According to the news website Canarias24.com, there has been a sharp increase in the number of animals abandoned by their owners in 2009. As the recession has become ‘El Crisis” more people are finding it difficult to keep looking after their dogs, but with less donations coming in, the hard working rescue shelters are struggling to cope.
In Tenerife there is no government funded RSPCA, so the animal rescue centres are largely run by volunteers and are totally dependent on goodwill and charity.
There are several ways you can help. Firstly by donating money, but perhaps if you can also spare some of your free time, the doggies at K9 and Live Arico love to be taken for a walk and get out of their kennels for a bit. Walking is of course a very good way of keeping fit, so rather than spending lots of money at a gym, why not go for it – Walk a Dog and both you and the dogs get some healthy exercise!
Live Arico (649 001 907) also need volunteers to help with cleaning the kennels and help out in their charity shop in Costa Silenco. They are currently hoping to find a more permanent site for the rescue centre and you can help them achieve this by donating enough to buy a square metre of land for the shelter.
If you have any spare stuff suitable for car boot sales (good quality items only please), K9 (667 638 468) would appreciate them for their regular market stall held every Sunday at Happy Days Bowls & Tennis Club, Garanana, Costa del Silencio from 8am until midday and on the second Saturday of each month outside Shimmers Bar in Callao Salvaje from 10.30 am until 1pm.
Of course if you’re thinking of getting a dog, please consider adopting from one of the rescue shelters on the Island before buying from a pet shop or a breeder. But do also think carefully before taking on a dog. That old cliché “A Dog is For Life …” means that you should be thinking about vet bills, whether you have the time and the dog’s quality of life in general.
If you feel you can’t adopt a dog full time ‘for life’, then perhaps consider fostering. Both K9 and Live Arico are always looking for people to temporarily look after a doggie and give them some TLC for a while until they can be found a permanent home.
Here are some puppies who need a home … They are all aged 9 weeks and will grow to be small-to-medium-sized dogs. The pups are currently being looked after by Pete and Kate who run Poochies Pet Hotel. They help out Live Arico by fostering some of their abandoned dogs. If you can give one of these cuties a home, ring Pete on 661099365.
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