14/12/2024
Our lovely friend Malin from wrote this fabulous article about our charity 😻Thank you Malin 🥰
"I met Hayley outside her house in the outskirts of Malaga. Together we headed inland, up into the mountains, on winding roads with breathtaking views. There are high mountains and deep valleys, hairpin bends near cliffs and endless olive groves. Finally we reach the small farm where Andrea lives. Andrea, like Hayley, comes from England and has lived here for 11 years. Together with Hayley's mother Lisa, they run the small organization The Under Dog.
The organization opens it’s homes to the broken, unwanted and sometimes worn individuals who roam the Spanish countryside. They do not hesitate to intervene when a dog is neglected or threatened to be put to sleep by it’s owner. They collaborate with other organizations and individuals who are also fighting to save dogs and cats, giving them a chance to gather their strength. Hayley also works at a dog shelter in the area, where she tries her best to help find forever loving homes for the charity dogs onsite. The Under Dog advertises via social media and so they collaborate with us ADA and similar organizations in other European countries. When we met Hayley, it was a couple of days before we were due to bring one of her beloved dogs from the dog shelter where she works, on the flight home to Sweden. Hayley knows that Ringo, a wonderful Beagle and Bodeguero mix, is on his way to a loving life with a Swedish family, as she wipes her tears with the back of her hand and exclaims "but I will miss him SOOO much!" Andrea adds "you've made her year, finding a forever home for Ringo!".
During my holiday here in Malaga I have been struck by the fact that the dogs I see around town seem to be very well cared for. There are no street dogs here, just plenty of healthy pet dogs on leashes. I know that there are so-called killing stations, quite close to the city centre, where dogs are left to die. Previously, dogs that were not picked up by their owner or adopted within a couple of weeks were euthanized. After a change in the law just over a year ago, you no longer get that, which actually made the suffering that much greater. Dogs are handed in there for storage, which leads to the dog becoming sick enough to be euthanized, or alternatively dies by itself. I ask Hayley and Andrea how it is that the dogs in Malaga city seem to be doing so well, while this inhumane treatment is going on. They answer that there are many who do not know what the situation looks like just a few kilometers outside the city, or they choose to turn a blind eye to it. There are laws to protect dogs from neglect and abuse, but this does not apply to, for example, hunting, guard or cattle dogs. Hayley and Andrea tell several upsetting stories about how dogs are treated in their neighborhood. They fight daily to make people open their eyes to this reality and work for a change.
At Andrea's I met several of the dogs that are listed on our website. Priah is a lively little girl with lots of energy and mischief. Jack, a German Shepherd who loves to move around and would certainly enjoy trying search, brux, fetch or track. And Lara, the wonderful teddy bear Lara, who is so soft, both in her fur and in her manner. I find myself sitting and smiling at the thought of how amazing it would be to pass one of these lovely dogs to a Swedish home and once again see Hayley's tears of joy. It would be such a well-deserved reward for the tireless work for the good of dogs, which these wonderful English people put in through their organization The Under Dog."
