Welcome to our brand new Website
SOS is an animal charity, located on the Costa del Sol in southern Spain. The organisation was founded in 1997 and is funded entirely by donations and sponsorship. Our refuge is now home to over 150 animals. We seek to:
- provide a safe and caring environment for our animals
- rehabilitate dogs damaged by their experiences
- find loving homes in Spain and other European countries
- provide veterinary care
- neuter, microchip and vaccinate all our animals
- Click to learn more about us and our work
Every animal that comes through our gates receives the utmost care and affection. Our pledge is to never euthanase our animals unless it is absolutely essential and then only on veterinary advice. We are fortunate in having a sister organisation in Sweden that helps rehouse some of our animals Click to see Swedish Website.
An Uncomfortable Truth
Most people don't know that municipal dog pounds in this part of Spain will only keep stray dogs for about 10 days. After this, they are killed by gassing – a distressing process. Without animal charities like S.O.S, there would be more dead animals on the roads, starving in the streets, or sitting on "death row" in one of these pounds. So, we are working hard to save and re-home as many as we can. See some of our success stories below.
A Typical Success Story
Jack
Jack, a pointer cross, was found abandoned in the countryside three years ago and came to SOS. He has leishmania, a disease caused by the bite of an infected sandfly. A few years ago, this disease was difficult to deal with and almost certainly lead to death.
But veterinary advances mean that this horrible disease can be controlled. So the charity has been paying for Jack's treatment.
After three years it seemed unlikely that this charming, affectionate dog would ever find a home.
But we featured him on the Swedish website and now a family in Denmark have said they would like to take him.
Many thanks are due to Brian and Carol Talbot from the UK. They generously paid for the costs of preparing Jack for the trip to his new home.
And there we are: a picture of Jack on his way! We have many such success stories – Click here for more.
We try never to turn an animal away, especially if it has been abandoned or is suffering. This is an expensive commitment. We desperately need your help to continue our valuable work.
Can you help us in any way? There are many ways to help (not just financial). Click the Donate and Other Help buttons on the main menu to find out more.
The Costs of Caring
On arriving at the refuge every dog and puppy costs SOS 200 euros in basic medical costs. This covers neutering, vaccinations (including rabies) blood tests and microchipping. After that each animals costs 240 euros every six months in feeding costs, plus worming and flea treatment. Our long stay sponsor dogs cost 40 euros each. This of course does not include subsequent vets bills should we discover a medical condition that needs treatment.
The overall running costs for the refuge depend on the number of animals at any one time, but in the winter months, it costs around 550 Euros a week for rent, food, cleaning materials, electricity and so on. This does not include veterinary bills. In the summer, costs rise to 650 Euros when our well dries up and we have to have water delivered to the refuge.
And Finally...
Thank you so much for visiting our web site - we hope you have found it interesting. If you would like to find out more about our work please contact us by email, or phone – just click on Contact Us in the main menu.
