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Curaçao Foundation for the Protection of Animals
Rene
I Dont Like Poodles!July 2010, second day on Curacao. We have a gorgeous hotel at Westpunt and we are leafing through some local mags and papers in the reception. These you never read at home, only during holidays. Suddenly I hear my girlfriend Noella exclaim: Look Rene, this is where Id like to take a look! and I get the local newspaper stuffed into my hands. I read an article about a Dutch lady who runs a shelter in Willemstad. Why, no idea, but my interest has been piqued as well.The rental scooter was delivered at the hotel the next day and we would just drive over to Willemstad in the afternoon, not knowing that Willemstad is a one and a half hours ride on a scooter and once you arrive you will have a numb, overheated butt. Still feeling commiseration with my backside, we walk into the shelter at Parera and ask if the Dutch lady is also there. We are kindly directed towards the central area and a moment later Karin (the Dutch lady) walks in. We are allowed to have a look around and get an explanation on how the shelter works.While we are there, a number of pups and neglected dogs is brought in. The shelter assistants have their hands full with those. We continue our tour and ultimately wind up at two neglected dogs that have just been brought in. These two are hardly recognizable. One is a ball of hair and scabs teeming with smaller life forms. Consultation takes place, there are many dogs at the shelter and trimming is going to be a tough job, and the trimmer used for dogs has just broken down into the bargain. I notice that Karin has just started cutting one of the dogs fur and I help her by holding the dog. It is a difficult task, it is hardly possible to tell the difference between the body of the dog and the clumps of hair. Very carefully then and millimeter by millimeter. I ask for another pair of scissors. Karin hands me another little pair that is difficult to hold and old as well, but it is the best they have on hand at the moment, I hear her say. We will buy you a new trimmer and some scissors I tell her. Karin keeps on cutting and probably thinks, yeah- yeah, thats what all the other tourists promised too. After having been busy cutting for half an hour altogether, Karin notices that I am careful and seem to have some talent, something I am surprised at myself, and says that she is going to help the other dogs. A little later two colleagues arrive and say that the two dogs over there with me are in truly bad shape with the scabies, scabs and their organisms, open injuries. Removing the matted hair takes a lot of time. It is beginning to dawn on me that these two are going to be written off. They tell me how many, mostly dogs, are brought in different conditions and that not all of them can be helped. It is a terrible thing, but choices have to be made! For the Shelter it is important that dogs leave as soon as possible and that the flow remains uninterrupted so that other dogs again can be helped. There was no time to help these two? I will cut these two then!! The assistants look at me somewhat surprised and incredulous but nod and continue with our (yes, our! Thats how fast love goes) next-door dog, which seems to be a Fila with a rear as thin as yeah as what?There I was with my two scabby friends, a trainee, a pair of scissors, itching bits of hair everywhere, in a reception cage of a shelter in Willemstad. And off we go cutting hair. Bit by bit I have been at it for more than an hour and I have only done one leg. How frustrating that I wont be able to finish it! This is one dog, the whole shelter is bursting at its seams and on top of that there will probably be more tomorrow! And where is Noella anyway!? I can hear her in the office talking to Karin about everything the shelter needs and fussing about everything it lacks. OK so she is also on the right track, I happen to know that means she is going to do something about it. Punkie as I have called my new friend has surrendered unconditionally having no strength left to resist. We plough onwards.Rene are you coming, I hear Noella say, the shelter has been closed the past half hour and Karin would also like to go home of course. I am only halfway!!Disappointed with the result, itching with all the hair everywhere and a tickly nose with all that dust and scab-flakes or something we walk out. Silently we ride the scooter and my bits of hair and dust are passed on to Noella behind me.Still somewhat surprised faces when we walk into the shelter and bring new scissors and a semi-professional trimmer. These are received gratefully and we want to get back to work quickly in order to get the punkies nice and bald again. They got treated for the scabies and we have to take it easy with them. The Poodle is obviously suffering and is lying there for half-dead. The Poodle!...I think Poodles are awful!!! But oh well, our love this time does not go out to my usual preference. Rest of the day spent cutting and shearing the other punkie. Well, the amount of love these dogs return! One way or another they can feel you want whats best for them. By the time we left the shelter both would be standing by the fence with their faces begging us to take them with us, sweet, awful and difficult.Every time I got out the punkies cage I would walk by neighbor Fila. Blustering and even vicious barking. He was so skinny and so hungry that it made him vicious and hardly anybody could get into his cage. Even with the Fila love blossomed, he did want it sooooo much!!I dont remember exactly when, but a certain moment I stepped into his cage while he stood there barking bravely. When I stepped inside he changed, large as he was, into a tiny puppy who would love nothing more than curl up inside me. How we exchanged hugs the times we spent at the shelter.What I wanted to say with this longish story, is that everyone can lend a hand!! Noella especially, talked to colleagues of the animal protection society about how to be able to lend a hand in future. We were on Curacao for three weeks, but would also be returning to Holland. I am not the consulting type but rather more the doing kind of person, fortunately Noella is different and she made a plan on how to offer help from the Netherlands with the means at our disposal. She is a graphic designer and has made a commercial calendar out of the many pictures that we took, so they can be sold over there that way leaving enough money to invest into helping the shelter. Moreover I am adding the finishing touches to the new website so that they can better inform everyone, help them and create greater awareness of the problems on Curacao concerning the way dogs are treated and thus draw attention to the need for change and assistance. Moreover, we do not simply want money from the Netherlands but prefer sponsorship of specific projects that will help directly to solve smaller and larger problems.Here you can see how everybody can lend a hand in their own way. Recently we received news that the two punkies had recovered wonderfully and had found a new loving home. It feels like we have saved two tiny lives!!!!! And I think that is a nice story.Think of your own abilities, take out your own pocketbook or raise funds in your own way. The amount of money is not important, as you have read a couple of good scissors is also welcome!On the left you will find a link to our pictures, this time of dogs that are really happy and grateful to get help from caring shelter assistants.I like Poodles and when I see one it makes me think of my littlest friends in Curacao.Rene van Manen
Story Pics!
Noella
Oh Nice: Vacation Time!This summer René and I felt like, after many extensive odysseys, doing something “simple, something relaxingâ€. Nice and cozy in a Resort, rent a little scooter, hang out at the beach, drink cappuccinos, in short nothing to worry about but enjoying the holidays! And we decided to do that on Curacao; just simply spend guilders again and order cocktails in Dutch. Wonderful! We both have our own business in Holland, so after making a lot of arrangements we could finally go. I crawled into the plane and was really looking forward to 3 weeks of NOTHING! We were welcomed in the old fashioned way by a shower (“Uh, René, tomorrow the sun is going to shine, right?â€) on the island of Curacao. Away into the taxi we go in the direction of our recluse Resort Kura Hulanda at the westernmost spot of Curacao: Westpunt.Excellent, what a terrific Resort. “Here I am so going to get a good rest, hear René? Everything is going to be just fine. I can already see myself lying on that little beach bed over there.†OK, I am a real City Girl, so the room we had booked was not completely according to our expectations: “Can we have the Ocean View Room with a discount please?†Uh hello, we are and will remain Dutch, with a discount please, thank you very much!No sooner said than done; we got an awesome room with a view of the endless ocean. OK, now the holidays can finally start! Alrighty…The next morning we enjoyed a really delicious breakfast buffet with a few extra guests at the table: “Sugar Thievesâ€. How wonderful! Small type of yellow parakeet-like birds that come and sit on the rim of your glass of orange juice, then look at you defiantly and just nick a sip of your juice! This was totally cool.And then it comes, hm? How exactly do you find the peace and quiet you need so much? Because: “Sheesh, such a lot of nice pictures you can make around here. Oh, and that little store, they sell such nice magazines there. The Library, I need to scout that one out too. The Bar, gee, such delicious cocktails (Which one should I take? I really can’t ever decide). Oh, we really have to go and snorkel for a bit as well. When will we do that? There is a buffet tonight. We going there? Etc. etc.â€After all this stress time for a little lie down by the pool. René also sees all kinds of stuff and is first going to hunt for a little snapshot … But also especially: where do they have Wi-Fi? How long is the ride to Willemstad? Arranging for a scooter and some stuff for the home front.Letting go of the work rhythm does not come easy, we notice quickly enough. Not even on a tropical island…The next day our bed is littered with all the folders from the hotel. The big question “WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO?†is answered by the local Curacao newspaper! An article caught my attention about this Karin from Rotterdam who is the new manager of the animal shelter in Willemstad. She has given up everything in the Netherlands to come over here and get the shelter back on its feet. Now that woman has guts. René, we really have to go there. This really sounds like an interesting story! Let’s go and find out…It may look now as if René and I are real Greenpeace Freedom Warriors who organize this type of action every vacation. Well that is not the case. We are just two inquisitive people who are interested in the island we wound up on. How are things actually run here? And how about animal welfare in these parts? If it is up to me that opinion was already formed yesterday at the dinner table; they blithely serve Lizard [i.e. iguana] here! Argh.Anyway, 2 days after arrival 2 brave people are sitting on a rented retro scooter on their way from Westpunt to Willemstad. For those who do not know the island: 2 white people on a scooter destination Westpunt is a unique occurrence. We got a lot of reactions on the way, I can tell you that. After 1.5 hours riding the back of the scooter I really began to wonder: “What are we doing?†Holland was playing in the semi-finals (we are no fans) and there we were on a scooter destination animal shelter. The whole island was asking the same thing, I guess… My ears had been blown off along the way and of my hairdo really nothing was left. Yes, yes, a City Girl is vain, even on vacation! Parera. The shelter was in sight. We went in. Wow, that looked pretty good. Somewhat rather clean, some shade for the dogs and of course a lot of noise (Luckily I had lost my ears, I could not hear that much anymore). We received a warm welcome and were allowed to walk around the terrain. Fortunately, Karin was there too and she gave us a quick tour including a report in a nutshell on the problems facing the shelter. What a Super Person! There were also a few volunteers and trainees (from Holland). There was a job to be done for sure! We had to roll up our sleeves and lend a hand!Now I have said before that I am a vain little city girl so cutting, trimming, washing and plucking poor little dogs were left to my Country Boyfriend from Nunspeet René. I offered my assistance in the area of graphics (That way I would not get my hands dirty). I could make a calendar that they could sell! Of course we could also take pictures, build a website etc. I thought we had better take care of that then! I would pressure printers in Holland, easy does it. Those calendars just had to be made!In the meantime two gremlins had been brought in that René had taken charge of (see his story). He went to town on them and made me totally proud. He had saved those two poodles. “My Hero!†With just my pinkies I have dared stroking them ;o). They were honestly covered in scabs, ticks and fleas. But, they had an admirer and he was going to take care of them. They had to be whipped back into shape. In the meantime we were making all these friends at the shelter and our hearts were sold. Beautiful dogs were brought there in the worst of circumstances. “What in God’s name did they do wrong?†Now, the answer simply was: They don’t serve anymore. They are either too old, or too sick, or they bark too loud, or too soft… you name it. As if they were loaves you throw away when they are bit moldy. Unbelievable… Save the Animals from the Beastly.That is how it happened that we went back to the shelter four times with scissors, trimmer and some perseverance (Tears truly closer than laughter sometimes). René took some beautiful pictures that I used to make a calendar with. It is now two months later and the website is online! The Gremlins have been placed with kind new owners, the calendar has been printed and René is set for destination Curacao the day after tomorrow. SUCH an incredible nice feeling that we have been able to make a difference for these animals, the volunteers and all others concerned! We won’t be letting go of them for some time to come…..our friends in Curacao of all shapes and sizes!Noëlla Straakenbroek
Pics Rene
The Scooter
Punkies before
washing
Cutting
and cutting
another long way to go
Nearly ready
and friends forever
Ugly
but there is love
fun afterwards
say goodbay
crying together
and just be there
give a hug
and just be there
everything gonna be ok
Noella
Hi there again
he is mine
and love again
Just be there for punkie
little
Big Boy
fun with all
little bit better
or not
Blue on my nose
Hello!
Hi! pick my!
Be my friend!
Another Big Boy
again just be there
...............
My most beautiful photo
another friend
My most shokking photo
Just funny
Henk en Friederike
The Curacao Animal Shelter at PareraDuring our holidays on Curacao my husband and I went to the animal shelter. It was very high on our to-do list, going there. We got in the car and drove over. It is situated next to the naval base on the island. When we arrived there it turned out to be closed. The gate was still open, so I put on my daredevil slippers and walked in. Behind the counter was a lady who turned out to be the manager. We explained why we had come. Because in the past lots of unpleasant information had been brought out by former employees, (or to speak plainly: slander!) we wanted to see with our own eyes if all this was true. Well, the opposite is true! They look after the animals in their care quite well! The financial resources are of course not very ample. They have to make do with what they got. Fortunately, they have a lot of sponsors that have a warm heart for animals. And you can see that. The benches are large and really very clean. They are hosed down several times a day. Obviously there are several dogs per cage, provided they get along of course. They do make a mess of things, after all! There is even a very large dog meadow over there, where they can have a great time playing around. When we were there we noticed there were no smells or flies either, in spite of the high temperatures. It can easily reach 35 to 40 degrees centigrade in the daytime. The dogs can stretch out nice and comfy in the shade which is very important of course. They all get fresh drinking water, excellent feed, and attention. The cat accommodation also looked spic and span. Clean litters, toys, climbing / scratching poles, it is all there. The cats as well have been placed several to a single large cage. There is more than one cage. Of course the creatures spend the whole day outside, what with the heat, but they do have inner shelters with blanket-lined baskets! So actually just like at our place. We were allowed to go into all kennels and “cat-rooms†and take pictures. The shelter even has an ambulance! Every so often they organize a round-up campaign for the stray dogs. Often these animals have not been neutered. They deploy trap-cages and each animal in them is transported to the nearest vet and is “helped†before they go to the shelter. There happens to be an enormous overabundance of dogs, which is a result of their not having been neutered. The people on the island are now being made aware that they have to get their pets neutered otherwise there will continue to be too many and then it is like carrying water to the sea. Time and again puppies are brought in that have been found in a gully or in a box next to the road. Does happen in Holland too unfortunately. They are checked by the vet, and if there is no mother dog, volunteers lovingly bottle-feed them until they are able to eat by themselves; and then they also get a place to stay in the shelter. For these little tykes there is also a large clean space where they can have fun playing with each other. Afterwards we talked to the manager and offered our compliments to the shelter. She was very happy with that! A few days later we went back, and of course we first drove by the pet shop to get dog biscuits and cat treats. We had decided to spoil the cats and dogs rotten with big snacks and treats. She thought it was an excellent idea! Well those dog biscuits and candies went in like cake! How happy the little dears were! We have seen with our own eyes how well the shelter employees do their jobs. HATS OFF FOR EVERYTHING! As far as we are concerned the slander, (lies!) are absolutely untrue! The shelter deserves nothing but praise! Maybe we will have another look next year, seems like a great idea, who knows….....Henk & Friederike
Anita en Frans
Dear friends, It’s been a while since you heard something about us, but we are very pleased with Dexter.In early December, he stayed with you and the first picture below, is how wefound him, and you took care of him. Now he is quite the man as you can see on the photos below.He was about 9 kilos, and now he is 19 kilos and that is more than we could have asked for. He enjoys himself with us. His girlfriend lives behind us and he's totally in love. We enjoy each and every day with him. He is so incredibly sweet, something we could have only hoped for. Our three cats are fine and they live happily with each other. Thanks again for all the good care and I would like to send a special gratitudeto everyone who helped us prepare Dexter’s trip to the Netherlands, also the doctor who filled in the forms with a wink. Greetings and love Anita Dijkstra / Frans Theuns(we stayed at the Renaissance Hotel)
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