Animal Sanctuary Spotlight: PoorPaws in France
I'll take the focus off our operations and instead take a look at the wonderful animal saviors that exist in other parts of the world. Recently someone was visiting our very small operation here in Krabi that had been involved at some time in the past with PoorPaws, located in the Dordogne area of France. I decided to look them up because I have to admit, that without some sort of social media drive the likes of which The Soi Dog Foundation does here in Thailand, these sorts of operations don't exactly have mass exposure.
PoorPaws is a small operation just like ours but it has been around for quite a while longer. Established in 2003 by Susan Glibbery, they have specialized in their focus of finding homes for hundreds of unwanted dogs. France, unlike Thailand actually does have Animal Control Services, so their operation is one of where dogs are actually dropped off or even left outside their facility. They look after the dogs for a time and then find them new homes, primarily in France or in other nearby countries, such as the U.K.
Sue is definitely a kind soul who works tirelessly to find new homes for abandoned animals such as "Patou" above. She makes certain that the animals are going to an appropriate home before simply rushing them out the door, gauging the adopters lifestyle with attitude, temperament, and activity-level of the animals she finds in her care.
She also looks after a great many animals all at once on her own. Sue, like us and I presume most of the other animal sanctuaries / rescues has been hit very hard as far as finances are concerned because of the global Covid pandemic. Her fundraisers used to be enough to cover the charity's expenses but now those are not allowed or not deemed safe to occur and she, much like us finds herself with outgoings continuing while the incoming donations have all but stopped.
Her website is filled with adoption success stories and she takes the time to talk about each dog individually. Many of the stories about how she acquired these animals are just as tragic as the ones we have in Thailand but in a different kind of way since many of the dogs she has temporarily adopted over the years were not victims of homelessness the way it usually is here in Thailand, but of stories of horrible neglect and abuse at the hands of owners who decided they no longer wanted the animal but instead had it tethered to a short chain, where the animal spent its entire life.
This is no life for animals and I hope that people that subject animals to this sort of treatment get their come-comeuppance. Sorry to be morbid but it just is so difficult for me to understand how anyone could treat dogs this way.
PoorPaws and Sue do amazing work in France and it kind of breaks my heart a bit to see her monthly blog where Sue routinely refers to her own mortality (she is 70 years old) and how she has to face facts about how she may not be able to carry on one day. Sue is healthy now, but I admire her courage in realizing that the clock is ticking for all of us.
Sue doesn't just help dogs and cats! Meet Bouboule!
If you happen to be in South-West France and are looking for a rescue, you need look no further. PoorPaws has been doing this charitable work for over 15 years and deserves recognition and support. We admire you Sue, and I personally plan to follow in your footsteps as I make this my life's work as well.
If you would like to see how you can help out, or simply spread the word, please visit our website at
http://krabianimalwelfare.org
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