My Experience at the Association for Abandoned Animals

I have recently had the opportunity to carry out a project at the Association for Abandoned Animals and Happy Paws, both located at Marsa. This project included frequent visits to two associations which are both associated with the care and upbringing of abandoned dogs. The aim for my visits was to learn in detail about the daily procedures of an animal shelter and an animal clinic. During my project, I also intended to acquire more knowledge about the day-to-day routine and life of the dogs that inhabit this sanctuary and to learn the problems and difficulties that are encountered with animals which have been neglected and left in the streets. Finally, I found it of interest to know more about the microchip technology in detail as a measure done to limit the number of neglected pets.

The Association for Abandoned Animals currently hosts about 140 abandoned dogs. Many of these would have previously been ill-treated or neglected by their owners who might irresponsibly decide to leave them wandering alone in the streets because they can’t keep them anymore. AAA has a strict non-killing policy. No animal are put to sleep because it is sick (unless it is upon veterinary advice) or because there is not enough space for it. Each dog is given a veterinary check-up, no matter how much it costs. AAA stresses the importance of neutering, both to prevent illnesses and to considerably reduce the number of animals left alone in the dangerous streets and bad weather conditions.

Happy Paws Charity Organization is a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) which was founded in 2004 and strives to be a service to the local stray animal community. This organization provides free neutering services for caretakers who join its team such as those of AAA. H...

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...nt that a lost dog has been found. If within 7 days, the owner does not pick up his/her pet, it is classified as an abandoned pet. The dog is then taken for a check-up at Happy Paws and neutered. After this, it is available for adoption.

This project taught me a lot about the difficulty of running an animal sanctuary. As seen, it is not as easy or as fun as it seems to be to operate a sanctuary, especially since it is very difficult to earn income. People might not be willing to give donations to an animal sanctuary, mostly because the seriousness of the need may not be very clear.

The carers alone cannot give as much attention to the dogs as they need since there are too many of them. This made me learn that the general public can make a huge difference simply by paying a visit every once in a while to spend time with these dogs who are so deprived from attention.