Our heroes

Our heroes, Miguel and Julian, prepare to do battle with the undergrowth.

Next to El Refugio theres a river, which is mostly stagnant and only occasionally has water in it. However, when the winters are bad and rainy it overflows and causes us misery and suffering. Some years ago we were so badly affected that some dogs even died and all our machinery was destroyed and much more.

In the meantime, there's been an infestation of Canna plants in the river bed and all along our borders. These plants are life threatening for our dogs. And on top of that, should they catch fire it would mean catastrophe. When the forest fires raged in 2012 we only narrowly escaped. For years we've been begging the municipality to remove the Canna and to clear up the river bed, but we are talking to a wall. Fabienne has asked them countless times but got nowhere.

Then suddenly, last week, they came to clear all the undergrowth and rubbish from beneath the electricity poles, to a width of about 10 metres. So we asked them to clean the rest but the answer was 'no'. Not their job, they hadn't been instructed to do more than they were doing - according to European law they have to clean everything under the electricity poles and keep it fireproof. They don’t care about the rest and so the danger remains.

Fabienne visited the municipality again and again found herself talking to a wall. If we had to pay to have the river cleaned it would cost 3500 euro and we simply don't have that amount of money. To buy a machine would cost 1000 euro, crazy! We have now rented one. In the future we hope to have a machine like this ourselves so that we can keep everything under control. 

Now we are busy to clearing the river and the undergrowth ourselves with this special machine. The powers that be don't see the need - they are only dogs, right! The answer of the municipality was that people here have so much problems right now that animals have to stand at the end of the line, as if they have ever stood there at all!

Animals have no value here, so we are taking things into our own hands and cleaning up the river ourselves. It is hard work but certainly worth it! Soon the danger will be gone, we will welcome the warm summer and our dogs will be safe.

Donations towards a machine of our own would be very welcome. Please see the main website for how to donate.

Hard and dirty work but so worth it.