Two dogs need a new home after their owners, a Dutch husband and wife, died recently within four days of each other in the village of Porches, near Lagoa.
Mark Rink, the president of emergency-aid organisation ECDE International, has personally committed himself to finding a new home for Olly and Caspar, a Labrador and Golden Retriever.
As a result of a heart problem, the 62-year old woman passed away two weeks ago. As her husband could speak neither Portuguese nor English, Mark Rink handled the funeral arrangements.
The couple were members of ECDE, which provides assistance and various services to foreign residents and tourists in the Algarve.
Because the undertaker did not obtain an answer when he visited the couple’s home in Porches on Monday last week, a staff member of the ECDE, after calling relatives in Holland, was able to enter the house with the GNR on Thursday.
That was when they found the body of the man, 68, in his bed. The authorities are now investigating the cause of death.
The dogs had no food or drink for four days.
“This is a very sad affair,” says Mark Rink, who will now arrange the second funeral in two weeks’ time on behalf of the families, who live in Holland and America.
ECDE provides members in the Algarve with various services that arise as a result of a medical emergency. One of these is ECDE providing the Algarve emergency services with both concise directions to members’ homes and relevant medical information about the members.
This will aid the speed and effectiveness of the emergency services’ response to a member’s 112 call.
“In this case, our help came too late. The only thing we could do was assist with translations and provide notification to relatives,’’ said Mark Rink.
Mark Rink has also arranged for shelter and care for the dogs at the local municipal shelter, “where they won’t be able to stay for long,” he said. He is now searching for a home for the two dogs and hopes they will be able to stay together. “They have experienced enough trauma and loss,” said Mark.
If you think you can help, contact Mark Rink on 912 391 022 or email [email protected].
To know more about the services provided by ECDE, please visit www.imergencies.com
