Me lounging on the sofa with a amiga !

Me lounging on the sofa with my amiga Katy xx

Accion-del-sol rescue dogs

Here are a few rescue dogs at accion-del-sol that need homes - to see all the doggies that need a forever home pay a visit to accion-del-sol .

The direction are  - on the TF1 going north from the airport towards Santa Cruz take the turning off for the Granadilla Industrial Port, exit A. Head towards the sea and windmills go straight across one roundabout when you reach the next roundabout veer right up towards the Ecological centre. You will stop and see a hut ( you can't go any further as their will be barrier and somebody outside the hut) Aktiontier is up a track on your right about a 100 metres...

Tel.0034/ 922778630  teneriffa@aktiontier.org The shelter is open from 3pm - 6pm five days a week Mon - Friday - Ring if you would like to visit outside of these hours

Three year old male pooch

One year old male

 Two year old female pup

My Furry Amigos

The other day I was thinking about the first night that I spent at the dog refuge, and wondering what's happened to my furry amigos that shared the cage with me.

I must admit, that first night I didn't get too much sleep. Well none of us did really. There was Gonzales - a manic Jack Russell (we called him "Speedy G") and Luna  the bulldog. Speedy G kept bouncing around all night like he thought he was some kind of manic rubber ball. He bounced off the walls, me, Luna, everything really ! and in between bounces, he insisted on telling me his life story - in great detail.

Then when Speedy G's battery finally ran down and he decided to go to sleep, Luna started snoring for Tenerife. Crikey, what a racket ! The planes flying low over the refuge were nothing compared to Luna's snoring. Maybe that's why she found herself on the streets - perhaps she drove her owners completely mad with sleep deprivation.

The next morning the nice people at the refuge gave me some breakfast. Wooftastic ! What a treat after having to ferret around for food on the streets - it almost made up for the lack of sleep. Then one of the volunteers took me for a walk. Aha, now things were really looking up ... that's until I got back to the cage to find yet another woofer had appeared. So now there were four of us in there, and it was getting a little bit cramped. "Not much chance of moving pad and getting some kip now, they must be full" I thought. Oh well, sigh ... not wanting to start off on the wrong paw with the new arrival, I greeted him with a welcoming sniff.

The new mutt was Elvis - some sort of a terrier / spaniel mix, and he seemed friendly enough, until he started making this weird noise - a bit like a pig trying to sing karaoke while being strangled. I thought: "hang on mate, I know it's quite a privilege to meet a pooch of my caliber, but calm down please !" Unfortunately there was no stopping him - the pig karaoke squealing continued on and off for the rest of that day and night.

So there I was stuck in a cage with a woofer who thought he was a rubber ball, and bored the fur off me with his cat chasing stories; a mutt who snored louder than a Boeing 707; and now a pooch who thought he was auditioning for the doggie version of X Factor ... Woof-Bloody-Tastic !

Anyhow, we had to get some sleep eventually, so we all curled up together and I discovered that despite Luna's snoring and general ugly bulldog-ness, she was actually quite cute (wink wink). Us dogs are very sociable really, and most of the time we get on OK despite all our annoying little habits. Since then I've met a few of these mutts out-and-about and we've become furry amigos (more about them in another episode).

After I Ieft the refuge and became the spokesmutt for Nikki's website: TenerifeDogs.com, I was asked to be the poster pooch for Accion-del-Sol's educational program (after all, I am exceptionally cute as you can see). This involves visiting local schools and helping the children look after their pets properly. So let me share with you some of the main things that we tell the kids about being a responsible dog owner:

• Always make sure your pooch has access to fresh water and give him a balanced diet.

• Have your dog neutered and micro-chiped. Of course if he comes from a rescue centre this should already have been done.

• Don't leave your pooch alone all day if you can avoid it - otherwise he'll probably annoy the neighbours woofing and generally be naughty.

• Treat your dog kindly - no hitting !

• Take your woofer for at least two walks a day, and try and spend some time playing with him every day.

• Take your dog to the vet for his annual check-up and vaccinations. Heartworm is a very serious illness for dogs in Tenerife, so make sure you either get the yearly injections or monthly tablets to prevent it.

• Regularly wash and groom your pooch, and check his teeth, ears, and nails to spot any problems before they become serious.

• Keep your dog on a lead near traffic - you don't want him to get run over or cause an accident. A dog off the lead near a road is an accident waiting to happen !

• Carry some plastic doggy bags so that you can clean up after he does his 'business'.

• If you go away on holiday make sure you know someone reliable to take care of your pooch, or take him to a professional dog hotel.


So it's hasta luego, y 'chow-for-now' mis furry amigos.

ps if you would like to keep in touch with me, check out my Facebook page Snr Giz and if there are any doggie issues you would like me to discuss in my column, please e-mail gizmo@tenerifedogs.com

Published in Island Connections copyright Nikki Attree please check out my book www.nobodyspoodle.com

Needed - someone with a big heart to give an older dog a home

Needed - someone with a big heart to give an older dog a home . Suxa is about 10 years old and has a wonderful personality she is looking for someone to give her a loving home in her remaining few years.
Please ring Accion-del- sol on 922 778 630  if you would like to adopt Suxa

March and April Wooftastic Dog Events !

K9 Tenerife - Saturday 31st March   -  from 3 till 6pm at The Heritage Bar, Los Cristianos. "Thank You K9 Volunteers & Supporters afternoon". Aidy Evans from 3pm, Quiz at 4pm and Free Buffet from 5pm. Come along and meet everyone (hopefully) associated with K9. We look forward to seeing supporters old & new. Please RSVP to Mikey on 619 678 384 or mikebtenerife@yahoo.co.uk by 30th March to assist food preparation. Raffle & Stalls.. facebook page

Live Arico - Sunday 1st April - After many months of training, the end is now in site for Live Arico´s team of runners entering this years Las Galletas Half Marathon. On Sunday 1st April (no its not an April fools joke!!) at 9am the Team will embark on the run from Las Galletas sea front, up past El Fraile to Palm Mar roundabout, across towards Guargacho past Camping Nauta then back down towards the start line – twice. A total of 21.6 kilometres. The aim is to raise money for the many dogs in their care, can you sponsor either individuals within the team or the team as a whole? The team consists of :-

Tony Bailey (on his second half marathon, so knows what to expect)
Michaela Bridges (running one circuit of 10.8 kilometres, this is a major achievement for Michaela after devastating leg injuries some years ago)
Eugenio Da Mommio (Live Arico Founder and primary carer of their many dogs, also running 10.8 kilometres after very little training due to time constraints)
Sue Havenhand (Live Arico President, attempting her first half marathon)
Tanya Huffinley (running 10.8 kilometres on a first attempt at distance running)
Text your pledges to 629 388102 or email to  sue@livearico.org sue@livearico.org

Accion-Del-Sol - Sunday 8th April - from 11am  Spring Event - Obstacle races, races with Easter eggs and lots more fun for the family, please contact Accion Del Sol for more information. Tel. 922778630
Facebook Page

Perrita Perida en La Laguna - Lost Dog in La Laguna

Perrita perdida, zona del campus anchieta, hoy 2 de Marzo sobre las 12 del mediodía. Se llama Golfa, tiene un collar negro con un pañuelo. Si saben algo el teléfono es 630510597 o 922259107 Muchas gracias

lost dog in the Anchieta campus area, on March 2nd t 12 noon. The female dog's name is Golfa , she has a black collar with a handkerchief. If you see her please phone 630510597 or 922259107- Muchas gracias

 

Accion-Del-Sol April Event

Wooftastic Event at Accion-Del-Sol from 11:am - 8th April