The Tradition
 

Charity information

We have finally managed to arrange to donate the subscriptions for The Tradition. We will be publishing full details of the charity’s status and of our transactions so that all readers are fully informed.

Associacão de Proteccão Animal do Algarve (Association for the Protection of Animals of Algarve) is a registered charity in Portugal set up primarily to rescue abused, stray and abandoned cats and dogs. Further details of the valuable work it does are given below which, given the small size of the charity, is remarkable. Run by a British men, the centre has taken care of far more animals than was ever envisaged, but she has maintained a haven without which those dogs and cats would almost certainly have died or continued to have been abused.

Readers may be interested to know that, some years ago, my partner and I found two puppies, about three months old, while on holiday in Portugal. Fortunately, the APAA agreed to look after them and when it was realised that re-homing in Portugal was not possible, we agreed to have them here in the UK. We are still the rather bewildered owners of these two fine dogs, brother and sister, and we can thank the APAA for making that possible and for giving them a chance of life, and a happy one at that. If only we’d known that they would turn out to be lap-dogs, we might have had second thoughts – they each weigh about 30 kilos!

If you are visiting Algarve, you might like to visit the centre (call first) and take one or two of the dogs there for a walk, or help at feeding time. But don’t expect to be taken on a guided tour, there is far too much for the volunteers to do – too little time, too many animals needing care.

So, if you enjoyed reading the free first issue of The Tradition, please consider subscribing, knowing that the whole subscription is going to a genuine and needy cause.

Sue Ward
 
APAA

APAA is a registered Portuguese charity founded in 1996 and dedicated to the well-being of animals.  It is associated with the RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) in the UK. 
We are entirely self-funded and therefore any support we are able to obtain is most gratefully received.  A great deal of effort is spent on fund-raising to support our many animal rescue-related expenditures.

Contacts: apaaportugal@hotmail.com


Here are some of the things that we do:

  • Rescue homeless, abandoned, neglected, and abused animals;
  • Answer calls concerning animals, incidents, questions, and concerns;
  • Shelter, care for, and feed homeless animals;
  • Re-home Animals: 
    • Find homes for shelter animals;
    • Find new homes for "owned" animals, when possible;
    • Screen prospective owners;
  • Establish local support with businesses for donations of food and other essential items, and with individuals who can provide temporary dog/cat fostering services;
  • Medical treatments for animals  by supporting veterinary expenses for sick and injured animals;
  • Fund-raising through various events to support the centre and other programmes as detailed below;
  • Education: 
    • Conduct education programmes in schools ;
    • Increase public awareness of responsible pet care;
  • Coordinate volunteer programmes: 
    • Plan volunteer activities;
    • Train volunteers;
    • Plan working holidays for volunteers;
  • Adopting abroad programme:
    • Re-homing rescued animals outside of Portugal;
    • Coordinating relocation and assisting with export;
    • Participant in the ‘Passport for Pets’ scheme in the UK.
  • Wider animal protection: 
    • Work with other animal welfare groups both in Algarve and abroad to improve the condition of animals in pet shops and circuses;
  • Spay/Neuter/Vaccine Programmes: 
    • Support spay/neuter/vaccine expenses for shelter animals;
    • Build network of veterinarians across Algarve who can offer discounts for spay/neuter services;
    • Offer financial help to pet owners who genuinely cannot afford to pay for spaying and vaccinations, when possible;
    • Work with local authorities to develop spay/neuter solutions for street dogs and feral cats;
  • Lobby government for spaying and neutering support.

APAA
Academy of Astrology
Sue Ward