Dear Editor,
With the New Year just around the corner, another year has passed us by and 2013 has been a year with many ups but equally as many downs. We lost a truly dear friend and supporter in March – Peta Birch. We are honoured to have known her but it is still a devastating loss.
As the year continued, we have experienced an enormous increase in the number of abandoned dogs. There is a never-ending stream of animals in need and sadly it is not getting any better…
We did make a difference for 288 dogs, puppies, cats and kittens which have found lovely homes both here in Portugal, but also in Germany, Holland and the UK.
Our work in other areas has continued. Our help with the sterilisation and return of female cats and dogs continues, and throughout 2013 we have helped another 150 cats and dogs in this way.
We have also worked on some difficult projects to release dogs from abusive and neglectful situations. One of the hardest such projects was the 40+ dogs in Rogil, Aljezur. Sadly, although we were not able to save all these dogs, many were freed and our work and publicity on similar situations will continue next year.
We would love to do more but we cannot do it alone … The festive season seems to be the perfect time to reflect and look back, and new plans, ideas and changes are being developed and discussed. We are hoping that 2014 will be the start of a bigger change for animals in Portugal.
Wishing everyone a Happy New Year from SOS Algarve Animals.
Ginie de Weerd
www.sosalgarveanimals.com
