ECUADOR STRAYS FIND THEIR GUARDIAN ANGEL
MEET COLIN COLE, A CARING YOUNG MAN FROM CALIFORNIA.
COLIN IS STUDYING EDUCATION AT THE UNIVERSIDAD SAN FRANCISCO DE QUITO. COLIN AND HIS FRIEND LINDA DEL PUP HAVE OPENED A SHELTER FOR THE STRAYS CALLED:
COLIN AND LINDA HAVE FOUND HOMES IN THE UNITED STATES FOR 37 OF HIS CHARGES. AT PRESENT 45 DOGS ARE STILL IN NEED OF LOVING HOMES. THE BIGGEST PROBLEM OF FINDING HOMES IS THE COST OF SHIPPING THEM TO FOREIGN COUNTRIES. IT IS ESTIMATED THAT THE COST OF A KENNEL, AIR FARE, ETC., IS IN THE AREA OF $400.00 to $500.00 US. THAT'S NOT A LOT WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT; YOU ARE SAVING A YOUNG LIFE, AND GAINING A FAITHFUL, AND LOVING COMPANION.
THE CANADIAN VOICE FOR ANIMALS FOUNDATION WILL DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO HELP COLIN AND LINDA GET ALL OF THE REMAINING DOGS IN THEIR CARE ENOUGH FUNDS SO THAT ADOPTION WILL BE MORE ACCEPTABLE.
HERE ARE SOME OF THE WEE FELLOWS AND GALS WHO NEED EMERGENCY HELP:
THE PUPPIES ON THE LEFT DO NO HAVE NAMES AS YET, THEY WERE FOUND BESIDE THEIR DEAD MOTHER. THE BEAUTY ON THE RIGHT IS: COMETA SHE HAS BEEN IN THE SHELTER FOR OVER ONE YEAR, STILL WAITING FOR A NEW FOREVER HOME.
THIS BEAUTIFUL GIRL IS CALLED: DANI
ONE AN A HALF YEAR OLD LUCAS AND FIVE TO SEVEN YEAR OLD FOXY
3 TO 4 YEAR OLD, SWEET FRIENDLY: MARUJA AND 2 TO 3 YEAR OLD PININA DACHSHUND MIX
1 TO 2 YEAR OLD SARA LOVES ATTENTION AND 2 TO 3 YEAR OLD ZAFIRO LOVES TO RUN AND PLAY
THE PHOTOS ABOVE ARE JUST A FEW OF THE ECUADOR DOGS THAT NEED LOVING HOMES.
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND A SHORT BIO ON ALL THE DOGS CLICK HERE
THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE RECENTLY APPEARED IN THE MERCURY NEWS
LOCAL MAN SEEKS HOMES FOR 35 ANIMALS
By Linda Goldston
Mercury News San Jose
When Colin Cole spent his high school senior year in Ecuador, he was shocked by the hundreds of homeless dogs in the street.
He felt worse when he saw people kick at the dogs and scare them away. Even worse when he saw dead dogs on the side of the road.
Three years later, Cole, of La Selva Beach, is helping to run one of the few animal shelters in Ecuador. He attends a university in Quito but spends every available hour at the shelter named Amigo Fiel, which means loyal friend.
"The help animals receive is very scarce," said Cole, 20, who graduated from San Jose's Bellarmine College Preparatory and now studies education at Universidad San Francisco de Quito.
"The stray dog problem is terrible. You see a lot of dogs on the street injured or with only three legs," he said.
Linda del Pup and Cole have run the shelter for two years and the lease for it runs out in March. He's hoping to find enough people in the states to adopt the 35 dogs still there so none has to be euthanized. He's also hoping to round up donations to help pay the airfare for the dogs.
So far, about 40 dogs have been adopted by people in the United States, including a three-legged dog that was adopted by a woman in Watsonville.
"Most of the adoptions are out of the country," said Cole, who just returned to Ecuador after visiting his parents in La Selva Beach. "Last year when I was home, I was able to get enough money to have all of the dogs and cats spayed and neutered."
Neither del Pup nor Cole draws a salary. All donations go to food and medical care for the animals.
"There's no animal control program in place in Ecuador," said Toni Bodon, executive director of Stray from the Heart, a New York-based dog rescue group that has teamed with Amigo Fiel to help find homes for the dogs - and accepts donations for the shelter in Ecuador.
"The only animal control program they have is to poison dogs," she said. "They send out government employees with poisoned meat and then go pick up the dead dogs in a truck. It's a horrible situation."
An animal protection movement is just emerging in Ecuador, Cole and Bodon said. Petitions are being signed and more people are getting involved.
"I've heard there are 300,000 stray dogs in Quito," Cole said. "I'm not sure how many in Ecuador."
