Tenerife is a beautiful island, there is no question about that.  Unfortunately however, it suffers massively with neglected and abandoned animals – predominantly dogs.

One way to begin solving the problem is to introduce a complete ban on the sale of puppies in pet shops.  This was adopted in England several years ago but here in Tenerife such sales are still allowed.

Another way, perhaps easier to introduce and promote, is to re-home and foster dogs that were once cherished pets but have now been cast aside due to owners relocating or, sadly, in a lot of cases sheer neglect.  My view is that if each person does their bit, then we could start to make positive changes here.

Some months ago we decided to rescue a lovely Doberman from one of the many refuges on the island.  We didn’t intend to have a fourth dog but when we saw him we just couldn’t leave him there!

Then, in January 2010 we took in another 4 dogs – a Pointer, a Podenco, a Labrador X and a small mix.  They were living in squalor, rarely got to eat and sadly one of them had been regularly beaten making her extremely timid.  We wanted to give them a chance at finding a home, something which they wouldn’t have been possible otherwise.

The first port of call was to go to the vet and get everything done for these dogs that they had never had done before; microchips, de flea, worming, Heartworm test (luckily all negative), and all their vaccinations for the 7 canine diseases, Rabies and Heartworm.  They were painfully thin and absolutely stunk so they all got bathed (several times) and given a hearty dinner.

With much campaigning the first 2 were rehomed almost immediately.  The Pointer now has a fantastic home on the Golf del Sur and the small mix went to a nice family on the coast.

This still leaves us with the Podenco and the Lab X (Zuri and Lina).  They are both wonderfully fit and healthy, at their correct weight and, having been socialised ‘to the max’, are just amazing dogs and so willing to please.

We have had some hurdles along the way, people saying they want one or the other (or in one case, both) and then backing out, but it doesn’t dampen our spirits.  Somewhere out there is a home for Zuri and Lina with people who will give them the love and attention they deserve.

They have even hit youtube, local papers, Facebook, Twitter, various forums and I even wrote to the BBC (still waiting on that one)…….still though, they are looking for homes.

One of the problems we are finding is that people still (think they) want pedigrees, hence the Lab X remaining un-homed.  If people looked past the fact that she doesn’t come with papers they would be blessed with an amazing dog.

Fostering is something I wish to continue doing.  No one said it was going to be easy and, in a house of 6 large dogs, it has its struggles, but these dogs deserve so much better than they had and if more people could come forward to re-home on a permanent or temporary basis then we could start to reduce numbers in refuges and on the streets.

No dog deserves the lives they have sometimes and ultimately it is us who have put it on them, we now owe it to them to change the situation.

So, please, next time you are walking past a pet shop with cute puppies in the window, keep walking.  If a dog really is for you then go to a refuge or a foster carer like myself and allow a “second hand dog” into your heart.

Thanks, Steph.  It looks like you are doing a great job there, let’s hope you find a home for these guys very soon!  Steph’s contact details are shown at the end of the YouTube video, just click on the YouTube link above.

Could you provide a home for Zuri and/or Lina?  If not one of these two, maybe consider one of the many others that could benefit from being brought in to a warm and caring home environment.  Leave us a comment to let us know how you think you can help.

One thing that any ‘Guest’ will have to accept though is that we have our own postings planned out and often have a schedule of posts waiting to go live at the flick of a button (or even automatically).

The reason I raise this is that I was approached by e-mail at the end of last month by someone that said they had come across The Beach and wondered if we accepted ‘Guest Articles’.  I responded that we did if they were relevant and after a few more exchanges over the following days I was sent an article and some photos.  The article was not about Tenerife but one of the other islands and I thought it might be interesting for our readers.  Timing of publication was never discussed, but it would have been scheduled in as soon as possible without disrupting our ‘normal’ postings.

I say ‘would have been’ as, alas at that time my PC and site (as many of you know) were hit by a nasty virus and I was unable to post anything!  The damage meant that I had to recover the site from Back Up and that never runs smoothly in my opinion, but never one to give up we succeeded in getting back on line (and just have a few more images to put back into our earlier posts now!).

Whilst all this was going on, I got what I think was a very rude e-mail from this person – just the words ‘I´ve placed the article I sent you elsewhere.‘  Now, if I had agreed that the article would be published on a specific day then I could possibly understand some frustration, but as it was, then I think I am glad it has been placed elsewhere – I am not sure I want to have articles from people like that on The Beach.

What do you think?  I haven’t responded and I don’t intend to, but it has annoyed me.  Am I right to be annoyed by this person and their website?

Everyone should have a pastime or hobby well this is mine……

We moved to the South of Tenerife from the UK about 3 years ago and are now settled with our 2 dogs, Blitz and Ollie and I am so pleased that we have been able to continue to  be involved with helping people to train their dogs and participate in agility events here.

I have been doing agility for nearly 20 years and when we lived in the UK also ran classes so that other people could enjoy this sport.  Since relocating I have become an active member of the Club Agility De Tenerife in the North of the Island and with this Club have recently participated in a competition in Gran Canaria.

My partner and I (and our dogs of course) travelled there with our friends (and their dogs) and I must say it certainly was an adventure travelling with 5 dogs & 4 adults to another island in a Renault Kangoo!!

Blitz is my Belgian Shepherd and she came with us from the UK, she is 6 years old and has been taking part in agility competitions since she was about 12 months.  She only looks this insane whilst she is working, at home with us she really is a big softie!

I am also in the process of training my other dog Ollie who is a border terrier cross.  You can see Ollie jiving in the photo at the top of the article – she is loving it!

If you would like any information about Agility for dogs, or with regard to dog grooming (I am fully qualified and have been for many years) please do not hesitate to get in touch with me.  I am based in the South and would be pleased to help you with any questions or advice you may need.

By the way, being so involved with animals brings me into contact with many people that have similar interests and I know one of the things that people with dogs worry about is where they can board their ‘babies’ if they need to go away for a while.  I can definitely recommend Digs 4 Dogs an excellent kennels in the south where I can guarantee your dog’s stay would be a very comfortable & happy one!

Thanks, Claire!  You have obviously gained a lot of experience in this area and it is great that you are continuing to follow it now that you have moved here.  I am sure that Tenerife Dogs and their readers will be interested in this article (and any others you may have in the pipeline).

If anyone would like any further information you can either ask questions here using the comment button above or give Claire a call on 660 862 910.

This is the first of a couple of articles prepared by Cathy (and sure to be read by at least one other person, Lesley I know you will enjoy this one!)

Do you ever have the feeling that someone is watching over you?  When things start to go wrong, something always happens to make things better.

I believe that everyone has an angel watching over them, sometimes they just don’t realise it.

So many strange things have happened to me, to make me believe that there is definitely something there.

There is a saying that if you find one pure white feather while you are out walking, it is a sign that your angel is with you.  When I am worrying about something, I always find a white feather in the strangest of places where I wouldn’t normally find one.  On the doorstep, in the lift, or one would just float past.  I always pick it up and say ‘thank you’ as I know I am being protected.

I have had a lot of worrying things happen to me over the past few years and when I feel down or frightened, I always speak to my angel.  I speak to her every morning while I am out walking and ask for help and protection for the day and I always thank her for the day that’s past.  I always get a warm feeling as if someone is with me.

A very strange thing happened to me a couple of months ago.

I had been out working and when I came in I noticed that a diamond was missing from my engagement ring.  I searched for it, looking everywhere and couldn’t find it.  I thought maybe I had lost it on the bus or at work.  I was very upset about this and gave up hope of ever finding it.

The next night I was sitting on the settee, we had just finished dinner.  Stephen had just gone back to the computer (for a change!) and I was sitting alone when I saw something shine out of the corner of my eye.  There on the settee right next to me was the tiny diamond from my ring!

Now we had each sat on the settee at some point since the day I noticed the stone was missing and there was nothing there the day before as I remember looking all over the settee.  It was as if it had been placed there for me to find it.  Straight away I thanked my angel and I have now put it safe so that I can have it fitted into my ring again.

I also have a parking angel.  When I am looking for a parking space, I always ask the parking angel to find me a space.  I say, ‘please find me a parking space’.  It never fails!  You should try it, but always remember to say please and thank you.

So every day, talk to your angel.  Ask for protection during the day and if you had a good day  remember to say ‘thank you’.  Tell her all about your problems and ask for help.  If you see a white feather while out on your travels, pick it up and again say ‘thank you’.

Have any strange things ever happened to you to make you believe?  Things that you can’t quite explain?  Let us know, and maybe we can include it as an article here to share with others.

You are never alone even when you feel you are.

Your Angel is always there to help you and is one of the best friends you will ever have.

Well, there you have it.  This is Cathy’s first posting on The Beach so please let us know if you enjoyed it.  Next time, all about Orbs …