Going back to the UK?

Act now
to take
your pet

Animal welfare groups in Spain are struggling to cope with the volume of help requested by ex-pats who have decided to return to the UK. The Costa Animal Society is no exception and has issued a plea to anyone considering returning to their home country to think well ahead so that their pets can travel with them and not be forced into a possibly uncertain future.

CAS is frequently approached just a few days before a family is due to leave which sadly means that the charity is unable to help at all. There is a long waiting list, limited space in kennels and a shortage of local people willing to foster animals temporarily.

The process of preparing a dog or cat for travelling to the UK can take as long as eight months because of Britain’s requirements with regard to preventing rabies entering the country. After the essential anti-rabies vaccination has been given, the animal must wait six months - the time required for an infected animal to show signs of the disease – before being allowed onto British soil.

Click on the logo above to visit the website of the Costa Animal Society

To prepare a dog or cat for travelling to the UK, the first requirement is a microchip and blue EU passport, issued by a vet, in which all the vaccinations and health checks will be recorded. Without this documentation, the animal will be quarantined on arrival in the UK at the cost of the pet’s owner. Next, vaccinations, including the rabies shot, are given. This must be undertaken after micro-chipping to ensure correct identification in the passport. After a month, a second rabies vaccination is required, and after a further month a blood test must be given. Then comes the six-month wait after which, if all is well, a Health Certificate will be issued and the animal will be almost ready to travel. Finally, immediately before the journey, the cat or dog must receive treatment for ticks and worms. Then it’s into the travelling crate, all set for take-off.

A more comprehensive guide is available at the CAS website here where there are also links to the UK Government’s information pages on cross-border travelling with pets.

CAS is strongly urging all owners to consider what will happen to their pets if a return to the UK is a possibility, perhaps because of strong family ties, an issue with health or the ongoing economic downturn. Planning well ahead will mean that animals are not simply abandoned to their fate in Spain.

New treasurer

As a result of recent publicity, the Costa Animal Society is pleased to welcome Deborah Soames as its new treasurer. However, the charity is till looking for volunteers to help in other key roles.

Deborah lives in Nerja’s Capistrano Village and worked as a Revenue Officer with the UK’s Inland Revenue for 15 years before moving to Spain. She holds an Advanced Bookkeeping Certificate and will take over the reins of CAS finances from Peter Thomsing on January 1. Deborah sounds like exactly the right person to take charge of the purse strings and CAS welcomes her on board.

CAS is still searching for someone to take over responsibility for cats when Karen O’Brien steps down at the end of the year. She has worked tirelessly to make life better for Nerja’s feline population and it would be terrible to see such efforts go to waste. This year alone, Karen has homed over 130 cats which, she says, although giving the impression of independence, still need the security of a loving home.

“Abandoned cats struggle in the same way as abandoned dogs,” she explains, “and I would ask any group of people who love cats like I do, to get together, and call me to find out what they can do. Shared among several people, it would not be such a huge task.” Karen will still be helping with CAS’s catfeeding programme on a daily basis in the New Year so if you think you could volunteer to help with this, or to take on some of her other responsibilities, call her on (+34) 95 252 6312 for a no-obligation chat.

Karen’s husband Mike along with Richard Thorne plan to stand down from their fund-raising activities, while Wendy Thorne comes to the end of her term as President in March. If you could volunteer to fill any of their shoes or help CAS in some other way, please find out more by calling Wendy on (+34) 95 203 7095.

Portrait presentation

CAS benefits from
on-line shopping

Anyone considering buying on-line from some of the UK’s favourite retailers can now help CAS at the same time. The charity has joined a Webshop which pays CAS either a fixed amount or a percentage of the price on every purchase.

More than 150 favourite stores are participating in this fund-raising initiative, including many well-known high street names from Amazon and Asda, through M&S and Next, to Waterstones and Zaavi. And the best bit is that you’ll pay exactly the same price as you would by going directly to the company’s website, and sometimes less than the price charged in their UK branches. Everyone wins!

For shopping on-line, please go to www.buy.at/casnerja and browse through the stores and discover how much CAS will benefit from you buying goods this way. Bookmark the site for the future to ensure your continued support for CAS.

Fund raising

Can you help CAS?

We know times are tough but, sadly, that does not prevent the continuous flow of abandoned dogs and cats requiring help from the Costa Animal Society. This, in turn, costs money which is as tight for CAS as it is for everyone.

However, if you could donate a little to help the animals, CAS would be most grateful.

Bank: Cajamar.
Account name: Costa Animal Society.
Account number: 3058-0839-68-2720000283.
BIC-Swift Code: CCRIES2AXXX.
IBAN: ES58 3058 0839 6827 2000 0283.

Or visit the CAS Charity Shop at Calle Dr Ferran 12, Nerja, open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 1pm.

CAS Archives

Read previous CAS News pages by clicking on the pictures
 

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