More success stories
Saskia
Saskia has lived at SOS for three years – she and her four siblings were brought to us as puppies and they had the toughest of starts. The pups developed distemper and it was touch and go whether they would survive. But they did – thanks to hard work by the vet and loving care and attention at the refuge.
Distemper can be deadly which is why it is so important to vaccinate against it. And when animals survive, the effect of the virus can be to leave them with slight nervous tics and discoloured teeth – and that's what happened to Saskia and her brothers and sisters.
It was nothing too drastic and all grew into large,loveable dogs with calm, gentle natures – but enough to put them to the back of the queue when new owners came to call. Until Now!
Tanja Tuntursvarra from Finland came to SOS a year ago determined to give an older dog a loving home.
It was a big success and she came again this year to the refuge and picked Saskia. Here she is on her way.
And here she is now exploring her new home and finding a comfy seat,as you can see from the picture (left). Tanja has emailed to say that this gentle handsome dog has settled down very well with her other dogs and all is well.
A big thank you too to Mrs Hilka Lavi-Plant from Finland, who lives on Miraflores Golf, on the coast. It would have cost us EUR500 to send Saskia solo on the Finnair Flight but because she was accompanied by "foster-mum" Mrs Lavi-Plant the trip cost just EUR100.
Jack's Story
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 Jack and Carol Talbot from the UK. They generously paid for the costs of preparing Jack for the trip to his new home.
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Tess, arrived with a very bad virus and had to be hospitalized for 7 days. She is now doing well, thanks to the dedicated care of all at SOS.
We try never to turn an animal away, especially if it has been abandoned or is suffering. This is an expensive job. We desperately need your help to continue our valuable work. Can you help us in any way? There are many ways to help :– Click the Donate and Other Help buttons.
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Hugo's Story
Hugo is a lurcher cross who was found abandoned on the hillside, probably by hunters. He still has a bullet in his back. He was brought to S.O.S with a smaller dog and the two were inseperable but sadly the smaller dog had to be put to sleep.
After spending a year at the refuge, Hugo was spotted by the step-son of one of our volunteers, who had come down to help with dog walking. A bond instantly formed, and after six months of preparing him for a new life in the UK, Hugo now lives in Sussex and was very excited to play in snow!
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The Costs of Caring
The costs of taking animals into our care and then looking after them on a daily business is considerable. Maybe more than you think. 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.
