They Just Keep Coming

As the summer months roll on, the dogs just keep coming, I hate this time of year, it seems so much harder, more dogs, less donations, more stress. The heat continues to be an issue, and we are FULL, but of course when bad cases pop up, we find room, resources, and money. Two really bad cases came in recently, back to back, both we could not turn away, both have stretched us financially.

Lorenzo was found chained and starved, he was eating rocks to survive, how he was still alive we do not know, but he had the strength to hold on.

When we were asked to take him and help, it was an obvious yes, and thankfully nothing was medically wrong. Food was all Lorenzo needs, and time, he is improving every day, has gained weight, and has a fantastic personality.










Destiny was found the day after, again starved, and left to die.....

She sadly had many other issues, and has gone through major surgery. Destiny was found to have 14 mammary tumors, a huge tumor, and two hernias.

Thanks to your donations we have operated. and she is on the road to recovery, but it will be slow, but we are there, every step of the way.

Both of these dogs I could not say no to, and thankfully our supporters helped with costs, which I am grateful of, as there was simply no money left. So, thank you to every single one of you that support what we do, even a small amount can make a huge difference to these dogs.

Where Would You Like Me To Stick It?

We travel a lot with the dogs, so we know the drill, we know where to go, where to sit, and we also know how bloody uncomfortable it is going to be. Although airlines, state you can travel with animals in the cabin, and state an 8kg dog, in a airline approved bag what they mean is a 1kg dog, in a teeny bag.

We transport our cabin dogs in airline approved dog rucksacks, this gives them plenty of room, we can wheel them around making it better for us and the dog.

However, they are quite large, so when it comes to getting on the plane, this is when the fun begins. Anyone who travels will know that attempting to get comfortable on a plane is impossible. The seats are designed to provide the least amount of comfort, and certainly not fit more than you in them.

Many times there is no one sitting next to you when you have animals which is great, as the dog goes on the floor next to you, taking up the whole floor space. When the plane is full, this is when the fun begins, So, there is me all 6ft of me, one handbag and a dog rucksack to cram into the seat.

Handbag under seat in front, knees up against the seat in front as that is how I have to travel, praying the guy in front doesn't whack his seat back. and very large, heavy dog bag and dog on lap.

 Is this allowed nope, and the stewardess, always walks past, stops, tuts, and says "madam, your dog needs to go on the floor" With which I reply sweetly "where would you like me to stick it as there is no room" You can physically not fit the bag on the floor and your legs. Slight design fault there airline.

Nothing about the next 2.5 hours of my life is pleasant, the bag gets heavier, the guy in front always tries to put his seat back, but of course he cant because the bag is there, so he moans, and mutters. the person sitting next to you often has a look of horror that you have an animal on the plane, and treat you as if you have toxic waste on board.

Then because the bag is pushing on your bladder, the need to pee is an issue, but you cannot move, not even an inch for the whole flight. You cant sleep, due to the muttering, the bag, the need to pee, so you sit and stare at the dog fast asleep in the bag, thinking ..... rescue animals they said.... it would be fun they said....

Chaining Dogs!

Putting a dog on a chain is something that we see a lot here, and although at first I was very adamant ALL dogs should be unchained, there are situations now where I understand the owner. The problem is we always focus on the bad cases, and not the legitimate reason why a dog is chained.

Don't get me wrong, chaining a dog 24 hours a day, leaving it without food and water, or the chain being too short, or too heavy is not acceptable.

There are many Canarians that love their dogs, and education has meant that chaining is normal, and often they use the pully runs here, which I found very clever. These allow the dogs to run around the property, but not leave it.

As an owner of two dogs that love to escape I know how hard it is to keep a dog in when they want to get out. I don't chain my dogs, but I also spend most of my day screaming "get back in here arseholes", at them .

Before, anyone jumps on the all dogs can be trained to stay in an area, some can't. For some owners, chaining the dogs so they remain on the property when they are not there is the only option. Many owners don't live on their fincas, therefore, when they leave they want to know their dog will be there, when they return.

As with everything in the world, you need to look at all of the facts, and speak to the owner, to see why they chain their dogs. Every situation is different, and for some people we need to help to educate them on other ways, not just jump down their throat and declare they are bad owners.

When The Injuries Are Just Too Much!

Finding a dog on the street, you have no idea what injuries it has, or had in the past so it is a bit like the lottery and you don't always win. The police brought me a dog a while ago that was scaring the local children. He was thought to have been abandoned, and was wandering the streets trying to survive, but the locals wanted him gone.

The police were called as he was big, and not the best looking dog, he had obviously had a hard life, but I did not know the full extent until we xrayed.

Troll as we named him, walked strange, he had several old injuries, and his jaw was out of line. He had ribs sticking out of his side, and none of his feet lined up. His breathing was deep and he struggled when he walked, a lot like a 60 a day smoker. I could honestly see why he scared small children.

Although he was a stray, he was quiet, and no trouble at all. I decided the vets needed to see this dog to determine what could be fixed, and what was wrong in detail.

We xrayed Troll, and all stood there head in hands, as this dog had so many injuries we lost count. Nearly every bone in his body had been broken, and healed, he had so many injuries inside that how he was still alive and moving no one knew.

Many of his injuries had been caused by trauma, so being hit by a large vehicle, and  then hit over and over. One of his ribs had snapped and punctured his lung, and was sticking out. He was also positive for all four diseases we test for, including filaria, and tick disease. The pain this dog must have been in was unthinkable, yet he never once snapped, or growled at us.

The vet thought many of his injuries were years old, and could not be fixed, his recent ones were too severe to try. Sadly there was nothing we could do, it would be like sticking a plaster on a severed artery. We made the decision to let Troll die in dignity, and not in pain, how he had survived was a miracle, but he would suffer no more. You cannot save them all, but you can help them in some way!

Foul Mouthed Parrot

Parrots are an animal that I don't like, actually there are very few birds that I do like, unless they remain firmly by my feet. Birds flapping around my head, and squawking, have no appeal to me, and parrots and I have no love for each other. So, it was fantastic when I was asked to rehome a parrot, my main goal was to get it in a home that wasn't mine as fast as I possibly could.

The first challenge was to collect the parrot, thankfully it was in a cage, so I decided no eye contact, was needed. In the boot it went, but the whole time, I could feel his beedy little eyes staring at me, but I was fine, he was caged.  Suddenly, he wanted to be friends.. "Hola" came from the parrot, now I didnt want to be friends, so I decided ignoring him was the way forward.

He repeated "Hola" "Hola" "Hola" "Hola" for 10 solid minutes, so up went the stereo, and I continued to ignore him, hoping he would get the hint, well it works with my children. Suddenly, he stopped talking, thank the lord, it had worked.

How stupid was I, it had taken a breath to come back with a stream of "madre puta" and "Joder" this parrot swore more than me! So, all the way home I had to listen to loud parrot abuse. Once at home I had to settle it in, in fact I threw a blanket over the cage and left it alone.

Now under the covers it was quiet, so I decided when it was driven to its new home the next day, covered was the way forward. This plan was working perfectly, I had no parrot abuse, the sun was shining, and then the Guardia stepped out in front of the car.

No cause for concern, I had all paperwork, for me, car, and parrot, smiling sweetly at the Guardia he looked at the paperwork, and then asked to see the parrot. Oh REALLY! My heart sank, I knew what this small, feathered foul mouthed creature was capable of. The cover came off, and the Guardia smiled, as the parrot nicely said "hola" he replied with an amused "hola"

He turned, he went to walk, I threw the cover on as fast as I could, but I was too slow, the bloody parrot let rip. I had no where to run, no where to hide, as the parrot decided today was going to be his main display of current Spanish swear words, all directed at the man with the gun. In fact I should have asked him to shoot the bloody thing, but all I could think to say was " I am sooooooooo sorry"

Thankfully, he saw the funny side of things, and even called over all the other men to listen to a stream of parrot abuse. Ten minutes later, I was allowed to recover him, and continue on my way.

One parrot was safely dropped off at his new home, he remained covered whilst I was there, and I accidentally forgot to mention his wide choice of words.

Horny goat Noises

I like to get up in the morning, before anyone else, I usually can have 30 minutes of peace, before animals realize that I am awake. This includes checking emails, stalking Noseybook, and drinking coffee.... 30 minutes of indulgent silence. However, today that was broken with our Daddy goat expressing his love for the Mumma goat with some very loud horny goat noises.

Now these are a mix between BAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH and BWAHWAHBWAH. Daddy goat is a determined chap, and he was adamant that Mumma goat wanted some loving, and even if she didn't he was going to tell the whole neighborhood that he did. Alongside the noise, there are flapping, bleating, yodeling sounds, which sound a little like Chewbacca.

As Daddy yodels his mating call for Mumma, who has no interest at all, his ears flap around, which is amusing for about the first 10 minutes, but after a while it is annoying.

Now he is determined as the signs were clear she was not up for loving anytime soon, as she headbutted and ran away. The only time he stopped was when food was put in front of him.

Hoping this was the end of it, but I was wrong, as he was now energized, and ready for more! So, for the time being we have to listen to the strange warbling of a horny goat.

Asking For Money!

All I seem to do is ask for money, and although people must think I love it, in fact I hate asking. The problem is without the donations I cannot do what I do. Every few days at the moment I seem to be asking, but the reality is if I don't get donations there is no charity. The haters think I make millions, and that there is a huge pot of money the sad fact is I struggle every single day.

This month has been so hard, as during the summer months donations are slow, don't get me wrong the people that donate are amazing, but people have holidays and other things to spend on.  The shop is really quiet during the summer months, and the rent still has to be paid. We have had some serious cases come in, some big surgeries, and all of these find me sat in my office trying to push money from one place to another.

I am grateful for every single euro that comes in, and although you may not think it, but even 1 euro does help, as they all add up. On my main page I have 4898 followers which is amazing, imagine if every single one of them donated just 1 pound...... That would clear my vets every month, and help not to put me in an early grave with stress.

So, with Jacko just out of surgery, Destiny booked for Monday and five castrations to pay for next week, along with the feed, rent, electricity, and shop rent that is due, I am still hoping for that lotto win. Until then...... if you could donate 1 euro I would really appreciate it... Thank you :)

You can either paypal to petpalsgc@gmail.com sending as family and friends, or we get charged.

Spanish bank account:

PET PALS GC
LA CAIXA
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MRS L BAKER

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