Actin, as a non-rescue, may not be the people’s first choice to Support or to follow.
Why should you support us?
Please let me explain; let me give you an example of what we are dealing with daily.
A photo of a dog hanging from a balcony was sent out to us with a plea to help it. We had no idea where the dog was, or how we could help. After 24 hours we finally found where the dog was, the difficulty had been that the witness had withdrawn, as they feared the owner of the dog.
Well-meaning people had helped the dog and saved it from its fall. They handed her back to the owner in good faith, not realising that the man had kicked the dog like a football, which was how she came to be hanging from the balcony.
Shortly afterwards this man killed his dog, she was elderly and sick as it was…perhaps he thought it was cheaper than taking her to the vet.
We persuaded witnesses to come forward in spite of their fear of this well-known local man.
These are the types of cases we are trying to help and deal with every day. Please sponsor us, join as members, share our dogs that need homes, donate, but please stand by us in this most difficult task that we have set ourselves. Our major cases currently are the Pound - in court for animal abuse, but this heart rending story of the dog hanging from a balcony was too much to bear for us.
We understand that the joy of helping an animal to be saved from a pound, or rescued, and then watching the progress of the dog as the rescue gets them back to health is so rewarding. But Actin do all of this and more.
Why aren't we a rescue?
Why we don't say we are a rescue when we do rescue is complicated - firstly that was not in our constitution and we had plans to work on the cure. We know if we become a rescue which we easily could, (it’s so necessary), that we will never have time for what we set out to do – we are already struggling with the dogs we have had to save. The time and effort needed to keep them healthy, safe and get them adopted is incredible.
We have grown as an Association and seen what we need to do to make changes for animals. First, we fight for the rights for animals by acknowledging the cruelty and abandonment and not tolerating it. The more we and others do this, the more likely it is that the statistics will stack up and prove Spain has a problem with animal welfare. Of course you and I know they have a problem but the powers that be tell us they don’t! – Why don’t they admit it? - because there are not enough proven statistics. The reason for this is because they make it so hard to report and to prosecute that no one really knows how to do it, or see it through. That is where Actin comes in, this is what we have been building towards for the last 2 years.
Next is sterilisation; hard work but a lot is needed to put into this, it is a whole other project that we are working on. And last but not least is education…that is being taken care of by many good Spanish associations, doing talks in schools and gradually this will get better.
But what about educating the ignorant, those that are brought up in a country where animals are not given respect. We speak to Farmers and hunters and people who need to know better. Sometimes it’s successful and sometimes it’s not but it needs to be done. Another slow but sometimes rewarding outcome in the move to get Spain’s attitude to animals into the 21st century is when we hand one of our posters with advice on to a neglectful owner and the next day they have given proper food, water and shade to their dog.
If you watch any of the UK TV shows, the animal rescuers who make welfare visits, you will see the amount of work that goes into a visit, a report, a discussion with the owner and if necessary the eventual removal of the animal. We do all this but we don’t have the support of government, or an animal welfare act to back us up – although we are always careful to do everything legally and correctly.
We need help to grow to take things a step further. We need help with funding, adoptions for our dogs and support from other Associations to help us with the dogs we rescue.
Read more from source: July newsletter
Subscribe to the newsletter here
Become a member of Actin & help us, please. Members area
