Alberto Lejarraga
A BRITISH expat has rescued a newborn puppy that had been left abandoned inside a knotted carrier bag in the hills of Manilva, on the Costa del Sol.
Louise Friend, from Staffordshire, and her son Theo were walking their dog Skippa when they heard a strange noise.
“My son found a knotted carrier bag near a bush in the sunshine and saw something was moving inside. I think someone was driving past and threw the bag through the window, which is horrific,” Louise told the Olive Press.
The 51-year-old mom continued: “Theo opened the bag and the smell coming from it was disgusting. There were several puppies and they were all dead apart from one. I don’t know how she survived, she must be very strong. She was only between two and seven days old when we found her”
“My son pulled her up, we went back to the car and drove to a vet in Sabinillas, but it was closed. We then went to Adana Dog Shelter, near Estepona, and although they could not take her in as they don’t have the facilities to take care of a newborn dog, they were very kind and gave us puppy milk.”
This is a tale with a happy ending as Louise and Theo decided to keep the puppy, which they named Athena.
And Louise, who moved to Spain 20 years ago, has told the Olive Press that Athena is now looking very healthy.
Athena is a very lucky lady, but unfortunately, this is not always the case for abandoned dogs.
Susie Brown, President of Adana Dog Shelter, has told the Olive Press about their daily struggle.
“We are now full as we have over 150 dogs. Sometimes, we cannot take in more dogs and it is just the saddest thing in the world,” Brown, who started as a volunteer at the shelter 21 years ago, said.
She added: “We also don’t have enough volunteers or the facilities to look after newborn puppies, as they require 24 hours of care, so we rely on foster homes.”
Brown further explains that they don’t receive any public funding, not even from Estepona’s Town Hall, which means they need to stay after their shifts to make calls and send emails asking for donations.
Those wanting to adopt a dog or giving away some of their time to volunteer at Adana, can visit the shelter at Parque los Pedregales in Estepona from 10:30am to 1:30pm every day of the week or call 952113467 for more information.
Read more:
- Costa del Sol animal shelter desperately appeals for volunteers and adoptions
- ADANA Dog Shelter banned from fundraising at Estepona Port Market
