aanifeira – associação dos amigos dos animais de santa maria da feira portugal may 2011
TRANSCRIPT
Aanifeira – Associação dos Amigos dos Animais de Santa
Maria da FeiraPortugal
May 2011
www.aanifeira.pt http://aanifeira.wordpress
.com
Mission
Provide clean and safe surroundings for stray and abandoned dogs and cats with the care and attention that each animal deserves together with the necessary follow-up attention after an adoption has been made.
Provide the resident dogs (those that are not adopted) with a life of the best comfort available for as long as they live.
Pledges to enhance the human-animal bond and to teach and ensure that neutering/spaying is the foremost in animal adoption.
www.aanifeira.pt http://aanifeira.wordpress
.com
BACKGROUND
• Non-profit / no-kill animal welfare charity
• Location: Santa Maria da Feira, northern Portugal
• Founded on December 7th, 1999
• 25 year rental free lease agreement on land and buildings (old
cattle pavilion) given by local council
• Currently housing approx. 400 dogs and a small number of cats
• 7 Committee/Managing team out of which 5 are volunteers
• 6 full time employees
• Monthly running cost Euros 8.000www.aanifeira.pt
http://aanifeira.wordpress.com
UP UNTIL 2006 VERY DIFFICULT TIMES WERE EXPERIENCED AT AANIFEIRA
• Close to 800 animals were housed
• Serious overcrowding• No population control• Lack of proper sanitation• Lack of daily veterinary care• Lack of staff• Lack of funding
www.aanifeira.pt http://aanifeira.wordpress
.com
TERRIBLE LIVING CONDITIONS
Overcrowding Lack of sanitation
www.aanifeira.pt http://aanifeira.wordpress
.com
www.aanifeira.pt http://aanifeira.wordpress
.com
2006NEW VOLUNTEER MANAGEMENT TEAM
TAKES OVERChanges are implemented
No new dogs were accepted into shelter from the local community
Guidance and help given to people wanting to have their animals adopted without taking them into the shelter
Start of reduction of dog population
Membership campaign gets underway
Refurbishing kennels once used for cattle
Local schools’ education program is put into action
Formal adoption policy put into action
Fostering an animal became possible
Iniciative of ‘Cats & Dogs’ events started
Neutering program for resident animals got underway
Line of Aanifeira merchandising introduced - t-shirts, polos, capswww.aanifeira.pt
http://aanifeira.wordpress.com
2006NEW DEVELOPMENTS WERE SEEN
• New block of 12 boxes was completed through donations of building materials and volunteer work
• 70 dogs transferred from a dark enclosure to outside kennels each with small outside area for movement
www.aanifeira.pt http://aanifeira.wordpress
.com
2007LANDSCAPING THE EXERCISE PARK
• August 2007 work was completed on fencing in a large outdoor exercise area
• Animals were finally released in sessions, some after several years of confinement
www.aanifeira.pt http://aanifeira.wordpress
.com
Fundraising Events• Parties held at local
establishments• Gala dinners in 2007 & 2008• Adult and Childrens’ theatrical
spectacles• Dinner ‘get-togethers’ for
members, staff and volunteers• Aanifeira 10th Anniversary
Dinner held on December 5th, 2009
• Appearance of public figures & celebrities at some of the above events
• Participation by three nationally known Portuguese celebrities in drawing public awareness to Aanifeira’s cause and animal welfare in general: Miguel Vieira – top fashion designer Ricardo Azevedo – solo singer &
guitarist EZ Special – top national pop rock
music band
www.aanifeira.pt http://aanifeira.wordpress
.com
THIS WAS NOT ENOUGH HOWEVER
• More work needed to be done: Campaign for funding – nationally & internationally Work on adoptions of resident animals Start neutering/spaying campaign Recruit new members (fee Euros 15 per annum) Recruit more fosterers (fee Euros 5 per month) Find more donations of building materials Publisize for more donations of gifts for bazaars, local fairs, etc. Recruit more Volunteers Work on internet site, blog, newsletter Ensure Aanifeira was known publicly and that its policies were
respected.www.aanifeira.pt
http://aanifeira.wordpress.com
MAJOR PUBLICITY CAMPAIGN GOT UNDERWAY
• Regular appearances on the major Portuguese television station
• Photographic exposition of Aanifeira’s animals (courtesy of a member) on view in public buildings – later made into a set of beautiful postcards put up for sale
• Presence with volunteers at local schools, sporting clubs, cultural/recreational associations and senior community homes
• Working closely with local Municipal Council in trying to solve the street dog situation
• Annual presence on Aanifeira stand at local community fairs worked by volunteers
• Presence on chat shows on local radio stations• Presence in local and national newspapers.
www.aanifeira.pt http://aanifeira.wordpress
.com
2007 Aanifeira Veterinary Clinic opened
• Work completed on building a Veterinary Clinic using some donations of building materials as well as basic hospital equipment
• Clinic opens exclusively to Aanifeira’s members working with lower prices than those practised by other clinics
• Today two full-time vets are employed giving full back-up to 1200 members’ animals as well as resident animals.
2009FUNDING GRANT RECEIVED FROM BRIGITTE BARDOT FOUNDATION
• New set of kennels constructed to house dogs kept in central corredor of main pavilion which had little access to sunlight
• Capacity to hold 40 dogs
www.aanifeira.pt http://aanifeira.wordpress
.com
OCTOBER 4TH, WORLD ANIMAL DAY
• Presence on October 4th, 2009 & 2010 to celebrate WORLD ANIMAL DAY
• Open days to the members of the public to visit the shelter
• Educational visit to local sports ground to explain animal welfare to junior soccer players
www.aanifeira.pt http://aanifeira.wordpress
.com
2009/2010Educational Programs for
staff and volunteers introduced
Shelter Care and Medicine, held at Aanifeira
Senior Animal Care, Aanifeira ITP - International Training Programme,
Dogs Trust, U.K. (shelter/animal management) – held in England
OEW – Overseas Education Workshop, Dog’s Trust, U.K. – Focusing on teaching children at schools about animal welfare, held in Santa Maria da Feira, Portugal and included a visit to local school for demonstration
Attendance by two Management Team members to ICAWC – International Companion Animal Welfare Conference held in Prague, Czech Republic in 9-11 Nov 2010
www.aanifeira.pt http://aanifeira.wordpress
.com
International DonationsAanifeira is proud to be associated with other international animal
welfare foundations
AMCF – Animal Medical Care Foundation
Holland
Veterinary medicine
Stichting DierennoodHolland
Veterinary medicine Medical equipment
International volunteers
SNIP InternationalEngland
Specialist equipment for use in trap-neuter-
return
www.aanifeira.pt http://aanifeira.wordpress
.com
2009 – 2011International
Volunteer Internship Program
• International volunteers coming from Holland, Belgium, England, Scotland and Australia are welcomed to work in the following areas:VeterinariansAnimal CareMembers of the public with a love
of animals
• Working under the guidance of the Aanifeira vets and staff they learn the basics and difficulties of running a non-profit/no-kill animal shelter
• Registered with the BVA – British Veterinary Association as a shelter that is equipped to receive veterinary volunteers
FIRST BOOK RELEASE - DECEMBER 2010
“PACO”• Written by Mafalda Damião
and addressing all age groups
• Recounts the many aspects that concern the treatment of animals in Portugal, covering this in an educational way
• Sponsored by Zurich Insurance company
www.aanifeira.pt http://aanifeira.wordpress
.com
STATISTICS - MEMBERSAn important asset to a non-profit association
Year Members
1999 3
2000 2
2001 5
2002 6
2003 5
2004 15
2005 51
2006 74
2007 130
2008 175
2009 388
2010 338
Total 1192
1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20100
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
Nr. Members
www.aanifeira.pt http://aanifeira.wordpress
.com
STATISTICSANIMALS NEUTERED / SPAYED
LAST 3 YEARS2008 2009 2010
Dogs 68 120 143
Cats 71 132 180
Today at Aanifeira, all bitches are spayed with 25% of males neuteredwww.aanifeira.pt
http://aanifeira.wordpress.com
STATISTICSANIMALS ADOPTED
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Dogs 409 272 186 115 83
Cats 1 23 52 50 41
Adoptions have decreased over the years due to the fact that people are mainly looking for puppies which Aanifeira does not have.
www.aanifeira.pt http://aanifeira.wordpress
.com
WHAT WE FACE TODAY• An uphill battle to avoid
overcrowding at the shelter• Handling an adult > senior
dog population at the shelter• Difficulty in having people
adopt an older animal• Stopping abandonment at
the doors• Continued fundraising• Drawing public awareness to
spay/neutering and vacination of animals
• Continued follow-ups on adoptions
www.aanifeira.pt http://aanifeira.wordpress
.com
WHERE DO WE GO FOR THE FUTURE• Licensing and certification of
Aanifeira Veterinary Clinic for opening to the general public
• Renovations in main pavilion area to increase space allowing expansion on current kennel space for animals
• Building cattery and boarding kennels to ensure a continued source of income
• Renovation to Aanifeira Veterinary Clinic to increase clinic space and install sophisticated equipment i.e. X-Ray machine, Ultrasound whereby increasing customer service to clients.
• Expanding the Aanifeira Pet Shop
• Grassing the entire outside exercise area in couch grass
• Work side by side with one other very small association and the main local pound in controlling the abandoned animal population in the five major districts in the area (Terras de Santa Maria).
• Creating responsible dog/cat ownership: matching animal to owner, background checks, home checks, follow-up
• Build a sanctuary for unadoptable dogs to live the rest of their lives in freedom
• Become an exemplary shelter in Portugal and have the opportunity in helping and giving guidance to other shelters around the country
www.aanifeira.pt http://aanifeira.wordpress
.com
OUR THANKS
The staff and volunteers that work with Aanifeira give their own time devotely to helping the many unwanted animals that come into the shelter, sometimes in incredible circumstances and situations.
They work tirelessly, often facing long hours but all is done with dedication and with one thought in mind to save animals.
Animals are special to them and over the years their dedication and work has not gone unnoticed.
Aanifeira’s story over the past 11 ½ years has only improved and we believe this is only the beginning. We look forward to a better future and to achieving even greater heights.
www.aanifeira.pt http://aanifeira.wordpress
.com
END