Ines' report about her experiences on the dog farm
“I have had a deep passion and fascination for dogs since I was a child. Their loyal, playful and loving nature fascinates me in a unique way. I am lucky to have two dogs myself. My dogs have motivated me to get involved in animal welfare – both financially and on a voluntary basis – at the Cologne/Ostheim animal shelter. At the end of last year, I decided to also spend two weeks working on a dog farm in Portugal.
The “Pf?tchfarm” (paw farm) belongs to Teresa, a Portuguese woman who lovingly cares for each of the animals. Volunteers support Teresa in this mammoth task of providing 450 dog souls with food and medicine every day. The dogs that live on the farm often have a sad past: They have been abandoned on highways, poisoned with bleach in their food or they were to be disposed of in killing stations.
Teresa tries with all the means at her disposal to rescue these animals and then bring them to the farm. Although the dogs have enough room to run around and dog buddies, a family – “a real home” – cannot be replaced by Teresa's animal shelter, which is why the animals are transferred to Germany in cooperation with the TiNo association.
My time on the farm was physically very demanding. There were few days which I worked less than eight hours. The main tasks were to collect the animals' droppings, refill dog food in garbage cans and fill in dug holes with stones. For Teresa and her colleague Steffi, this work is not temporary but permanent, which I highly appreciate. It was an interesting insight for me into what goes on behind such institutions.
My best moment was when I was able to be part of the “loading” of 30 dogs to Germany. I assumed that only the healthy, young dogs would be adopted. But that was not the case: Dogs with handicaps (blind), senior citizens or overweight dogs were also included.
Working with dogs grounds me. Dogs don't care what you wear, what you look like or how much money you have in your bank account.” “These insights into the dog farm “Pf?tchenfarm” and all the work behind are my motivation to promote their support. Would you also like to get involved and support Teresa and her team – financially or through the work on site? They would be delighted to receive any donation. You can find account and contact on their website. I would also like to take this opportunity to point out that dogs from animal welfare organizations are a great alternative to a dog from a breeder!”
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The dog farm “Pf?tchenfarm” in Portugal: