Archives: Shelter

Greece has been a country in financial crisis for sometime now. Many people are struggling to keep afloat and unfortunately the first to pay the price is the family pet. Even though Greece has always had a large stray animal population, since the economic downfall, this number has exploded and with it comes an overwhelming number of injuries and incidences of cruelty because these dogs and cats that were once domesticated are now forced to live on the streets to fend for themselves.  

Noah's Little Ark in Chania, Crete, a small animal welfare and rescue group established in 1993 was founded by Silke Wrobela, a local citizen who could not longer turn her back on the homeless animals and decided to dedicate her life to looking after the stray and injured domesticated and wild animals of Chania, Crete.

Noah’s Little Ark, although recognized by the local government for its services, does not receive any funding for what they do. The costs for caring, feeding and vetting the overwhelming amount of strays that cross their paths are exorbitant. Although the police and fire departments, coast guard and municipality contact them for aid whenever they are faced with an injured or sick animal, the funding is non-existent.

As you can imagine, their expenses have skyrocketed and because the crisis is not  only limited to Greece, their donations have decreased as well. At the moment they have approximately 500 mouths to feed in their shelters and are finding it terribly difficult to keep up with expenses. They are working at a bare minimum with no heat, no electricity but their animals are fed and medically attended to as best they can. However, they fear that this will not be the case soon for the number of animals under their care is multiplying daily.  Sadly, the Greek government has stopped them from rehoming the dogs and cats to other parts of the world, so their only option is to desperately search for funding before they have to consider the unimaginable, turning the animals away.

A Shelter Support Grant from SPCA International will enable them to stay afloat for just a short while. Please consider sharing this page so they could get even greater help from animal lovers like you around the globe.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/littlenoahsark/

Tanzania Animals Protection Organization (TAPO) is a non-government organization founded in 2000 focusing on the protection and welfare of all animals in the United Republic of Tanzania.  In 2005 TAPO became a registered animal welfare organization and boasts more than 50 members and supporters.

TAPO’s founder works with five volunteers to help educate the public in the city of Dar es Salaam through their “Relationships with Animals in our Communities” project. Constantly evolving their programs to address the issues faced by the public and animals, TAPO ensures that all major troubles are addressed. In addition to public and school education TAPO has also participated in National Farmers Day exhibitions and most recently started the Animal Mobile Clinic for Donkeys.

Through the month of September TAPO, with support from SPCA International, is running a rabies vaccine drive to help further protect the animals of Tanzania.

https://www.facebook.com/tapo.tanzania

https://www.facebook.com/TanzaniaTAPO

SPCA Ouest de L’Ile, located just outside Montreal, Quebec in Canada, was started in the summer of 2013 when a few like-minded individuals had a strong drive to make a difference in the way animals are treated in this region and around the world.

After just 6 months of working tirelessly around the clock, the small team secured a building, renovations began and only 3 months later, in February of 2014, they opened their doors to the public and began realizing their dream to help animals in need.

Fast forward to one year later and over 1300 animals have already been rescued from a life of misery, vetted, sterilized and placed into loving homes.

SPCA Ouest De L’Ile provides effective means for the prevention of animal cruelty by seeking to improve the treatment of animals through public education, legislation, inspections and seizures and by collaborating with allied organizations. A Shelter Support Grant means that they will finally be able to complete the construction of some much needed dog enclosures so that they could help even more animals in need!

https://www.facebook.com/spcaouest

In 2007 the municipality run animal shelter that was based inside the city of Trikala, Greece was shut down. The dozens of dogs who were living there were abandoned on the outskirts of the city near a dump to fend for themselves without any food, water or shelter. Most did not survive due to the harsh conditions of the area and often died a slow painful death from disease and starvation. Those that did manage to survive were rounded up by 2 of the previous shelters volunteers, Xanthi and Valentina who were determined to start their own shelter to prevent another situation like this from ever happening again.

The Mayor gave them the use of a small plot of land with facilities for only 30 dogs and left them to their own devices. Without any support from the government, the two women exhausted their personal resources to care for the dogs. They would regularly visit restaurants hoping for the wastes of the day but sadly they were most often turned away and would only have enough money to give the dogs stale bread to eat. The amount of stray dogs in Greece is overwhelming, and the neglect and cruelty one can witness on a daily basis is horrifying.

The Trikala Animal Shelter is a small, no kill facility with 186 Dogs packed into a small area meant for only 100 dogs. They do not have room to bring in the 200 other stray dogs and cats around the area to keep them safe from poisonings, shootings, and abuse from the townspeople. They struggle to raise enough money to feed the dogs everyday and have unfortunately resorted to feeding them every other day to stretch the food out because donations have slowed down.

They urgently need help with funding for medical care, food, sterilizations and recently the structure of the building has failed causing drainage problems that result in greater illness amongst the dog population. A grant from SPCAI will only help them for a short period of time. Without more support, the dogs will go hungry and get sicker each day. Please consider sponsoring a Trikala Shelter Dog through their Guardian Angel Program at: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.464862943589892.1073741859.130025687073621&type=3.

http://www.trikalaanimalwelfare.com

On April 25^th, 2015, a devastating earthquake hit Nepal, the largest to hit the region in over 80 years killing approximately 9,000 people and injuring many more. Thousands of people were displaced and forced to stay in temporary camps as homes and villages were destroyed and built-up areas were feared unsafe. Humanitarian aid workers from around the globe rushed to help the stranded people of Nepal to help support the survivors in the aftermath.

While individuals from around the world rushed to the aid of this human tragedy, the volunteers at The Kathmandu Animal Treatment Centre (KAT Centre) dedicated around the clock efforts to the rescue of the animals affected by the earthquake and subsequent aftershocks that killed many more. Their emergency vets and rescuers took to the streets day and night to help the many frightened and injured animals so they could begin life-saving treatment and care of abandoned companion animals as well. Like people, animals were left without food, water and shelter and were at high risk of disease.

It is estimated that more than 20,000 dogs live on the streets of Kathmandu, Nepal. The Kathmandu Animal Treatment Centre (KAT Centre) is a non-profit registered charity organization dedicated to improving the welfare of these animals. They rely solely on donations and volunteers. SPCA International is proud to supply this incredible organization that is facing many challenges post disaster with an emergency grant and a large shipment of veterinary supply aid thanks to your generous support.

http://www.katcentre.org.np/

Bhaktapur Animal Welfare Society (BAWS) is a professional non-government organization involved in welfare, well-being, safety and protection of animals in Bhaktapur, Nepal and surrounding areas.  The organization was established in April 2011 under the Social Organization Registration Act 2034 by a group of young professional veterinary doctors and animal lovers that teamed up with the motive to help the miserable plight of animals in Nepal, particularly the stray dog population.  The group initially started with treatment of stray animals on an ad hoc basis in the Suryabinayak, Bhaktapur periphery. The successful treatment of many of those animals motivated the group to form an organization and work in a systematic way.

In the first few days after Nepal’s April 25 quake, the doctors at BAWS were occupied around the clock trying to help people and animals in their immediate vicinity. They pulled bodies out of collapsed brick buildings and ferried corpses to the morgue in their vehicles. Many animals suffered broken limps and required amputations as well as hydration and nourishment days and weeks after the disaster. The team at BAWS never gave up.

BAWS is currently involved in other various activities such as Animal Birth Control (ABC) Program, Rescue Treatment and Release (RTR), Mass Anti-Rabies Vaccination Camps (MARV) and also educational support for local awareness.

http://bawsbhaktapur.blogspot.com/

https://www.facebook.com/BhaktapurAnimalWelfareSociety

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIR5ODKf084

Alan and Jane Brian founded Pepi’s Dog Refuge, located in Seville, Spain in 2005 after witnessing some of the cruelest treatment of dogs. The sanctuary aims to provide the many stray and abandoned dogs with shelter and veterinary care.

Due to the location of the refuge the sanctuary receive a large number of Galgos (Spanish Greyhounds), abandoned at the end of hunting season. The hunters who use them to catch hare dispose of approximately 50,000 of these gentle and beautiful dogs in some of the most barbaric ways. The Galgos Centre was created at Pepi's Dog Refuge to help cope with the number of abandoned and injured Galgos. Here these wonderful dogs receive medical attention, shelter and are rehabilitated so that they can find a loving home.

The amount of dogs Alan and Jane rescue continues to grow and the buildings used to house them do too. SPCA International is lending a hand with the expansion of the Galgos Centre by providing funds for a much-needed new water pipe that will supply fresh running water for the animals at the shelter.

http://www.pepisdogrefuge.com/

Located in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, Unidad de Protección Animal provides sterilization, medical care, and shelter to hundreds of animals every year.

Operating on a modest budget, in 2015 Unidad de Proteccion Animal aided 200 dogs, 162 cats, 110 horses, 53 birds, 23 cows and 1 sea lion. Rural and low-income communities benefit from their mass sterilization and vaccination projects as well as their continued education on the life and ethical treatment of animals.

SPCA International has supported Unidad de Protección Animal with Veterinary Supply Aid and is now proud to support their efforts to bring a mobile veterinary clinic to the people and animals of Santo Domingo.

When the founders of My Precious Mutt in St. Petersburg, Russia, first moved to Beloostrov, they had no plans to start an animal shelter. However, very soon after their move, they were confronted with a frightening reality: scores of abandoned animals roaming the streets. These were the "live toys" that Beloostrov's summer residents had left behind, discarded once their vacation was over. Even though their family already included 4 dogs and 10 cats, they could not turn a blind eye to the numbers of unwanted and starving animals pleading in the streets. One year later, the number of dogs in their household grew to 10 and the number of cats, to 20.
  
Years passed and even though their resources dwindled, the number of abandoned animals didn’t.. For 10 years, even after they started the shelter, they managed by dipping into their own savings, but the needs to continue to grow and funding is running out.

For the most part the shelter has no paid workers. There are only a few non-paid volunteers, who dedicate their hours to repairs, maintenance, finding scarce supplies and helping with adoptions and care for the animals.

They desperately need our help. Through our Shelter Program and with your support, we can deliver financial aid to My Precious Mutt and other shelters alike. Please consider supporting and sharing their story so more unwanted animals could find the love and care they so deserve.

www.lyubimayadvornyaga.jimdo.com/english