Other Ways We Help

There are many ways that we try to help other than just trying to find homes for animals.

Life on a Chain.  One of the saddest situations in Portugal is when a dog (or even a puppy) ends up being chained for life.  Sadly, the worst chain situations are ones where the dog has no shelter, is left in the full sun, has little food and (especially awful) little water.  This is not natural, it is inhumane, it is animal cruelty at its worst.  Unfortunately, it is also a problem and abuse that is often ignored in Portugal.  This should not be confused with dogs who are chained while their owners are unable to supervise their animal at all times, and the animal only spends part of its time on the chain.  It is illegal to enter a private property and take an animal from a chain.  If you take the dog it is also probable that the owners will simply get a new dog or puppy and subject it to the same horrible type of life.  The advice that we find works best is to try to  befriend the owners.  Visit, bring a bag of dog food.  Make up some story about how your own dog has died and how you are feeling lonely.  Bring a used dog house that your “own dog” used but that you no longer need.  Try everything, work slowly, and perhaps you can improve that poor dogs quality of life just a little bit.

Individual Animals from Owners.  If an animal has an owner who can no longer keep the animal, it will often soon become abandoned.  Although we feel that an animal is an onwer’s responsibility for life, it is not the fault of the animal when the owner can no longer fulfill his or her obligations.  Sadly, we do not help all of these animals, and are most likely to be able to help when the owner gives us advance notice of their deadlines, but some lucky animals we have been able to help.  But, there remain far too many animals in the Algarve for all such animals to find homes, and many will end up in local shelters.

Group Animals from Owners.  Sometimes, individuals will have serious situations where they have many animals which they can no longer care for.  Unfortunately, these will be situations where a person has too many dogs or cats to offer adequate care.  Although it is extremely sad, we often cannot help all these animals, and many will have to go into shelters.  However, we also try to first access the situation, often finding volunteers to feed and care for these animals to gain us some time to be able to rehome some of the animal family.

Sad Situations.  Unfortunately, there are many special situations which arise.   Some are heartbreaking and some have happy endings.  Every situation is different.

Street Animals. Please visit Found A Stray And What to Do for more information.  The most important and the best help you can offer is to sterilize any and all females!

It is impossible to save all abandoned animals of the Algarve, but we can help a special few!

	A Matilha Dog' Story (Disturbing Images) - Other Ways We Help Added: May 19, 2013 Location: TBA Description: Please open this link when you are ready to take action. "To Say Nothing, To Do Nothing, Stops Nothing". We have included only the least disturbing images on the link to the website, opening this behi... View
	Honey and 3 Puppies - Other Ways We Help - Unavailable For Now Added: Jan 16, 2013 Location: TBA Description: Honey and the three puppies (2 girls and 1 boy) are now in the loving hands of a volunteer foster family. They have just opened their eyes! So we think their date of birth is about January 15 and they... View
	Other Ways We Help - Boliqueime Rescue Added: Sep 16, 2012 Location: TBA Description: We desperately need help to be able to feed 10 abandoned dogs from now until the end of November. Every euro will help, mostly with the costs of food, water and if possible a little petrol money to th... View
	Other Ways We Help - Areeiro Rescue Added: Aug 10, 2012 Location: TBA Description: For more information about the rescue of these four dogs please visit http://sosalgarveanimals.com/areeiro-rescue... View
	Other Ways We Help - Gypsy Camp 4 Estradas Added: Jul 19, 2012 Location: TBA Description: We recently went to the gypsy camp at 4 Estradas accompanied by a new volunteer...well, we had a great afternoon. So friendly, so welcoming. We went on request to de-wurm their horses, especially the ... View
	Other Ways We Help - Sterilizations March/April Added: Apr 12, 2012 Location: TBA Description: These are photos of just some of the situations we have been trying to help with sterilizations. In total, March/April so far 23 female dogs have been sterilized and returned, and a similar number of ... View
	Other Ways We Help - Leiria - Portugal At Its Worst January 5, 2011 Added: Jan 5, 2012 Location: TBA Description: Portugal At Its Worst - Jan 5th, 2011 There is an atrocious and inhumane situation of cruelty and abuse at the camara in Leiria, 100 km north of Lisbon, where they are controlling the animal populatio... View
	Other Ways We Help - Oscar the Cocker - Lost and Found Added: Nov 14, 2011 Location: TBA Description: We were contacted about poor Oscar by Faro Hospital. He had a severely broken leg and had been brought in after a car accident by a stranger. They could not themselves keep Oscar and would have had to... View
	Other Ways We Help - 2 Abandoned Beach Dogs Added: Sep 13, 2011 Location: TBA Description: There has recently been a group of 5-8 dogs abandoned at the beach in Vale do Lobo. We were contacted as it is expected the camara will soon arrive and as they cannot stay there. Unfortunately, as is ... View
	Other Ways We Help - Albufeira boy Added: Sep 7, 2011 Location: TBA Description: Extremely limited on space at the moment we have been trying our best only to accept very urgent cases. This lovely dog was found by a tourist in Albufeira on the strip. When she contacted us she was ... View
	Other Ways We Help - Boliqueme Dog Added: Aug 30, 2011 Location: TBA Description: Found but not at first rescued, this poor dog was hit by a car and had a broken leg. Much confusion and everyone seemed to think that someone else had collected the dog but he had crawled into a nearb... View
	Other Ways we help - Sammy Added: Aug 25, 2011 Location: TBA Description: His owners rehomed into what they thought was a wonderful home, unfortunately 8 months ago these new people left and left the dogs abandoned.... 2,5 months ago somebody was made aware of the situation... View
	Other Ways We Help - Alfie the siamese Added: Aug 25, 2011 Location: TBA Description: Alfie was a young female siamese found and befriended by tourists while here on holiday. After they returned home they contacted us about Alfie as they had been unable to get anyone to help Alfie whil... View
	Other Ways We Help - Mummy of the A Clan Added: Apr 29, 2011 Location: TBA Description: Mother of the A Clan Puppies (Arina, Arinka and Arani --and also now Ayrton) has been found and will be sterilzied the week of May 2. These puppies were brought to SF early March. A neighbour who had ... View
	Other Ways We Help - Peaceful End Added: Mar 28, 2011 Location: TBA Description: Looking at abandoned buildings in the hopes of finding a possible rescue location to rent, we pulled into an abandoned yard and heard barking. Thinking the worst we came across this poor old soul who ... View
	Other Ways We Help - Vet and Sterilizations March and April 2011 Added: Mar 28, 2011 Location: TBA Description: Despite our best efforts, unfortunately we are not particularly good at taking photos of the dogs and cats who come in for sterilizations. While we do offer to pay for sterilizations, we base this on... View
	Other Ways We Help - Street Dogs Added: Jan 12, 2011 Location: TBA Description: These dogs are all living on the streets. Please contact us for more info. We leave them on the streets because we feel they are better there than in a shelter. Many have "carers" and the females we s... View
	Other Ways We Help - Terry's House Added: Dec 4, 2010 Location: TBA Description: At Christmas Time, 2010 we received a call for help about a man who had many dogs he could not care for. On arrival, there were 12 dogs and 8 puppies in terrible condition. Volunteers were organized a... View