Refugio de los Animales K9
Together we make a difference; together we can do so much more.

What do you do after a successful television career including one of the U.K’s top Soaps when you find yourself in Tenerife, not wanting to do a “proper” job? Obviously you work in an animal rescue centre. Well you do if you are Ian Sharrock of Emmerdale Farm fame, Jackie Merrick for those of you who are old enough to remember (Ian’s words, not mine) and his wife Sarrie.

Ian and Sarrie came over in 2001 undecided what exactly it was that they wanted to do, Sarrie then answered an advert for a Manager at K9 animal sanctuary, Ian took on the role of Director of Marketing last year, and the rest, as they say, is history.

K9 is a British run, non-profit making, registered charity that was started over thirteen years ago by Elsie Clinton-Leslie, who is the organisation’s President. She began by rescuing stray dogs and feral cats and taking them into her own home, from that inauspicious start, Refugio de los Animales, K9 was born. Volunteers work tirelessly to make a home from home for abandoned, sick and abused dogs from all over Tenerife. This is a bigger problem than you may have imagined, indeed in 2005 alone they re-homed 450 dogs 90 puppies and over 100 cats and kittens.

Before I got to the refuge, I had imagined a horrible prison-like building filled with miserable, wretched dogs, all in a desperate state, too thin and all wanting to come home with me, big problem being the owner of two very spoiled cats. Not a bit of it! Ok so the decibel level of barking was as unbelievable as you could expect, with over 80 dogs all vying for your attention, but these canines obviously knew they had landed on all four paws. They have a family of mummies and daddies, all of whom absolutely dote on them. They are all given a name, neutered if necessary and given all their relevant jabs, they all get walked every day, fed, watered and cuddled all the while waiting for their next new home. Indeed so content are they that when they go walkies, they will often drag the volunteer back to the kennels. There are tales of re-homed dogs going missing for days and reappearing back at the kennels.

The sad aspect of K9 is that their service is so badly needed; dogs and cats are literally dumped on their doorstep overnight. Others are thrown out of cars either roadside, up on the mountain or simply just locked out of their homes when owners get bored with them. Whatever the reason, they feel they can no longer look after them, so it turns into someone else’s problem, K9’s.

Whilst I was at the kennels, they received a call about a dog on its last legs loitering in Los Cristianos. Ian grabbed a state of the art K9 canine catching kit (an aluminium pole with a lasso attached!) and we ventured off as International Animal Rescue. Well, that’s what it felt like. Unfortunately, said dog had recovered its last legs and done a runner, this is far from unusual according to Ian, in this case, petrol was wasted, which K9 cannot afford, and the dog is still roaming the streets in a distressed state. K9 will do their level best to get to an animal in distress but resources are, at best, low. They are a registered charity that receives no funding at all from the Government; neither do they have a benefactor. Instead they rely solely on our generosity; collection boxes in local bars, book swaps and charity auctions etc.

So you want to lose your kids for a couple of hours on a Sunday? K9 run a Sunday-Club where children over the age of 11, can walk, groom and feed the dogs and puppies as well as learning about how to care for animals in general. Membership costs nothing and they will love it, I guarantee it. But be prepared for wails of “Mum, Dad, can we have a..”! Should your children be interested, contact the kennels on 667638468 between Friday and Monday and speak with Sarrie who will give you more details.

All animals brought to the kennels are re-homed, Period. Only under extreme circumstances are they put to sleep, many are sent abroad to England, Germany and other European countries; the main reason being that other countries have far stricter laws protecting the rights of animals. Here, unfortunately, animals have no rights at all and are treated like possessions to be discarded when the owner feels like it. K9 will rigorously vet all potential owners and when possible they will visit the animal in their new home to check on its progress. They are always there for new owners and offer help and support should there be any problems during the settling in period.

So how can you help?
Obviously if you are in a position to home a dog (or 2) then K9 would be delighted to hear from you. You will not be charged for the animal, but you will be asked to pay any veterinary bills that may have incurred during their stay at K9.

Also K9 offer a Fostering Scheme, where you can look after an animal for a limited amount of time. This eases the strain on the kennels and enables K9 to take on more animals in distress.

You can offer your time too; Volunteers are always desperately needed to walk, groom and clean up at the kennels.
K9 run an annual membership scheme where for €35.00 per family you will receive a membership card that entitles you to discounts in recognized bars and restaurants, also various activities including Diving lessons. In addition, other companies like Lightning Signs, Meridian Windows; TIBC, Amarilla Car Hire and Venli Carpenters are offering discounts on their services.

New members will receive:

• A personal thank you from their patron Clive Hornby AKA Jack Sugden from ITV’s Emmerdale.
• A Bi-monthly newsletter telling you all about the exciting changes taking place at K9.
• 20% discount to any K9 organised fundraising event and a free bottle of wine where appropriate.

Members also qualify for a