Gunjur Dog Patrol

24/01/2025

Morning walk.
Lots of interesting things to see.
I recorded a video of these two to show how ear cropping can impact clear communication.
Ear cropping here is often done without sedation, using just a knife.
A common misconception is that it prevents parasites or fly strike on the ears.
However, those parasites simply move to other parts of the body.
In addition to causing unnecessary pain and not addressing the parasite problem properly, ear cropping also disrupts communication. Ear movement and positioning are key ways dogs express themselves.

Gunjur Dog Patrol together we'll improve animal welfare in the Gambia.

21/01/2025

Exciting day with a tragic ending. 🙁

At 9:00 am we leave with four people in the Jeep of Footsteps Eco Lodge. The goal for today is to find injured dogs we have been notified of. It is not easy because they are just stray dogs that move around. The first search is on the beach here about ten kilometers away. After 1.5 hours and 1 kilometer of beach and surrounding bush we give up.

The second possibility is nearby from a compound not far away. Again, nothing to be found there. It's not going well either.

The third report is about a dog at Gunjur fishing village, where the fish is brought in from the sea and yes, finally a hit! A pitiful little dog with a neck wound hides under a trailer. He growls a little when I come closer, but he eats from my hand. We have a stick with a loop on it and a mobile dog cage, but when we arrive with it he flees the busy crowd in and unfortunately we lost him. We were able to track down the owner who will call us if the dog shows up again.

Disappointed we drive back, but on the way home we happen to come across a very serious case along the side of the road. Enormously deep gaping wound on the back, a large cut on the neck, very thin and eyes that show a gray haze. This one is in very bad shape. In the meantime, the sun has fully broken through and she lies in the sweltering heat in the soft sand.
We pack the animal with the loop and with difficulty we get him into the cage. Due to the serious injuries we decide to take him to the The Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust where there are experienced doctors who could help him. After an hour's drive we arrive where the dog immediately receives first aid and the blood is examined by Omar.

Our hope and reassurance is immediately dashed when the doctor takes the microscope. In addition to the very serious injuries and very poor physical health, the dog has a very aggressive parasite, of which this doctor has yet to never seen a dog heal at this stage. So there is only one option left: Put it to sleep!

As I write this I get a lump in my throat again, but I know we helped this little animal. Otherwise she would still be languishing in the blazing sun.

So this was my first day with the Dog Patrol. Exhausting, hopeful and confronting. Still, I feel like I did something good today; Giving this animal a humane death.

My name is Oliver A. de Bie and I am a Dutch volunteer at Gunjur Dog Patrol.

PS: There is no dead dog in any of the photos.

15/01/2025

A big thank you to our neighbours Karamaluu Garden Lodge up the road from us and Agatha Ch in Sambouyang for your recent donations 🙏🐾 A huge thank you!
Together we´re improving dog welfare in Gunjur! 😊👍

15/01/2025

Some of our patients this week...
Sniper, Rock, One-Man & Kunku.. 🐾🐾
Click in and read their story.

07/01/2025

Thank you so much to Unser Afrika-Projekt 🇬🇲 💕🐈🐕🐎🐾, Steffi Dau, Martina Gantzkow and everyone involved for this wonderful donation, 3 boxes filled with bandages, cones, antiseptic solutions, collars, silver spray, vet wraps, gloves, hand sanitizers, bags, muzzels ++ ! 😍🙏🐶🐾 This will help us so much to do the work we do to help dogs in Gunjur. 🥰

25/12/2024

Together with our dog rangers, Ajie F Njie, Blaise Gomez and Lamin Jarju, we wish you all a wonderful and joyful xMas celebration with family, two-legged and four-legged friends 🐶😊 ✨

Thank you so much to everyone that has supported Gunjur Dog Patrol this year, one way or another. We would not be able to run GDP without you guys 🙏🫶

22/12/2024

Check out the newsletter to our partners at Pups and Paws Prevention CIC 😍 they have achieved to much the short time they have existed! Well done 👏 and thank you for all the support!

18/12/2024

It was such a pleasure having a visit from Julie bringing badges from Pups and Paws Prevention CIC 😍

18/12/2024

We are very excited to be working with Check-a-Pet and Myrthe Oskamp Schreuder developing the Dog Club for Kids!

Very exciting times ahead!!

Photos are from Saturday when we went to Freetown in Gunjur for a miniclub with a group if kids 😊🐾

06/12/2024

Our friends at the newly established Dandeng Kulledeng - The Gambia Wildlife Foundation (by Eva Röben and Emily Charlotte Elgar) are ready with their first project! They are joining hands with the Abuko Nature Reserve and on a mission to...->

---> transform Abuko into a thriving wildlife rehabilitation sanctuary!

Check out what they are doing, and if you have some money spare, why not support them on their important mission! 😊

06/12/2024

Shoulder is having her second litter of the year... It can be a hard life for the female dogs, having one litter after the other... Most of her pups are healthy, but some got mango worms which Blaise and Ajie sorted out.

We are working on neutering as many dogs as possible in Gunjur. Our mission is to increase the welfare of the dogs and keep the number of dogs under control. If you want to help and support our work, check out the link below. 🙏🐾

https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/GDP

06/12/2024

Poor Soldier was abandoned by the owner and living in a very poor condition. He is lucky though, as one boy came to rescue and contacted Gunjur Dog Patrol for help. What looks like a small wound, was actually a pocket of maggots and would have developed further. Our team cleared it out, cleaned him up and will follow up with him. The boy who rescued him, will now keep him. A lucky Soldier, found help in time. 🐾🙏

04/12/2024

We are so grateful to Pups and Paws Prevention CIC for their support to us and all the other charities they support. 🙏😊

More Charity Donations have been made and look out for further updates this week:

A further £31 in plant sales (£82 altogether at this point) The Creature Feature Show Community Interest Company (Pawsitive Pet Food Bank FALMOUTH CORNWALL) Focus on ending pet poverty.

£50 Christmas 🎄 donation to 2gether4strays EV (German Charitable Association working in partnership with us in May 2025 on a mass spay/neuter campaign in ROMANIA)

£100 to Happy Landings Animal Rescue in SOMERSET. We look forward to receiving information as to how our funds will be used for preventative measures.

£85 to Gunjur Dog Patrol to assist with their education, care and sterilisation work in The GAMBIA 🇬🇲

The best part of our work is seeing the difference donations will make to preventing and alleviating suffering.

03/12/2024

Dog Club for Kids 🐾😍

Saturday was a big milestone for us at Gunjur Dog Patrol. We have kickstarted our dog club for kids! 😊👏

Every second Saturday, our dog rangers will spend time with the kids and teach them how to increase their knowledge and to become responsible dog owners. Last Saturday, six excited dog owners turned up and they had a great time with our rangers. Many more kids said they will join next time! 😊

Dogs are often left for the kids to take care off. They love their dogs, but need some guidance on how to take good care of them. Small adjustments will make huge difference. One step at the time. We do some class room information, and they also bring their dogs for check ups, and information on the easy things they can do themselves.

A big thank you to VDC (Gunjur Village Development Committee) and AFNOW (Abubakarr Siddique Foundation for Needy and Orphan Welfare) for the support and letting us use their facilities in Gunjur Village. And of coursee to our dog rangers for the amazing work Blaise Gomez, Lamin Jarju & Ajie Njie. 🙏

20/11/2024

Lighter is doing very well after being having mango worms all over his body. Less than a week has past since they were removed.
🐾😍

17/11/2024

A typical day in the village for our dog rangers ...

07/11/2024

Yesterday Jinnet, Lucky and Olive had a trip to The Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust to be spayed. No more puppies for these lovely ladies! 😍

An early morning start for Lamin & Blaise to pick up the dogs with Buba from Footsteps Eco Lodge, The Gambia. Lamin joined the dogs and met up with Hamish, Connor and Omar who did the operation. Three operations later and all good! 👍

Today Lamin has checked in with the dogs and they seem to recover well 😊👍.

Thank you to am Pups and Paws Prevention CIC for your donation and enabling it, and the GHDT for the operations and making it happen! We are very grateful. 🐾🙏

07/11/2024

Thank you so much to Pups and Paws Prevention CIC for the donation and support in our joint mission of neutering dogs in The Gambia. 😍🐾

Yesterday we brought 3 female dogs from Gunjur to The Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust to be neutered and handed over donation for their never ending work for animals in The Gambia.

😊

Over the moon to be making a donation of £100 to the Gunjur Dog Patrol today in aid of their neutering programme.
https://footstepsinthegambia.com/news_all/gambia-dog-neutering-program/

The photo was taken when The Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust recently visited the Gunjur to support with neutering.

Neutering and spaying not only benefits the animals themselves but reduces territorial aggression and the demands of responsibility of multiple litters in the community.