can't help with the dogs as the OH won't have another one. The Spanish are very good about complaining, their dogs bark all night are left to roam the streets, crap in your garden. I had a deputation round the other week to complain that I hadn't cleaned the Poo from the pavement from the side of my house. The woman opposite said her grandson had trod in it!! I told her it was her dog doing it and she said " well it's on your pavement." I have refused to clean it up. I don't see why I should. When I had dogs, I always cleaned up after them>


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## caseyprince (Oct 7, 2012)

Solwriter said:


> I am pleading on this forum as a last resort, after being in contact with every dog rescue centre we can find.
> 
> We have 9 dogs - 7 of them abandoned dogs we have taken in, nursed back to health and cared for.
> It has cost us a great deal in time and money, but they are all special dogs and we love them all.
> ...


Hi there-
I just read your post and although I am unable to offer any assistance I wanted to wish you the best of luck in your search for help. It sounds like you are under a tremendous amount of pressure at the moment and I wish you both all the best. Good luck. Have you conisdered contacting any animal charities within the area?


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## Solwriter (Jan 10, 2012)

Thanks Cazzy and Casey.

And Cazzy, yes, that's exactly the kind of attitude we are facing.

Casey, yes, we have contacted all the animal rescues and charities we can find.
However, we have just been given the address of another one, so we have fingers and toes tightly crossed.

The problem is that there are now so many abandoned dogs in Spain that rescue centres really are overwhelmed.

One of the rescue centres who answered us looked at adoption for some of our dogs, but with no results so far.
Another put a post for us on Facebook, telling of our plight, with no results.
And the third one came to visit yesterday (with probably no results because they received such a poor and totally unexplainable reception from a group of neighbours, considering that the rescue workers were trying to help the situation!).

And that is it so far...

We really are at the end of our tether about this.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

I spoke again with our Perrera Manager and regrettably there is no way we can take any more dogs. We have taken in just under 100 abandoned dogs in the past six weeks alone.
The adoption rate has also slowed down.

I am meeting with the Ayto. to discuss extending our facilities. At the moment, in spite of the careful way we try to group dogs together, we have incidents of the dogs attacking each other. Too many dogs, not enough space. We are setting up local groups to encourage people to give food and water to stray dogs in situ and bring them to our vet only if in need of vet care. 

This is a problem not only in our area but all over Spain. People in the UK have no idea of the situation here....I didn't until I became involved with ADANA.

Can't remember if I already suggested this..but try Piet at Animals in Need,La Linea. Say I suggested you contact him. If you can't find a contact number, ask me.

This is a truly dreadful situation and serves to remind us that life in rural Spain is not as idyllic as some might suppose.

Another litter of pups in today, I've just heard. Don't know about other shelters but we need to find around 9 to 10000 euros a month to fund our operation...and every cent comes from our fundraising amongst members and the general public.


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## Cazzy (Nov 23, 2008)

We used these to rehome a dog, due to it attacking our others they were very good and charged us 100 euro which we didn't mind paying. They are in Puente Genil


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## Solwriter (Jan 10, 2012)

Thanks Mary for at least trying to help us.
You have a PM.



Cazzy said:


> We used these to rehome a dog, due to it attacking our others they were very good and charged us 100 euro which we didn't mind paying. They are in Puente Genil


Cazzy, could you give me the name of the people you contacted in Puente Genil? (either let me know on here or by PM).
It doesn't appear in your post.

Thanks.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

I've sent pm with the info you asked for.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

mrypg9 said:


> I've sent pm with the info you asked for.


does your rescue centre have foster homes?

both the dog & cat rescues around here do - especially useful for 'socialising' puppies & kittens 

the foster families get the food paid for - we've thought of doing it but we're not sure we could ever let the kittens go.........


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

xabiachica said:


> does your rescue centre have foster homes?
> 
> both the dog & cat rescues around here do - especially useful for 'socialising' puppies & kittens
> 
> the foster families get the food paid for - we've thought of doing it but we're not suer we could ever let the kittens go.........


Yes, we have several fosterers but they are all currently looking after either very young pups or nursing sick or vulnerable dogs. Many of our fosterers have gone back to the UK.

But the situation is fluid so I'll see if there's a vacancy tomorrow when I'm at the perrera.


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## Solwriter (Jan 10, 2012)

Thanks for all of your comments and for those who PM'd me with details of rescue workers and websites.
We really do appreciate all the help which has been offered.

I have also been sending out status alerts to friends on Facebook, in the hope that the more eyes viewing our plight, the more chance someone will be able to help our dogs. Another member here and family and friends have now joined in, so at least there will be quite a few people on FB reading about our dogs who hadn't heard about them before.

However, at this point in time there is still no one who can offer help in re-homing any of our dogs.

But my husband is waiting on some of the new contacts he made today, with the help of others on here and on FB, so fingers and toes crossed, something good will come of this...

We have to stay optimistic, but it is getting harder to do that as we run out of new places to try.

I will update later if there is any more news.

But PLEASE, if there is anyone at all reading this who can help with re-homing just one of our dogs, or who could give us details of a rescue or charity we haven't tried yet, either in Spain, in the UK, or in the rest of Europe, it would be so much appreciated.

Thanks


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## caseyprince (Oct 7, 2012)

Solwriter said:


> Thanks for all of your comments and for those who PM'd me with details of rescue workers and websites.
> We really do appreciate all the help which has been offered.
> 
> I have also been sending out status alerts to friends on Facebook, in the hope that the more eyes viewing our plight, the more chance someone will be able to help our dogs. Another member here and family and friends have now joined in, so at least there will be quite a few people on FB reading about our dogs who hadn't heard about them before.
> ...


Have you set up a Facebook page or link that we can all share? I would be more than happy to spread the word through my network of friends and beyond to help get the word out.


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## Solwriter (Jan 10, 2012)

caseyprince said:


> Have you set up a Facebook page or link that we can all share? I would be more than happy to spread the word through my network of friends and beyond to help get the word out.


Thanks Casey.

I haven't set up a Facebook page but the posts about our dogs are on my wall. I have made these posts open to public access.
/SNIP/

Not sure I can set up a page for this without losing normal access, but it seems like a good idea so I will try


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## Cazzy (Nov 23, 2008)

Solwriter said:


> Thanks Mary for at least trying to help us.
> You have a PM.
> 
> 
> ...


Protectora LA GUARIDA - Inicio

Sorry the link did not come up!!


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## Solwriter (Jan 10, 2012)

Cazzy said:


> Protectora LA GUARIDA - Inicio
> 
> Sorry the link did not come up!!


Thanks Cazzy


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Solwriter said:


> Thanks Casey.
> 
> I haven't set up a Facebook page but the posts about our dogs are on my wall. I have made these posts open to public access.
> Link is:/SNIP/
> ...


I'll leave your personal facebook link up for now cos it's in a good cause

better that you set up a separate page for the dogs though (page rather than profile works best - cos we can all 'like ' it then & it gets wider interest- I did for my business & there is no access to your personal page from it


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## Solwriter (Jan 10, 2012)

xabiachica said:


> I'll leave your personal facebook link up for now cos it's in a good cause
> 
> better that you set up a separate page for the dogs though (page rather than profile works best - cos we can all 'like ' it then & it gets wider interest- I did for my business & there is no access to your personal page from it


Thanks Xabiachica.
I realised that putting my personal page there wasn't a great idea, even though only the posts about the dogs are public, but we are in panic mode now...

I have set up the page Abandoned Dogs Granada | Facebook now and later will be adding to it. so perhaps you could take down the link to my personal site?

Sorry and thanks


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Solwriter said:


> Thanks Xabiachica.
> I realised that putting my personal page there wasn't a great idea, even though only the posts about the dogs are public, but we are in panic mode now...
> 
> I have set up the page Abandoned Dogs Granada | Facebook now and later will be adding to it. so perhaps you could take down the link to my personal site?
> ...


done 

I shall go 'like' your page to try to spread the word - good luck


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## Solwriter (Jan 10, 2012)

xabiachica said:


> done
> 
> I shall go 'like' your page to try to spread the word - good luck


Thank You


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Solwriter said:


> Thank You


all done - I've put a link on my wall as well - every little helps


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## caseyprince (Oct 7, 2012)

xabiachica said:


> done
> 
> I shall go 'like' your page to try to spread the word - good luck


I've shared the page on my FB and have asked all of my friends to do the same. Good luck!


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## Solwriter (Jan 10, 2012)

Thanks Everyone!

You are all trying for us.
I really do appreciate it.


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## Trubrit (Nov 24, 2010)

Hello I am ready to re home one of your dogs. I am in Toledo and have a labrador and 2 cats, it would have to be a very small dog as one hair losing, vac clogging, eat everything lovely labrador causes me plenty of work already !!


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

caseyprince said:


> I've shared the page on my FB and have asked all of my friends to do the same. Good luck!


You could see if any of your friends would be interested in setting up a support group to adopt dogs from our shelter...
We already send dogs to adopters in Holland through podencoworld.ne and to Germany through Spanische Pfoten.
A few go to the U.K. but although it's now easier to take dogs to the UK there are still veterinary procedures - blood tests etc. that need to be carried out and of course the dogs must all be microchipped and passported. So if Sol's dogs are not all chipped and passported - although it's likely they will be - it could be costly.
We would be very happy to work with a group in the UK who could advertise our dogs and even raise funds for us. We are a registered charity.


Two more dogs found and brought to us today...


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## whitenoiz (Sep 18, 2012)

Hi Everone, I'd better introduce myself... because I have run foul of the minimum posting requirements on this forum.
I use the name whitenoiz on this forum (and a few others) and can be found on some of the other Spanish expat forums as 'foxbat'. I am a moderator and administrator on one such forum.
OK having got that out of the way... 
*Solwriter* is my other and far, far better half. She is the instigator, brains and chief mover of this thread. She is the one trying to do something at arms reach whilst I am virtually housebound looking after our pack of unruly hounds. It's a 60 / 60 / 24 / 7 / 365 occupation trying to keep the peace between the dogs and the neighbours. We are quite simply 'Victims of our own Success' at rescuing these dogs who would otherwise have been killed in road accident, poisoned, or picked up by Seprona (the Nature and Wildlife branch of the Guardia Civil). the degree of animosity expressed by just a few of the locals is way out of order, given that it is almost certainly these same people who abandoned the animals in the first place.

However... this is for *truebrit*... delighted to hear that you are prepared to take on one of our brood... with the exception of Scruffy and Spike, they are not exactly small dogs. Definitely not as big as your labrador but still not very small. Check out the pics on Solwriter's posted links to Facebook at post 17..
Spike I think would be the most likely candidate for you but the choice has to be yours... once I have the requisite number of posts in place here we can instigate pm's to discuss it, unless *Xabi* is in a position to over-rule the requirements in my case. I know its set up as an anti- spam thing, but I tend generally not to post to forums unless I have something constructive to offer. 

Back to the dogs...Spike is one of the two blackies... brother and litter-mate of Scruffy. In an ideal world I wouldn't want to separate them but this is not an ideal world and I fully appreciate other peoples circumstances when it comes to taking on pets. 

Just tried to post a pic but failed on minimum posting rule....

*truebrit*... if you can send me a pm with an email address we can communicate outside of this forum until I can get around the minimum posting requirements posting.

Hope all of this is OK... to the others that have posted here, thanks for your interest, your support and your suggestions. We are forever in your debt.

wn


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## Solwriter (Jan 10, 2012)

Trubrit said:


> Hello I am ready to re home one of your dogs. I am in Toledo and have a labrador and 2 cats, it would have to be a very small dog as one hair losing, vac clogging, eat everything lovely labrador causes me plenty of work already !!


Hi Trubrit and thank you!
I am away from my laptop at the moment so oit's diffocult to PM you! But I have asked my husband to do so.
If you don( hear anythiong for a couple of hours I will contact you later.
Thank You!
And excuse typos!


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

whitenoiz said:


> Hi Everone, I'd better introduce myself... because I have run foul of the minimum posting requirements on this forum.
> I use the name whitenoiz on this forum (and a few others) and can be found on some of the other Spanish expat forums as 'foxbat'. I am a moderator and administrator on one such forum.
> OK having got that out of the way...
> *Solwriter* is my other and far, far better half. She is the instigator, brains and chief mover of this thread. She is the one trying to do something at arms reach whilst I am virtually housebound looking after our pack of unruly hounds. It's a 60 / 60 / 24 / 7 / 365 occupation trying to keep the peace between the dogs and the neighbours. We are quite simply 'Victims of our own Success' at rescuing these dogs who would otherwise have been killed in road accident, poisoned, or picked up by Seprona (the Nature and Wildlife branch of the Guardia Civil). the degree of animosity expressed by just a few of the locals is way out of order, given that it is almost certainly these same people who abandoned the animals in the first place.
> ...


I can't do it - but I'll see if I can pull some strings


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## whitenoiz (Sep 18, 2012)

Xabi, thanks!
Thats two... three to go!


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## whitenoiz (Sep 18, 2012)

Just bumping this to keep it near the top and in view.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

whitenoiz said:


> Just bumping this to keep it near the top and in view.


I can do better than that - just let us know as you find homes


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## whitenoiz (Sep 18, 2012)

zabia...

Many thanks for making this thread a sticky. Most appreciated.

wn


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

whitenoiz said:


> zabia...
> 
> Many thanks for making this thread a sticky. Most appreciated.
> 
> wn


I'm looking forward to unsticking it again - when the dogs have been re-homed


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## Solwriter (Jan 10, 2012)

whitenoiz said:


> *Solwriter* is my other and far, far better half. She is the instigator, brains and chief mover of this thread.


Lol! 



whitenoiz said:


> It's a 60 / 60 / 24 / 7 / 365 occupation trying to keep the peace between the dogs and the neighbours. We are quite simply 'Victims of our own Success' at rescuing these dogs who would otherwise have been killed in road accident, poisoned, or picked up by Seprona (the Nature and Wildlife branch of the Guardia Civil). the degree of animosity expressed by just a few of the locals is way out of order, given that it is almost certainly these same people who abandoned the animals in the first place.


But this bit is oh so true...

As to our dogs....
Actually we have *3* small dogs who would love a good home:
Spike, Scruffy and Pippa.

Spike and Scruffy:










And Pippa (pictured with Suzy, one of our podencas):










And of course we have our podencos, Fred, Suzy and Sox, who I will add pics of in a few minutes.


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## whitenoiz (Sep 18, 2012)

And just in case you are wondering why they are looking longingly at the laundry baskets... they are the ideal size for containing 15kg sacks of dog food... tormenting too because they cant get at the contents!
Local feral cats recently caused a large family of field-mice to seek new quarters... they chose to move into the gap between the natural walls and the dry-walls that line the kitchen. The smell of the food was obviously an attraction but with Fred and Sox on guard in the kitchen at night ready to pounce on anything that moves, and with the help of a few well place humane non-kill traps we soon had the whole field-mouse family rounded up and relocated to the fields and the woods nearby.

wn


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## Solwriter (Jan 10, 2012)

These are our three podencos:

Fred:









Sox:









Fred and Sox 









Suzy as a puppy:








Suzy was born in a cave.

Suzy now, with her best friend Pippa:


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## boxergirl (Nov 27, 2010)

Well we had 2 dogs and now we have 3. Not too much difference really. So I think that if members of this forum take the attitude of one dog/ 2 dogs, not a big deal maybe they will help. Good luck to you and all the mutts.


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## siobhanwf (Mar 20, 2009)

As the proud Mum and Dad of two rescue boxers I agree with boxergirl. Two is as easy as one.


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## whitenoiz (Sep 18, 2012)

siobhan


> "REMEMBER, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL. ."


So true, so so true!

And I have to agree with the sentiments expressed in your post and those of boxergirl.

Nine (total) is a slightly different matter though!... And taking 5 strong dogs for a walk, all leashed and pulling like tractors in different directions, is something else! ..

wn


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

siobhanwf said:


> As the proud Mum and Dad of two rescue boxers I agree with boxergirl. Two is as easy as one.


I have four rescue cats - four is not more work than the two I had until a few months ago - but what I don't understand is how adding 2 kittens to two adults has WAY more than doubled the food bill 

they're worth it though


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## Solwriter (Jan 10, 2012)

Still no news on the doggy re-homing front, I'm afraid.

Our page calling for help is Abandoned Dogs Granada | Facebook

And at the time of posting we now have 62 likes (thanks everyone who 'liked' from here).

On a positive note, we have had details of forums to post to, new refuges to contact, and one possible re-homing offer for one dog.
And many people doing their very best to tell others about our dogs' plight.
But still nothing definite.

We are both so tired from trying to contact everyone in Spain and in the UK and spreading the word while doing other essential things, that I fear that one of us will get too stressed out to continue.
And my poor husband (Whitenoiz) is so worried that every time he leaves the house he will find neighbours congregating to complain when he gets back, or a knock on the door demanding we give up all our dogs.

But at the moment, all we can do is soldier on and try to remail positive.

Here are some more pics of the dogs we (VERY sadly) need to re-home:

A group photo (left to right)of:
Sox, Suzy, Pippa and Fred, with Sophie our smallest dog in the background (I refuse to let Sophie go as she was my comfort when I was incapacitated with broken bones last year and will be re-homing her myself in the UK).









And Spike and Scruffy in the sunshine with Fred again:









Plus a close-up of Sox, who is our oldest pod (around 8 years old), and a little scared of loud noises, but in every other way would make a brilliant companion for someone, as all she ever wanted was a peaceful life and a little affection.









Will update more later.


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## meandbabebowen (Sep 10, 2012)

Hi Solwriter and WN

I've sent you a link on Facebook to some agencies in Valencia that might be able to help or advise you. I'm too new to post a link here : (


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## whitenoiz (Sep 18, 2012)

meanbabebowen...

Many thanks for your help.
The way things are, any help is greatly appreciated.

wn


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## meandbabebowen (Sep 10, 2012)

whitenoiz said:


> meanbabebowen...
> 
> Many thanks for your help.
> The way things are, any help is greatly appreciated.
> ...



I wish we were already in Spain and able to help more


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## boxergirl (Nov 27, 2010)

Much talk and no action here. Surely there is someone on this forum that could take a dog. Having seen the shelters round here nobody could put a dog there unless they had no other choice. They are quite grim. Not the shelters fault but purely down to the fact that they are at bursting point with all the strays. We were happy with our 2 but we decided to give Archie a second chance. The pleasure we have had from him is incredible. Watching him get better and then interact with our other 2 has been priceless. 

Cannot someone take a dog?


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## whitenoiz (Sep 18, 2012)

We did have one offer but it all went strangely quiet... no response to pm or my answering post...

wn


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## boxergirl (Nov 27, 2010)

Is that not strange? Why would somebody do that?

The only other thing I can think of to help your situation would be to kennel some of your dogs on a long term basis. I am sure that some kennels are struggling with the economic downturn and might agree to do it on a much reduced fee basis. It might be easier to raise some money to help with costs than to rehome some of your dogs.


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## whitenoiz (Sep 18, 2012)

Boxergirl... 



> Is that not strange? Why would somebody do that?


I really don't know... but we had a similar occurrence with an offer made on facebook...

As for the rest of your post the main problem is that the regular places are just overburdened. And more than a few are having problems because when you get a gang of male dogs together they have to be monitored all the time to break up fights.


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## boxergirl (Nov 27, 2010)

I was thinking more of private kennels where they would not be mixed with other dogs. The problem is of course that there would be costs involved but maybe for long term care for a number of dogs they would be willing to do it for a much reduced rate. Another thought is that if you could send some of your dogs 'on holiday' your neighbours would be happy and not notice than returning, gradually.


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## Solwriter (Jan 10, 2012)

boxergirl said:


> I was thinking more of private kennels where they would not be mixed with other dogs. The problem is of course that there would be costs involved but maybe for long term care for a number of dogs they would be willing to do it for a much reduced rate. Another thought is that if you could send some of your dogs 'on holiday' your neighbours would be happy and not notice than returning, gradually.


Boxergirl, we would be willing to pay towards the upkeep of some of our dogs in a kennels, at least until we can sort out permanent loving homes for them.
But so far, no luck on that either....

Interesting suggestion about the 'holiday' though


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## whitenoiz (Sep 18, 2012)

Looks like we have success with two of our brood, Spike and Pippa. Spike will remain in Spain for the time being but Pippa is going to a lady in Scotland.

This move to Scotland does however bring to light a problem... It seems that anyone who transports an animal on behalf of someone else, must be in possession of a licence issued by Defra or the Andalucia Junta. Not being in possession of such a licence could result in the animal in question being refusedf entry to the UK even if the animals documentation is correct or the placing of the animal in UK quarantine. This clearly has implications for anyone acting out of the goodness of their heart to help rescue centres.

So...I spoke to Monarch airlines and their cargo partners... since they are approved to carry animals from Spain to either Gatwick or Manchester. 

OUCH... accompanied or unaccompanied costs are the same... a whacking £540. 

So a 15stone human with max. baggage allowance gets to travel for what, £100 or maybe less, but a tiny 4Kgm dog costs 5 times as much?

Originally My OH (Solwriter) was going to take our little one (who is the size and weight of your average cat) back to the UK with her when she next comes home but at £540 then that is a non-starter. Equally moving Pippa by air is also a non-starter. 

If anyone has any bright ideas on a way forward that is legally compliant with the regulations I'd be delighted to hear from them.

wn


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## Sunhat (Jun 20, 2012)

I can´t help with a rescue sorry- we have adopted 2 more refuge dogs in the past month (4 rescue dogs now and 2 cats). There is a podenco /galgo group that was mentioned on facebook:
GRIN | Galgo Rescue International Network
galgorescue.org

Maybe they can help you. I hope you can find new homes soon.

Sunhat


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

whitenoiz said:


> Looks like we have success with two of our brood, Spike and Pippa. Spike will remain in Spain for the time being but Pippa is going to a lady in Scotland.
> 
> This move to Scotland does however bring to light a problem... It seems that anyone who transports an animal on behalf of someone else, must be in possession of a licence issued by Defra or the Andalucia Junta. Not being in possession of such a licence could result in the animal in question being refusedf entry to the UK even if the animals documentation is correct or the placing of the animal in UK quarantine. This clearly has implications for anyone acting out of the goodness of their heart to help rescue centres.
> 
> ...



We have sent several dogs to the UK and have regular monthly flights to the Netherlands, Germany and Austria . We have never heard of such a licence being required and our dogs have arrived at their new homes in the UK and elsewhere without any problem whatsoever.

Yes, the transport costs are quite high....But we found people willing to pay those costs. Some of our smaller dogs have been accepted as cabin luggage...

I suggest you ring our Adoptions Officer Helen on 952113467 on Wednesday from 10.00 until 14.00 and ask her advice.

Yesterday we took in seven dogs from a shelter in Competa that was closing for lack of funds. The dogs were due to be destroyed today. We had no choice but to take our share of the many dogs although we are full.

Boxergirl...conditions in most shelters are not good for dogs who have been someone's pet...but for street dogs, starved, flea-ridden, ill they are heaven itself.
Our kennels are clean, the dogs have good accommodation with ample runs, our kennels are situated in a very attractive area and most of our dogs are taken for regular walks by our volunteers.
The dogs get food, shelter and medical attention and cuddles from our volunteer workers.

Yes, conditions are less than desirable especially for dogs used to better...
But no-one should be led into thinking that dog refuges are grim, unhygienic and awful places.

They are not, as any visitor to our shelter can see.

My big regret is that we can't afford longer opening hours.

I would also add a note of caution....it is truly wonderful that so many people are willing to take in and care for such large numbers of dogs. But if anyone is thinking of taking in more than two or three dogs it is important that you consider any problems that may arise with neighbours.
In Sol's case it is the neighbours who have caused the problem and if you live in the campo chances are you won't be disturbing or upsetting anyone. 
But it is really really important to think things through and not act on a kindly impulse which might bring trouble later....


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

boxergirl said:


> Is that not strange? Why would somebody do that?
> 
> The only other thing I can think of to help your situation would be to kennel some of your dogs on a long term basis. I am sure that some kennels are struggling with the economic downturn and might agree to do it on a much reduced fee basis. It might be easier to raise some money to help with costs than to rehome some of your dogs.


Where dogs and cats are concerned, especially dogs, people tend to act from impulse and sentiment and then have second thoughts. 

That's one reason why there are so many abandoned dogs.

If you spend any time working at an animal shelter you cease to be bewildered at human behaviour.

We offer a four-week 'return' period on our adoptions as there will always be people, thankfully a few, who regret taking a dog once they realise that it requires looking after and bring it back.

If we didn't do that, it would be dumped in the street or on the beach.


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## meandbabebowen (Sep 10, 2012)

Hi both

How are you getting on?
Have you had any joy with finding new homes for your dogs?


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## boxergirl (Nov 27, 2010)

When I read about puppies and kittens being used as live bait for sharks I think that the Spanish abandoned dogs at least have a chance. What a screwed up world we live in.


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## whitenoiz (Sep 18, 2012)

Sorry have been a little remiss in reporting. At the moment we have firm acceptances for five of the dogs. Two will go initially to the Costa Blanca before moving on to Wales; one will go to a rehoming centre here in Granada; one to Scotland and one to Portsmouth where she will stay with my wife solwriter and, when she's not there, her family. Our biggest problem now is the expense of physically transporting the dogs. Air travel is definitely out, the cheapest quote we had was from the Air Cargo branch of Monarch who want £540 for each dog we had other quotes too which reached as high as £960... The 'professional' pet movers ie those that do it a business have quoted between £350 and a staggering £2960...
There are organisations out there which have special rates for ex-street rescues and I am in touch with them. We are also looking at some other options... 
The transport costs of the two going to Wales will be borne by their new owner, but I still have to get the dogs to the Costa Blanca. The Spanish Courier services of MRW look favourite for this and I will be talking to them on Monday. In order to take advantage of the reduced street dog rate offered by one company for the the other two destined for the UK, again I would need to get the animals to a suitable pick-up point on the Costa Blanca.
Another subscriber to this forum has become involved and is looking at yet another option.
s that's the state of play at the moment.
I ran into another problem regarding the compulsory Rabies vaccinations... my vet insists that a dogs first ever Rabies shot be administered in two doses with a thirty day interval. DEFRA in the UK impose a 21 day 'no entry to the UK' waiting period and in the case of a two part jab the waiting period commences on the date of the second jab... After some discussion with my vet he has reduced the interval between the shots to 14 days. UK vets sometimes split a rabies shot but this is normally done for puppies rather than adult dogs. The whole thing is farcical... 

wn


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## whitenoiz (Sep 18, 2012)

boxergirl said:


> When I read about puppies and kittens being used as live bait for sharks I think that the Spanish abandoned dogs at least have a chance. What a screwed up world we live in.


It is indeed a sorry world we live in. Regarding the main content of your post out here in the campo we have found the main sharks to be the official and unofficial breeders of Podencos and Galgos, who check over each litter and discard those unlikely to make the grade, keep the bitches as brood mares for a couple of seasons and then discard them too. Also too the Galgo owners who breed them mercilessly, run the fit ones into the ground for a couple of seasons and then dispose of the dogs in the most inhumane manner, breaking legs and leaving the poor sods to fend for themselves.

But in a country that considers bullfighting to be anything other than ritual slaughter what should one expect...

wn


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## Orquid (May 6, 2010)

Solwriter said:


> I am pleading on this forum as a last resort, after being in contact with every dog rescue centre we can find.
> 
> We have 9 dogs - 7 of them abandoned dogs we have taken in, nursed back to health and cared for.
> It has cost us a great deal in time and money, but they are all special dogs and we love them all.
> ...



You could try Podencoworld who are in Holland, I believe. As the name suggests, they re-home Podencos. Good luck.


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## whitenoiz (Sep 18, 2012)

Time to bring everyone up to date I think...

Thanks to the efforts of a not inconsiderable number of people mainly on the Costa Blanca and inland Valencia and Murcia, we have managed to rehome 3 dogs so far and 2 more are due to go to the UK in December. For the time being, the other two abandonados and our original two will stay with us.

We had various other offers of homes, one on this thread in fact, but when push came to shove they just did not respond. To those people I would simply suggest that in future you 'put your money where your mouth is...' Don't make offers you cannot back up with deeds.

This whole experience has been very upsetting for all concerned; for the dogs that have been rehomed, suddenly removed from all that they know and love, and those that remain with us that have seen their pack mates disappear never to be seen again. Upsetting too for Solwriter and me; all that we have done to support these dogs has been ripped away.

*Xabiachica*... you said earlier in this thread that you look forward to being able to unsticky this thread... I think now might be an opportune moment to do so. My personal thanks to you for all your help.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

you are welcome - great news about the dogs getting new homes 


consider thread unstuck & a job well done!!:clap2:


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## boxergirl (Nov 27, 2010)

You did so well to rescue these dogs in the first place. Without you they would have had no chance. Now they are off to new homes where without doubt they will settle and you can now sleep easy knowing that the ones that remain are safe and loved. I am sure the ones that have been re-homed will adjust quickly as will the ones you still have. So they keep saying, dogs live in the present, they do not worry about their past or their future.......


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## whitenoiz (Sep 18, 2012)

> *boxergirl* So they keep saying, dogs live in the present, they do not worry about their past or their future...


That's what I used to think too... but...at 4pm today I changed my mind... 
Sox, the first of the dogs to be relocated on Monday last week, turned up on my doorstep, minus her collar and looking a bit slimmer. She is up on my lap, trembling, frightened and tired. 
She had been relocated to an overspill kennel in a town some 10kms away pending admission to the main rehoming centre to the north of Granada. She always was a bit of an escape artist; this latest seems to indicate there is not a lot wrong with her navigation techniques either...
Seems she has made her choice of where she wants to be. Sending her back would be the worst form of rejection possible. I didn't want to let her go in the first place... she has been with us for five years... plus the others made such a fuss of her when opened the door... 
wn


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Orquid said:


> You could try Podencoworld who are in Holland, I believe. As the name suggests, they re-home Podencos. Good luck.


We send dogs to Holland in collaboration with podencoworld.nl.
They rehome all breeds of dogs but mainly podencos.

I think you will find they work with established shelters along the CdS and rarely if ever with individuals.


But I wouldn't swear to that....


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## boxergirl (Nov 27, 2010)

I think you are just gong to have to move to a house with lots of land and take all your doggies with you!


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## whitenoiz (Sep 18, 2012)

Looks that way... all I need now is the money to do it!

All contributions gratefully received.... hmmm thought not!


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## youngagepensioner (May 18, 2009)

whitenoiz said:


> Looks like we have success with two of our brood, Spike and Pippa. Spike will remain in Spain for the time being but Pippa is going to a lady in Scotland.
> 
> This move to Scotland does however bring to light a problem... It seems that anyone who transports an animal on behalf of someone else, must be in possession of a licence issued by Defra or the Andalucia Junta. Not being in possession of such a licence could result in the animal in question being refusedf entry to the UK even if the animals documentation is correct or the placing of the animal in UK quarantine. This clearly has implications for anyone acting out of the goodness of their heart to help rescue centres.
> 
> ...


Sorry I'm late to this thread, but would just like to say that a friend of mine was able to take a chihuahua from Malaga to Amsterdam as hand luggage in a small carrier. Obviously this can only apply to tiny dogs, but thought it might help. Good luck.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

youngagepensioner said:


> Sorry I'm late to this thread, but would just like to say that a friend of mine was able to take a chihuahua from Malaga to Amsterdam as hand luggage in a small carrier. Obviously this can only apply to tiny dogs, but thought it might help. Good luck.


That is true. ADANA is often able to send small dogs and pups to new homes in Europe as hand luggagge!


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## Solwriter (Jan 10, 2012)

Just an update from me, as I was the one who started this thread 
(Although I then deliberately left it for Whitenoiz as he is the one dealing with all this on the ground, so to speak, and the wrong interjection from me may have confused matters).

As WN says, Sox returned home yesterday. She had escaped the holding kennels in the early hours and through some sort of doggy navigation, eventually found her way back, quite a few hours later, to our house.
I always knew that Sox is a persistent (and at times obstinate) little madam, so when I got the phone call from WN telling me Sox was back, I wasn't really surprised; just impressed by her navigation skills. 
As WN says, how could we send her back now? She deserves to stay in our house in comfort.
I just hope the neighbours agree with our decision the next time Sox barks...

So, this leaves us not quite meeting the criteria we were supposed to meet.

Spike and Scruffy are being cared for in a holding kennels whilst waiting for their planned trip to Wales. 
And once Pippa has arrived at her new home in Scotland (wearing a very warm doggy coat!) in December, and Sophie has arrived in the UK with her (then I, with the help of my family, am caring for her there), that will be only 4 dogs re-homed, rather than the 5 promised.

We haven't managed to find a home for Fred, our male podenco, but as he is part of a group with Sox and Suzy (female podencos), his going would probably upset the two girls a great deal, so we are not pushing at the moment to find a home for Fred.
Suzy, the other female podenco, WN would hate to see go. And we both feel that Suzy would find life in a holding kennels impossibly stressful (and in any case, she is an even better escape artist than Sox).
The only way a re-homing attempt for Suzy and Fred would probably succeed is if they were re-homed together, so that they can look out for each other, as they do now.

So it's difficult...
And we have to hope that 4 dogs (eventually) leaving the house will be enough to please the neighbours...

One of many things we have learned from all this, is that even when there are people wishing to re-home one of your dogs there are complications.

Just one example was the lack of rabies jabs documentation on their passports.
They had all been inoculated by the traveling vet who goes around villages in the area inoculating all village dogs against rabies, but the paperwork given out is nothing to do with pet passports, so doesn't count.
Hence the delay on being able to transport our dogs.

Another is that the logistics of getting dogs from A to B, especially country to country, is not only (usually) much more expensive than it should be, but the sheer logistics, when you have to take into account last minute worming treatment and match it up with available traveling times and costs, is totally frustrating, fraught with things which could go wrong, and doesn't help the blood pressure of those on either the sending or receiving end.
As to the welfare of the dogs involved, we have to rely on a host of people doing their job properly..so fingers crossed!

(and I have just read Youngagepensioner's post, which gives me food for thought on the travel subject...)

*Xabiachica*, I would like to add my thanks for making this thread a sticky until WN said it was no longer necessary.

This forum was my first port of call at a time when we had almost given up hope, so I am SO thankful for the help and advice we received on this thread and the views that traveled over to our FB page and the chain reaction that developed as a result.
We couldn't have done this without you!

Will continue to update (or WN probably will  ) as this, although not as urgent as it was (hopefully....) is still an ongoing saga.


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