Updates On 5th Mar 2013

MOM MAY GO TO PRISON FOR SAVING ANIMALS

When Diane Rowles and her husband Tony moved to Bulgaria with their four children a few years ago, they were shocked and heartbroken at what they saw. Dogs here are used as “doorbells”, chained up outside with the sole purpose of alerting their owners of visitors. They survive on moldy bread alone. Other animals simply roam the streets and when pups are born, they are dumped in the forest. At first, dogs like the pair pictured here had nowhere to go. Diane would visit them in the forest, bringing food and using simple wooden frames covered in plastic to try to keep them dry. After mounting a campaign with friends and clearing much of their life savings, Diane and Tony were able to purchase a very old building and some land. They had the beginnings of an animal shelter.

Every week, people take their unwanted dogs and cats and tie them up in sacks or cardboard boxes and hurl them at the shelter gate. All Diane can do is to open each box tenderly and try to calm the quivering animals inside. More than 150 cats and dogs here receive food on any given day. They have a roof over their heads, vaccines and spay/neuter. Once they have been rehabilitated, the animals enter an international adoption program finding homes in England, Germany and Switzerland. The cost of caring for these recovering animals is extortionate, yet Diane is now threatened with imprisonment for not doing enough.

Three weeks ago the municipality told Diane that if she doesn’t comply with new European Union standards of animal sheltering, she’ll be imprisoned. This means new floors, new windows, plumbing, insulation, and isolation ward. No one in Bulgaria will donate to help. But is this justice? Should they jail the one woman who heals the dogs and cats simply because she can’t match the well funded institutions elsewhere in wealthier countries?

Won’t you help us show Diane she’s not alone. If you believe in the underdog, please take a look at how we at the Harmony Fund charity (based in the USA) is helping Diane and the other rescuers here in Bulgaria. We sure could use your help. Visit our rescue mission here to lend a hand. Every little bit helps! http://animalrescuechase.com/donation/bulgaria.html

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Source: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=541669372523046&set=a.135131043176883.16781.109342202422434&type=1&relevant_count=1

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Animal Rescue Chase

The Great Animal Rescue Chase celebrates the art of animal rescue with a worldwide race to rescue one million. It’s a free event, open to all, and is perhaps the only global animal rescue event aimed at helping any animal in distress, anywhere in the world. Our ambition is to create a culture of enthusiasm and pride in animal activism. We believe in teaching, by example, that there is a hero in each of us just waiting to be unleashed. Empowered animal lovers can not only save lives, but build the momentum for powerful animal welfare reform.

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