Aanifeira – Associação dos Amigos dos Animais de Santa Maria da Feira Portugal

Aanifeira – Associação dos Amigos dos Animais de Santa

Maria da FeiraPortugal

May 2011

www.aanifeira.pt http://aanifeira.wordpress

.com

MissionProvide 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.


.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 8.000


.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


.com

TERRIBLE LIVING CONDITIONSOvercrowding Lack of sanitation


.com


.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


.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


.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


.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


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


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


.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


.com

http://aanifeira.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/g_world_animal_logo.gif

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


.com

http://www.icawc.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/ICAWC-Newsletter-2009-2010.pdf

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


.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


.com

STATISTICS - MEMBERSAn important asset to a non-profit association

Year Members

1999 32000 22001 52002 62003 52004 152005 512006 742007 1302008 1752009 3882010 338Total 1192

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20100

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

Nr. Members


.com

STATISTICSANIMALS NEUTERED / SPAYED

LAST 3 YEARS2008 2009 2010

Dogs 68 120 143Cats 71 132 180

Today at Aanifeira, all bitches are spayed with 25% of males neuteredwww.aanifeira.pt


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.


.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


.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


.com

OUR THANKSThe 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.


.com

END

Documents

Aanifeira – Associação dos Amigos dos Animais de Santa Maria da Feira Portugal