# Abandoned Puppies



## llesiant (Sep 27, 2012)

We have just arrived at a friend's apartment in Benalmadena only to find that there are some puppies who have been abandoned, they look around 3 weeks old and the mother comes back regularly to feed them . We have asked around but nobody is taking responsibility for them. We are happy to keep them in the apartment, but we go home in a few days and I am worried sick about them. I understand there is a huge problem in the area with dogs roaming free and breeding, any advice?


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## donz (May 5, 2010)

all you can do really is try to see if a shelter can take them but most are totally full


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Sadly there are many stray dogs in Spain, they live close to rubbish bins. We actually found a puppy who was no older than three weeks old and still have him to this day. There are charities around, MRYPG9 on here runs one in Estapona. 

Jo xxx


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

Try the local vets and see if they can recommend a shelter or charity.


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## llesiant (Sep 27, 2012)

well good and bad news, we have found someone to take on the mother and two of the pups, they have a bit of land and we know they will be looked after, that leaves four pups. We are going to try them on a bit of puppy food and hope we can wean them before the mother goes to the new home. Thanks for all your advice, they are quite lovely puppies and we are desperately looking for good homes for them before we give up and hand them over to some vet or shelter. thanks again, Kate.


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## boxergirl (Nov 27, 2010)

From what I hear, puppies are quite quickly adopted from shelters. So if you do have to put them there it will probably end up good for them. Good for you for helping them.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

boxergirl said:


> From what I hear, puppies are quite quickly adopted from shelters. So if you do have to put them there it will probably end up good for them. Good for you for helping them.


We have had over eighty abandoned dogs, many of them whole litters of pups, brought in in the past two months. We are full to bursting - in fact I have just returned from a meeting with a local Councillor to talk about permission to extend our perrera so we can accommodate more dogs.

We rarely turn a dog away although sometimes it's obvious that the owner just can't be bothered with it any more. If we did, we'd most likely find it tied outside our shelter later.

It's quite correct that puppies get adopted very quickly. ADANA charges 120 euros for a dog regardless of size and this includes the passport, neutering/.castration, vaccinations and microchip. Our entire income come from fundraising and we simply can't afford to give our dogs away, although we do have older dogs free to a good home.

I often get asked if we could reduce our fee for the unemployed or the low-waged and the answer is always No. 
We can't reduce the wages we pay our two staff or the vet and feed bill costs. It's also worth asking if people who are struggling to feed their families can afford to give the dog the care and attention it requires.

It would be so nice if everyone realised that dogs-indeed all animals - are not toys put on earth for human pleasure but sentient creatures capable of experiencing pain and sorrow just like we human animals.

I have a dream.....


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## llesiant (Sep 27, 2012)

We are due to go back to the UK in two week so we will keep trying, everyone around here seems to want to help so thats great! If we didn't manage to find good homes I would happily make a donation to a shelter to take them on, I would give £100 per pup! Kate


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## Lolito (Aug 25, 2012)

Pity you are so far, I would happily take one! But my other half will have something to say about it, with 3 cats at home already!


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## GUAPACHICA (Jun 30, 2012)

llesiant said:


> well good and bad news, we have found someone to take on the mother and two of the pups, they have a bit of land and we know they will be looked after, that leaves four pups. We are going to try them on a bit of puppy food and hope we can wean them before the mother goes to the new home. Thanks for all your advice, they are quite lovely puppies and we are desperately looking for good homes for them before we give up and hand them over to some vet or shelter. thanks again, Kate.


QUOTE=llesiant; We are due to go back to the UK in two week so we will keep trying, everyone around here seems to want to help so thats great! If we didn't manage to find good homes I would happily make a donation to a shelter to take them on, I would give £100 per pup! Kate[/QUOTE]

Hi Kate - how wonderful that you're prepared to do so much to try to help these very young puppies and their mum, who's, no doubt, surviving against all odds and yet is still devoted to her offspring!

Couldn't you possibly ask your friend with the land to take them all in, temporarily, just 'till the pups are at least six weeks old? They'd have a much greater chance of survival and would continue to receive their mother's milk until she'd decide it was time for them to become less dependent - a natural process and one which, if permitted, would mean no sudden separation and upset for them all!

(Actually, our UK practice of keeping pups with the mother till they're eight weeks old is much better - but almost unheard of, here in Spain! It's in those final weeks, that the pups are taught by mum and their littermates to mitigate the strength of their bite, during play - a very necessary lesson for their adulthood. Some dogs, which have not had this advantage, never learn to socialise and play successfully with others - which can cause continuing problems for their owners!). 

Even here in Spain, I'd assume that any shelter would prefer to take the puppies in when a little older than three weeks - less work for the volunteers and far less stressful for the puppies and their mother I do realise you've achieved a miracle in locating one person to take on three of them, but if he or she has an outbuilding, or can build a pen, it shouldn't mean too much more work, as the pups' mother would manage them for the next three weeks. There'd be more time to try to find suitable new homes - or possibly a shelter. Most of those have websites and are contactable online. 

I do wish you all necessary luck in your efforts - a huge 'thank you' for all you're doing, and for being so compassionate!

GCxx


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## boxergirl (Nov 27, 2010)

How did you get on? Hope you managed to get them sorted out, if not , you did the best you could.


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## dunmovin (Dec 19, 2008)

llesiant said:


> We are due to go back to the UK in two week so we will keep trying, everyone around here seems to want to help so thats great! If we didn't manage to find good homes I would happily make a donation to a shelter to take them on, I would give £100 per pup! Kate


Kate sometimes, you have chose to be saving only a few or even only one. If 
you spent £100 per per stray pup,pretty soon you would exhaust your funds and have to make a choice of ..dogs or you.....make a donation,take a few pups,but don't overstretch yourself

Deal with what you can and any petshelter will tell you the same. Give them what you can afford,but not at the expense of the good home you give the puppy!

One good person that can take a puppy and still manage to contribute a couple of quid, is worth more than someone who takes 20 pups and is never heard from again.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

dunmovin said:


> Kate sometimes, you have chose to be saving only a few or even only one. If
> you spent £100 per per stray pup,pretty soon you would exhaust your funds and have to make a choice of ..dogs or you.....make a donation,take a few pups,but don't overstretch yourself
> 
> Deal with what you can and any petshelter will tell you the same. Give them what you can afford,but not at the expense of the good home you give the puppy!
> ...



Sadly, as I posted earlier, pet rescue shelters need more than 'a couple of quid' for a dog.
Our shelter must find 9000 euros a month minimum to keep going. Every cent of that comes from our own fundraising. We get nothing from the Ayto.

It's not just a case of 'dog in, dog out'. We have two paid staff -we pay pitiful wages, just above the minimum, to my shame -and we have to meet food bills, cleaning material bills,maintenance of the kennels, phone and electricity, keep our van on the road and vet fees as well as the staff wages. Our vet is in attendance two days a week and for emergencies and charges very little but like everyone she needs money to live.

When an owner wants to leave a dog because s/he is going back to the U.K. we try to extract 200 euros from them. After all, it's basically for their convenience that they are abandoning what was a family pet, however much they try to dress it up. Their donation helps pay for looking after the starving, sick dogs that are found on the street.

If someone is obviously genuinely unable to donate that much, we are flexible. But if everyone only gave a 'couple of quid' we would quite simply be unable to continue doing what we do at the same level.

We are currently receiving more truly abandoned dogs than ever before. We are planning our annual Christmas Fair, have just collected for World Animal Day and have ongoing fundraising activities -we even had a seance which I strongly objected to - but we are constantly preoccupied with money worries, like every other rescue centre in these tough times.


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## Megsmum (Sep 9, 2012)

mrypg9 said:


> Sadly, as I posted earlier, pet rescue shelters need more than 'a couple of quid' for a dog.
> Our shelter must find 9000 euros a month minimum to keep going. Every cent of that comes from our own fundraising. We get nothing from the Ayto.
> 
> It's not just a case of 'dog in, dog out'. We have two paid staff -we pay pitiful wages, just above the minimum, to my shame -and we have to meet food bills, cleaning material bills,maintenance of the kennels, phone and electricity, keep our van on the road and vet fees as well as the staff wages. Our vet is in attendance two days a week and for emergencies and charges very little but like everyone she needs money to live.
> ...


Well although we cannot take one now as we are in the UK the first thing - apart from a house - I will be getting is a dog...so will be in touch.x


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

cambio said:


> Well although we cannot take one now as we are in the UK the first thing - apart from a house - I will be getting is a dog...so will be in touch.x


We're in the hills above EStepona. Look forward to meeting you.


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## annfoto (Aug 19, 2012)

If you end up in the Coín, Pizzara, Alhaurin area please let me know and I will introduce you to some wonderful dogs.


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## dunmovin (Dec 19, 2008)

mrypg9 said:


> Sadly, as I posted earlier, pet rescue shelters need more than 'a couple of quid' for a dog.
> Our shelter must find 9000 euros a month minimum to keep going. Every cent of that comes from our own fundraising. We get nothing from the Ayto.
> 
> It's not just a case of 'dog in, dog out'. We have two paid staff -we pay pitiful wages, just above the minimum, to my shame -and we have to meet food bills, cleaning material bills,maintenance of the kennels, phone and electricity, keep our van on the road and vet fees as well as the staff wages. Our vet is in attendance two days a week and for emergencies and charges very little but like everyone she needs money to live.
> ...


Mary, I do understand that it costs a fortune to run a pet shelter, but not everyone can afford to give large sums of money. What would rather have? One donor giving £1000 per month or 300 donors giving £5 per week?

My point was, every little helps and not everyone can afford to give BIG.

On a lighter note, I actually did rescue a neighbour's dog from a horrible death. Pepe has three dogs and looks after them well,every day they get to roam free along his and our terraces, They are well fed and get regular vetinary care, but the youngest one went missing for a few hours. Pepe was worried that the pup had wandered onto the road and been hit by a car. That wasn't the case.

What had happened was the pup had strayed onto the property of another neighbour's summer home and fell into an old water deposit, which was almost empty, but it was up to it's neck in cold,black, stinking water.

Whilst I was working outside, I could him barking,but thought nothing of it as he barks all the time. When Pepe said he was missing, I decided to go look for the source of the barking and after 30 minutes found him shivering,in shock,terrified at the bottom of this old water deposit. Too deep to reach in and pull him out, we got a ladder and lifted him out.

After a warm water bath (to warm him and try to get rid of the smell) he seemed fine,but he goes to the vet to get checked asap.

Lovely little dog, but nuttier than a sack of squirrel crap.... Me, I'm just glad I done something good today


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

dunmovin said:


> Mary, I do understand that it costs a fortune to run a pet shelter, but not everyone can afford to give large sums of money. What would rather have? One donor giving £1000 per month or 300 donors giving £5 per week?
> 
> My point was, every little helps and not everyone can afford to give BIG.
> 
> ...



Well done..a truly good deed.

The money issue isn't that simple. Put plainly it's like this...if everyone thought they could give us 'a few quid' we simply wouldn't be able to carry on.
We don't have the luxury of the choice you described...We don't have and will most likely never have 300 donors giving a fiver. Life for a struggling shelter isn't like that.

We are flexible when someone brings a dog in but we aren't a convenience for people to palm off their unwanted pets and the general public needs to know that. Every cent of our income is earned by our volunteers...we're currently organising our Christmas Fair. Every Sunday a volunteer stands in the Estepona Port in all weathers rattling a tin...Little old ladies bake cakes for our coffee morning...
A lot of people work hard to keep our shelter going and no-one should think that 'a few quid' is enough to deposit a dog which may need vet treatment with expensive medicines or which may be in our shelter until the end of its days, requiring food, water, clean accommodation. Sadly, all these things have a price.

We are on occasion flexible and very aware that many people are in desperate circumstances themselves. We are planning to open a clinic offering reduced price vet care for people who can prove they are unemployed or on pensions. 
But there are many people who will take advantage of our flexibility and if it were generally thought by the public that 'a few quid' is enough to give a shelter for looking after a dog, in a very short time there would be no ADANA...and I suspect the same could be said of many rescue organisations that struggle on a shoestring.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Have just returned from our kennels. Seven dogs in today...

We are forced to put too many dogs in each pen...resulting in fights and sometimes deaths.
We need to build new pens....costs money.


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## boxergirl (Nov 27, 2010)

I am not sure that I would put my dogs to a shelter if I could no longer look after them, I do not think I would put them through that stress. I would hate to think of them shivering in a corner with fear. No, not for my dogs.


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## ruefguet (Dec 8, 2011)

mrypg9 said:


> Have just returned from our kennels. Seven dogs in today...
> 
> We are forced to put too many dogs in each pen...resulting in fights and sometimes deaths.
> We need to build new pens....costs money.


How much does each pen cost?


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

boxergirl said:


> I am not sure that I would put my dogs to a shelter if I could no longer look after them, I do not think I would put them through that stress. I would hate to think of them shivering in a corner with fear. No, not for my dogs.


Well, people do. I couldn't do that either. Most people trot out two 'excuses...either that they are going back to the UK or they are moving into a new apartment and the landlord won't allow dogs....
There seems to be an awful lot of landlords who ban dogs and an awful lot of people moving into those kind of rental properties

As for returning to the UK....the question to be begged is...would you leave your children?

The plain fact is that for many people their attachment to their dogs is skin deep, sentimental. We had a dog brought in once, abandoned, with a collar with the words 'My Best Friend'. Says it all, really.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

ruefguet said:


> How much does each pen cost?


It's not the cost of the pens that is the problem...but we have to get permission from the Ayto. to extend our perrera as it's on their land on a long rent-free lease. I'm about to enter into negotiations over that. We have materials and labour.

The cost lies in wages of our two paid staff, one in the office dealing with the adoption paperwork for adoptions within Spain and elsewhere and the kennel manager responsible for cleaning, feeding, giving medicines prescribed by the vet and overseeing volunteers, in the food for over two hundred dogs and pups, cleaning materials, vets bills, general maintenance of the structures, fuel and maintenance of our ancient van, phone and internet....

As I've said before we need around 9000 euros a month to keep going.

And sadly we don't have 300 people turning up giving us a fiver each month....or ever. A wretched -looking Spanish guy brought in a dog he'd found today. He said he was existing on the 400 euros paro. I didn't press him for money but suggested he come and do a couple of hours' volunteer work. We'll see....


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## boxergirl (Nov 27, 2010)

Probably those who abandon their dogs would do the same to their kids. I am firmly of the view that when you get a dog you are in it for the long haul. Sickness and in health, richer and poorer - where did I hear that before?? I only wish that when people take on the responsibility they regard it as forever. If our circumstances were to change dramatically the dogs are safe. We have family that will take them and we would not have them if that were not the case. 

It is completely crazy that places like Adana are having to pick up the mess that irresponsible people are leaving behind. Yes there are strays in Spain but there is no excuse for the dogs that are just abandoned. Shelters do a great job but they are no way a home for the dogs.


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## boxergirl (Nov 27, 2010)

I used to volunteer for Adana, I saw some dead dogs, the result of fights that happened when nobody was there to stop it. Maybe people would think twice if they knew the harsh reality. Shelters are the last resort, not a holiday home until a new home is found, if ever.


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## dunmovin (Dec 19, 2008)

Is some sort of sponorship deal,with dog food, shampoo, flea treatment, type companies etc., an option for raising funds? Such a deal could also supply the shelter with these products at a reduced charge. Just about every vet or kennel I have taken pet to, be it in the UK, Hong Kong or Spain seems to promote some of these products.

A shelter seems the ideal place for them to have such an outlet. "First time" pet owners, who get a pet from a shelter are usually unprepared for the things the need to get for the pet, so advice is always helpful. The sponsor benefits, not only by sales, but also with the "good will" of being seen to help the shelter.

just a thought:ranger:


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

boxergirl said:


> Probably those who abandon their dogs would do the same to their kids. I am firmly of the view that when you get a dog you are in it for the long haul. Sickness and in health, richer and poorer - where did I hear that before?? I only wish that when people take on the responsibility they regard it as forever. If our circumstances were to change dramatically the dogs are safe. We have family that will take them and we would not have them if that were not the case.
> 
> It is completely crazy that places like Adana are having to pick up the mess that irresponsible people are leaving behind. Yes there are strays in Spain but there is no excuse for the dogs that are just abandoned. Shelters do a great job but they are no way a home for the dogs.


No...we do our best but the sheer pressure of numbers on limited space makes it difficult to separate dogs into pens where there is less likelihood of fights occurring.

I can think of no circumstance however dreadful that would make us abandon Our Little Azor.
When we got him as an eight-week-old pup in Prague a friend said 'Now you are three'.
How true. He is family.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

dunmovin said:


> Is some sort of sponorship deal,with dog food, shampoo, flea treatment, type companies etc., an option for raising funds? Such a deal could also supply the shelter with these products at a reduced charge. Just about every vet or kennel I have taken pet to, be it in the UK, Hong Kong or Spain seems to promote some of these products.
> 
> A shelter seems the ideal place for them to have such an outlet. "First time" pet owners, who get a pet from a shelter are usually unprepared for the things the need to get for the pet, so advice is always helpful. The sponsor benefits, not only by sales, but also with the "good will" of being seen to help the shelter.
> 
> just a thought:ranger:




And a good one, Willie...

We do get reduced prices for our dog food ..but our problem in getting this kind of deal would be that we couldn't provide enough customers to make a deal worthwhile.

Most people who adopt our dogs come well-prepared. After all, they may have spent a lot of time on our website, comparing dogs, reading the information we provide about each dog...

Before we got Our Little Azor we had everything ready...bowls, bed, toys, lead, collar...


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## dunmovin (Dec 19, 2008)

mrypg9 said:


> And a good one, Willie...
> 
> We do get reduced prices for our dog food ..but our problem in getting this kind of deal would be that we couldn't provide enough customers to make a deal worthwhile.
> 
> ...


But not everyone is like you or I. I was thinking more along the lines of products that have to constantly renewed such as food, flea and tick treatment, shampoo, treats,etc.. also you could offer advertising space on the website.

every little bit would help, the shelter gets a sponsor, there is a profit margin on each sale, the pet owner knows where to come to get the product, and as trusted source would keep coming back. the shelter gets income, the sponsor gets sales and "word of mouth" knowledge of the product, the pet adopter knows where to go to get the product.

It's a multi billion industry and they can well afford to advertize, and your cause's advantage would be "long after they have stopped buying from us, they will still seek your products, no matter where they are"

Collars, leads, beds, baskets, etc., have a "long life", but food and monthly flea & tick treatment, shampoo etc.,need to renewed constantly.

When someone comes to adopt a dog, "Well while he/she has been here, we fed he /she this and treated he/she with that. I suggest that you don't change his/her diet, not for while anyway, and keep up the treament. If your local pet shop can't supply it, call us and we'll get it sent you."

A few words done the right way will get more money than most people think...you help the adopter... get a donation, the sponsor gets sales ,repeat business and "good will and word of mouth advertising".


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

dunmovin said:


> But not everyone is like you or I. I was thinking more along the lines of products that have to constantly renewed such as food, flea and tick treatment, shampoo, treats,etc.. also you could offer advertising space on the website.
> 
> every little bit would help, the shelter gets a sponsor, there is a profit margin on each sale, the pet owner knows where to come to get the product, and as trusted source would keep coming back. the shelter gets income, the sponsor gets sales and "word of mouth" knowledge of the product, the pet adopter knows where to go to get the product.
> 
> ...


We do have some products at the perrera and we do advertise our sponsors on our website and via our Boletin.
But we simply don't get the trade to justify having a large number or range of products. 
We operate in a relatively poor area, unlike shelters further along the coast, some of which are supported financially by their Town Halls.
We have very little security at our shelter which is in an isolated spot and we have been burgled many times. We have had dog food, microchips and other items stolen. Thieves have attached hooks to our rejas and tried to tow them away from the windows....
We leave very little of value that is portable up there now.

Truly, we have thought of almost everything that could be thought of to raise funds... We have investigated such schemes and found them not viable. 

As for supplying products on demand...no can do. All suggestions ultimately rely on someone seeing them through and our volunteers, paid staff and numerous fundraisers are all working flat out as it is.


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