Goldra
There are now 10 dogs & 9 cats in need of new homes
The process of winding up the Quintinha Association is in hand with the accountants.
We would like to thank everyone who has supported this venture especially during this last very difficult year.
The good news is that Cupid who hid in a cupboard is now with a very caring couple who are doing an excellent job in starting to socialize her. The even better news is that we have confirmed today that they want to keep her! Sparky, our older male, has also found a lovely new home. These two were considered to be un-homeable so we are delighted they have shown that with the right care they will start to flourish.
Now we have only 12 dogs who, through no fault of their own, have proved difficult to re-home. Some like Gemma and Sally are ready to go and the others, having been starved of human contact for varying lengths of time, will take a little longer to be ready.
As for the future a group of private individuals have decided to do all that is possible for the remaining dogs.
We realized that how to treat them was beyond our collective knowledge so some lateral thinking was called for. We have enlisted the help of Maria Clarke Ferrie who, as well as being an osteopath, has a wealth of knowledge of Alternative Medicines which she uses to treat animals. Maria came to Goldra and assessed all the dogs and they have started on a homeopathic course of treatment.
Also a chance meeting at the vet has lead to some more invaluable help from filmmaker Eric Jaspers – a film of the remaining dogs can be found on You Tube, Goldra Animal Shelter.mov
Progress of all the dogs can be followed on www.quintinha-animalcentre.org including updated reports from Maria and Eric.
More information about Maria and Eric and the work they do is also here on the website (below).
If you feel you have the time and patience to help one of our remaining dogs please contact
Evelyne: 918 915 625 or Marie: 914 673 117 to find out more.
You can also contact
Verna Kinder: pvkinder@mail.telepac.pt Tel: 282 449 395
or
Laura Mcgeoch: laura.sosalgarveanimals@hotmail.com Tel: 927 921 635
Maria Clarke Ferrie
I graduated in 1988 from the British School of Osteopathy in London, after 4 years of full time training, including 1000 hours of supervised clinical training. Plus post-graduate study and continuous professional education. Including 1 year on the staff at the Osteopathic Centre for Children. Innovative collaborative work with Dentists on TMJ (jaw pain) dysfunction. Teaching and general practice. I hold a Masters Degree in the Ethics of Healthcare, from the University of Wales, Swansea.
Osteopathy is not regulated yet in Portugal, check that your Osteopath is properly qualified: www.aposteopatia.com
What is good safe training for Osteopaths? www.bso.ac.uk
I have always had a love of animals, and I find working with animals a nice counterpoint to my work with people. I have 3 rescue dogs at home who are a handful, but wonderful companions. I have a great wealth of knowledge in the Alternative Medicine world and have over the years treated many animals of many types. My most recent venture is to source and supply Herbal Medicines for Dogs. This came about because my dog Mynie contracted Sarcoptic Mange, and I wanted to use
herbs to solve the problem rather than the Ivermectin used by the Vets, which is toxic to sheep dogs. I found a range of safe, ecologically sound and very effective herbal medicines from an Indian
company. They are prepared by veterinary scientists and chemists to very high standards, and are field trialled.
For more information about these products or to contact me about your dog, please visit the website: www.herbal-medicines-for-dogs.com.
Eric Jaspers
Eric Jaspers is a filmmaker and lives and works for a large part in the Algarve where he is involved in several projects related to film and video.
Eric: I think the Algarve is a wonderful place to live. I enjoy the space, the nature and the sea. Yet there are things I'm terribly disturbed by such as the amount of stray dogs. It bothers me a lot to see these helpless animals, often hit by a car, making them limping trough the villages looking for food. In most cases they are abandoned and neglected and many of them die a slow death by starvation or disease. Especially in the summer.
Every now and then the policy of the municipalities sent out dog catchers. But once in a dog kennel from the municipals where they live in horrific conditions if within ten days no one comes to claim these dogs than they are in most cases put to sleep. Although i understand the problem i think it's a lack of civilization to put any healthy animal to sleep.
Fortunately there are people who dedicate themselves to help these animals. I have a great respect for them because it a hard and often lost battle. As long as there is no structural sterilization campaigns, this problem will remain.
I want to try through my profession as filmmaker to help these private institutions, organizations or individuals by making short videos where needed as an extra tool in their search to find new homes. If there is an urgent matter I get my camera and go to the location to shoot the images, talk to the person involved and make a story. It works a bit like making a news item which I did a lot during my career. I'll upload the video on Youtube . Examples of these videos can be seen on my Youtube channel under my name ericjaspers are.
A website is under construction www.sos4pets.com where I will put all the videos with urgent SOS calls for abandoned animals in the Algarve and Alentejo. Along with the videos it would be good to have a pool of people who can help me out by writing stories and keep the site actual and up to date.
My goal is to make an educational DVD for the youth as extra tool for organizations that provide information campaigns throughout the schools. If there are people who want to help to realize or with the website or with the realization of the DVD please contact me by mail ericjaspers@gmail.com or you can call me 926029644.