Just like Topsy, Pets In Need Now just grew! It started off because a small expat family could not bear to see the suffering of animals - mostly dogs and cats - without trying to help. Following a family death, the even smaller family continued the work but it is always difficult.
Being a little anonymous has become essential to this family as there are always people who will take advantage. They have had to move because of people ‘dumping’ unwanted pets at their gate irrespective of whether there was room to look after them or not.
At the moment any money we have comes out of our own pockets and from donations. Last year, our donations did not even cover our vet bills. In the next few months we are hoping to be able to offer special items for sale such as mugs, hats, fridge magnets and calendars which we are hoping will bring us a little more income.
Within the website, you will notice some items advertised for sale - we will make a commission on each sale made and are hopeful that those who are sympathetic to our cause will be able to help in this way.
All money that we receive goes towards the welfare of the animals. We provide food and veterinary care with that money, the shelter we provide ourselves. The sorry state of affairs is that our costs outweigh the income and we need to receive more money if we are to continue.
What to do if you lose a pet
It is so hard to allow your treasured pet to roam but the alternatives are sometimes worse. One lady I know keeps her cat indoors - always. She does this out of love for her cat and is afraid of losing him, but some would say she is doing things wrong.
However, one of my favourite cats just didn't come home a couple of months ago and I still wonder (fret really) what has happened to her. Oddly enough a different cat turned up in my garden soon after the disappearance and she totally took advantage of my fretful, sorry state. Several weeks later she has made herself well at home and has even produced a clutch of kittens to prove she belongs!
If you do lose your pet, please get in touch and we will advertise your pet for free. You need to include a photo if possible and as many details as you can including place, date and time of the loss.
It is so hard to allow your treasured pet to roam but the alternatives are sometimes worse. One lady I know keeps her cat indoors - always. She does this out of love for her cat and is afraid of losing him, but some would say she is doing things wrong.
However, one of my favourite cats just didn't come home a couple of months ago and I still wonder (fret really) what has happened to her. Oddly enough a different cat turned up in my garden soon after the disappearance and she totally took advantage of my fretful, sorry state. Several weeks later she has made herself well at home and has even produced a clutch of kittens to prove she belongs!
If you do lose your pet, please get in touch and we will advertise your pet for free. You need to include a photo if possible and as many details as you can including place, date and time of the loss.
Some of Our Success Stories
It is often difficult to re-home large dogs, so imagine how fantastic it is when someone phones you out of the blue and asks if we have any big dogs ready for adoption.
When we spoke to Althea at first, she was not sure if they wanted one or two dogs, but the only criteria was big, cat friendly and if possible quite young. As it happened, we had two brothers who were about 3 or 4 months old. Quite frankly we feared that finding them a home was going to be really hard because they were going to be VERY big.
Our intrepid Swiss family came over to spend some time with the dogs so they could make a sensible choice for them and for any new dog they adopted. One dog loved Althea and she was quite ´smitten´, but unfortunately he was not so good with the children.
In the end, they opted for Welhard and Samson who are now Dardon and Samy. At first the two boys were a little nervous but very soon they were át home´and playing with Alika´s little dog Chouti and not at all interested in the cats. This photo was taken on day 1 before the pups had had the time to adjust to their new home, but believe me, they are very settled and happy now.
When Vivien's husband died, she thought her life was all but over. She lived in a small apartment in town and tried to keep busy by visiting friends and getting out of the house as much as possible. Nothing, however, had prepared her for the absolute loneliness she would endure - a big empty hole seemed to envelope her every day.
Then one day a good friend introduced her to Pets in Need Now and took her to visit our animals the following weekend. Well, Vivien had so much love bottled up inside her, she had soon found little Molly - abandoned and found curled up by a rubbish bin some months before. She made the commitment to take Molly home and they soon became inseparable. Vivien has never looked back and she still sends us updates about her treasured pet. Of course, Molly thinks she is so lucky with someone to love and to love her back. Memories of her past life will have left her and she is just a very happy little dog now.
Lynn had recently lost her much loved cat Hazel who fell victim to poison left out by a local farmer. The loss not only affected the family, it also affected their other cat who pined for her missing friend.
Flipper was one of those kittens who was rescued by his 'foster' mother before the builders repaired the hole in the roof and consequently did not have to suffer the stress of being covered in building dust. He is a very small kitten (almost 10 weeks old in this photo) and was named because he has large paws and walks as if he has swimming flippers on. Nonetheless, he is very active and playful and has the most delightful personality. Hopefully the older cat will welcome him into the family as much as his new human Mum & Dad have.