ARCHIVED - The high cost of a little ray of sunshine

She may look cute but this adorable little pup is about to push up the monthly vets bill even higher

Which is why she was unceremoniously dumped into the arms of Friends of Mazarrón Animals when they went to pick up three unwanted greyhounds from a local hunter.

"The times they are a changing", the regional government has legislated to prevent the sacrifice of many thousands of stray dogs, local councils are starting to designate "Concejalías for the welfare of animals" as has occurred in Mazarrón after the last election for the first time ever and the Guardia Civíl are all too happy to make arrests and initiate prosecutions against those found to be maltreating animals, but as animal rescue volunteers know all too well, sick dogs and unwanted dogs have a habit of "disappearing" when they have outlived their welcome, an unpleasant death the alternative to costly veterinary care.

Greyhounds or galgos are often those which suffer most, used by hunters until they fail to hunt successfully, get old or incur an injury, all of which are normally the death knoll for greyhounds failing to perform.

Not all hunters kill their dogs; some prefer to release them and let them take their chance on the motorways, but there are certainly some who don´t think twice about putting a bullet in the brain of a dog in their care and in spite of the revulsion evoked by the spectacle, there are still instances of hunting dogs being hung in this region and other parts of Spain.

Local animal welfare volunteers work not only to rescue maltreated dogs and those cast out onto the streets, but also prevent unwarranted cruelty and sometimes dialogue with local hunters results in dogs being handed over to those willing to take them on and ensure they find a better life rather than the dogs "disappearing" mysteriously when they are no longer considered to be fit enough to hunt.

At the weekend three such dogs and little Sunshine were collected from a local hunter and after veterinary inspections and temporary foster care, will be moved to dedicated greyhound charities who rehome them.

Very often dogs are sent abroad in collaboration with other charities, but the journey will be somewhat longer for Sunshine as she must first undergo veterinary treatment for a bone problem in her leg, probably caused by lack of nutrition in spite of being a very young dog; undoubtedly the reason why her former owner was so keen to get rid of her.

Unfortunately funds are somewhat tight at the moment; Friends of Mazarrón Animals rescued nearly 40 puppies over the festive season, and although the charity is well supported and very active at raising funds for the work it undertakes, the vet bill this month has swollen to nearly 5,000 euros, due principally to many cases of parvo amongst the rescued pups.

The charity will always try to help sick and injured animals but can only do so if it has the funds to pay for vet fees and the costs of rehoming the animals it rescues.

So if you were thinking about buying a bottle of something fizzy and a selection of chocolates which will only make your loved one fat this Valentine's day, perhaps give them a little ray of sunshine instead and tell them they've made a donation to make the lives of unwanted animals better:

Friends of Mazarrón Animals
📧 PayPal fma.murcia@gmail.com
☎️ +34 626960354

Or via the go fund me appeal

https://www.gofundme.com/f/friends-of-mazarron-animals…

(or make a donation to any one of the other charities helping animals in this area....)

Join the Around Mazarrón group on Facebook to keep up to date with all the latest news and events in the municipality of Mazarrón;https://www.facebook.com/groups/AroundMazarron/

See the Murcia community section for more information about local expat activities.

Tel: Lisa 626 960 354

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Friends of Mazarrón Animals help to rehome unwanted and abandoned animals in the Mazarrón area.

The primary aim of the association FMA is to help unwanted and abandoned animals in the Mazarrón area.  They are a non-profit making association, run by volunteers, whose main aim is to re-home animals - many are sent abroad through their work with other charities.  They have no kennels so the money they receive goes towards veterinary care costs as well as the costs of re-homing.  They rely on donations and funding and run many events to raise funds.

Friends of Mazarrón Animals
📧 PayPal fma.murcia@gmail.com
☎️ +34 626960354

Or via the go fund me appeal

https://www.gofundme.com/f/friends-of-mazarron-animals