The basis of our foundation lies in Badajoz, a city in Extremadura, Spain.
Badajoz is the capital of and a municipality in the Spanish province Badajoz
and is located in the region Extremadura. Badajoz has approximately 146,000
inhabitants. In Badajoz lives Mariangeles Gomez Sálpico, a true angel for
the animals. She has already saved hundreds of dogs from the killingstation
and the streets of Badajoz and has given them a new home.
In the last year she has also become politically active for the animals and
she is the president of a recently founded cooperation bond with 6 other
organizations in Extremadura. With our foundation we want support her work -
and along with that the animals. The support has been aimed at projects in
Badajoz and surroundings and on the adoption of dogs which have no chance
for a new life in Spain. For this reason we have chosen to especially help
dogs with – undeserved - difficulties caused by their age or handicaps. For
these dogs we are looking for people who are prepared to give them all the
love they definitely deserve!
Mariangeles lost her own dog years ago and suffered a lot. The
dog was blind, could not find the way and someone apparently
took it to a veterinary. Mariangeles did try everything to find
her dog and in spite of the chip the veterinary had immediately
killed the dog - she had not even taken the effort to read the
chip. After this had happened Mariangeles felt the need to save
other dogs from a fate like this. For many years she went to the
perrera (killingstation) week after week to look after the
animals there, to clean the kennels, feed and cuddle the dogs.
Eventually this was the reason for her to found ACAN and in the
course of the years she has saved hundreds of dogs from the
perrera and the streets.
These dogs were mainly kept in her own house/ garden area behind
their house where she had placed large kennels, an area where
they could run free and all possible supplies. From there the
dogs were rehomed using foundations and individuals, mainly in
Germany and the Netherlands.
You can see some pictures
here of the life in the
perrera, these photos can be experienced as (very) shocking!
Innumerable dogs were cured with the aid of Mariangeles (also
heavily maltreated and sick dogs found a new life with her help,
the high costs for operations and clinic she paid for a large
part from her own money) and found thanks to her a new home.
In 2008 the situation changed, a neighbour reported her to the
police because he felt disturbed by the dogs.
In spite of the fact that he was the only person and moreover
frequently was notable by its aggressive behaviour, mainly in
combination with too much alcohol, a legal decision prohibition
followed and Mariangeles could not have dogs there anymore. The
area was cleared by the police, but she had taken the dogs to
friends and to a pension one day in advance.
Still she arranged professional transports, also for other
organizations, to Germany and the Netherlands to rehome dogs.
She underwent an eye operation as a result of which she could
not leave the house for 2 months.
In spite of all developments she decided not to give up but to
fight even harder for the animals. Still she has dogs in their
own house, at friends and in an animal pension - dogs she finds
on the street, which are brought to her - even puppies in a
waste bag have been abandoned at her door!
At this moment ACAN has approximately 29 dogs looking for a
home, some of them in the house of Mariangeles and her family.
The others are at friends’ places or in a pension where
Mariangeles must pay an amount of approximately 4 euro per day.
You can see the dogs from ACAN belonging to our group of old
and/ or disabled dogs if you click HERE
or if you look at the chapter “The Animals”.
FEPAEX
But moreover she decided to fight for an improved basis.
With 6 other animal protection organizations in Extremadura
she has established a coordinating organization, FEPAEX (Federación
de Asociaciones Protectoras de animales de Extremadura) of
which she is the president. This organization aims at
improvement of the animal well-being on large scale. They
are in conversation with the president of the junta to find
a way to change the situation together - no more killing in
perreras, heavier punishment for animal maltreatment,
obligation to chip animals and castration- and sterilization
projects are some of their major aims.
The first step is to oblige painless euthanasia in perreras.
At this moment the law stops after the obligatory time in
the perrera (20 days is normal). The dogs can be killed,
only the HOW it has not been regulated. Our aim is to
support the work of ACAN and FEPAEX - by collecting
contributions for projects, by spreading information and by
giving a second chance for a new life to the dogs.
Television campaign Fepaex
