From Plataforma NAC
Rick Beauchamp is a volunteer for SARA Protectora on Lanzarote, Canary Islands. He helps rehome rescued podencos in the UK. He writes about why he does it.
Very often people ask us why we bother rescuing dogs from Lanzarote when there are so many homeless here in the UK?
Our answer I feel rarely convinces, as you have to see the suffering of the dogs to really appreciate why we feel that we have absolutely no choice but to try and help.
Recently we came across this article on the SARA website www.saraprotectora.org.
I have transferred the article verbatim as it adds to the poignancy.
The Canary Islands Podencos need homes! SARA Protectora have some fabulous ones who wait and wait…and wait…Rick Beauchamp introduces you to some.
GUAPO NEEDS YOUR HELP Guapo was rescued from one of the “killing stations” on Lanzarote. He has been in SARA shelter since 23/3/2010, just over 5 years!!! He was only a very young dog when he was rescued, he is thought to be about 5 1/2 !! He is active and bouncy and loves other dogs. Hes a big lad too around 60 cm at the shoulders. An active chap like Guapo needs to be with a family, can anyone supply him with the love and kindness he so desparately needs? As with all the SARA dogs Guapo is neutered, microchipped and fully inoculated!
I am in the process of getting a consignment of dogs together so please message me if you can help Guapo or why not visit the SARA website www.saraprotectora.org and look at the other inmates,if you want further information on any one of them I’d gladly help. rick.beauchamp@express-recruitment.co.uk
Tell everyone what life is REALLY like on the Canary Islands – all of them, even the smallest island – for podencos. Please don’t turn away, your sorrow is nothing compared to the suffering of these hounds. If you want to help, get in touch with any of the associations on this list – they need all the help they can get.
On a recent post on my Podenco Post facebook page, a question was asked for help with insuring a podenco in the UK. Below I have posted the thread of the conversation. If any of you have experience which you can share, please do. (Each paragraph is a comment by a different person).
‘Some breed assistance with insurance please. Hope a Spanish Podenco three year old came from mainland Spain. Tesco pet insurance is classed as an Ibizan hound cost £12 month. Theo a Podenco Canario from Lanzarote, they want to class as a Cirneco dell’Etna same age cost £27 a month. They are now looking into matters but I suspect many of you are far more knowledgeable with the breed so any help you can give will be appreciated and any info on who you use to insure your poddies?
Another lovely rehoming story, from Janice Ball, who proves that podencos are addictive – you can’t have just one, you need more!
The story of how I came to own 4 Podencos is down to me joining facebook, until then I had never heard of a Podenco! I started to see them on various rescue sites and then I spotted Suzi who had been in kennels for over 2 years and no one had enquired about her, she really touched my heart strings and I just fell in love with her. I adopted her there and then and she came over in 2013. She has been with me now a year and she is the prettiest most loving dog ever who greets all her fellow brothers and sisters every morning with kisses and licks. She loves all people and dogs but is not too keen on cats or birds as she sees these as something to chase as she has almost certainly done a bit of hunting at some point in her past life in Spain.
Rescued as a puppy by SARA Protectora in Lanzarote, Marlin is now in foster in the UK and awaiting his forever home. Foster dad Rick describes this beautiful boy.
‘MARLIN 4 yr old Podenco Canario dog. Medium sized light tan coloured dog found wandering the streets as a puppy , having been in SARA shelter on Lanzarote since. Now in the UK and looking for a forever home!
He is neutered, microchipped, inoculated and passported. He is housetrained, people friendly, children friendly and dog friendly. Unlike many of his brred he has not shown any signs of being an escape artist in the garden or indeed interest in running off when on his walks. He much prefers to stay close to his friends where he can play chase the ball and chase each other!
PACMA is a political party in Spain, founded in 2003, fighting the abuse and maltreatment of animals. This is a report on their website on a recent action against the Autonomous Government of the Canary Islands. (google translation)
‘Next March will be a year of delivery of a request to amend the Law 8/1991 on the Animal Protection Party Animalista – PACMA the Canary Islands Government and backed by 30,070 signatures collected throughout the archipelago.
To animals, every day is the same, there are no fete days, bank holidays, Easter, Christmas. Their main concern is a warm bed, food and fresh water, and caring hands. Many people will have whizzed off to the Canary Islands for Christmas in the sun – spare a thought for all the volunteers working to look after all the abandoned and rescued dogs – specially the podencos – most of whom will spend their lives in a refuge unless they are adopted abroad.
Sara Protectora on Lanzarote has over 150 dogs and 70 cats. Read more about their work here – click on the Union Jack for the english pages. More on their work here and a photo album
The Canary Island podencos have a very hard life and here’s just one example. Meet Clavel, or Carnation in English. Here is what SARA say.
Clavel is the name we have given to this little male podenco, which the owner brought to our premises on the order of Seprona, who went to the house to process the complaint. They ordered that the dog be taken to our kennels to be treated and of course to be found a new home. The owner knew that the eye had been bad for a long time and that as of course it hadn’t been treated, the eye just exploded, with all the suffering that entails.
It was necessary to remove the eye and now he is recuperating from the operation.
Thank you to Seprona for taking action for this little dog and bringing him to us so that he can be treated.
If you would like to offer Clavel a loving forever home, contact SARA Protectora.
