Healing Animals Organisation
Helping animals to heal themselves

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© Elizabeth Whiter

AIMS & OBJECTIVES OF THE HEALING ANIMALS ORGANISATION

 

 

The Healing Animals Organisation has been set up to help animals in need. It was originally intended to set up The Healing Animals Organisation to have four functions and in this second successful and busy year, three are being achieved.

One very important function is to provide a register of graduate, fully insured animal healers click here who have successfully completed the Diploma in Animal Healing with Elizabeth Whiter. This register will be made available to members of the public, animal rescue centres, charities and vets via the website.

Currently, all monies received by the Organisation are being used to fund the:

Chosen animal charities: Donkey Sanctuary Portugal, Acorn Trust, National Animal Welfare Trust (Heavens Gate), Celia Hammond Trust, Paws Animal Sanctuary

The second function of The Healing Animals Organisation is to fund raise for and on behalf of animals in need. This is currently happening by means of donations raised by student animal healers for animal healing, car boot sales, fun runs, garden openings and various other fund raising schemes. The Healing Animals Organisation has already established good working relationships with the Celia Hammond Trust, The Acorn Trust and The National Animal Welfare Trust (Heaven’s Gate) charities which are chosen Charities of the Organisation and have already benefited from treatments provided by students and graduate members. It is intended to increase the list of chosen charities in years to come.

The third function of The Healing Animals Organisation is to offer and encourage graduate and student animal healers to support and help each other in their work. Promote networking and sharing expertise. Also that relevant information be compiled into a useful resource for all animal healers who are part of the Organisation.   

The final function of The Healing Animals Organisation is really concerned with the longer term. It is hoped that some time in the future, the Organisation could become international. In other words, The Healing Animals Organisation could raise funds to be used to send qualified healers anywhere in the world to assist animals in need, particularly after a major disaster. We believe in thinking big in relation to helping animals. However, in the short term, our first year, three out of four isn’t bad.

Warmest wishes Elizabeth Whiter MNFSH KFRP ISAAP and the Healing Animals Organisation Committee



Injured donkey found abandoned by the road side

 



Lame, injured donkey at the circus

 



Liz healing Sally

 



Liz healing a herd of elderly donkeys

 


Liz working with Fifi, Rex and Sheba





Liz healing Stella who has a severe problem with men. Until rescued, she was beaten daily by a male owner



Rescued dogs at the donkey sanctuary

Donkey Sanctuary Portugal

The Donkey Sanctuary is situated on a farm called Quinta de Santo João in Estômbar and the premises are owned by Peter Lander and Nan Richardson (both British). Indra Müller (Germany) en Nora Bakker (The Netherlands), are the two permanent employees in the sanctuary. Nora is already working here for years and years. The dogs in the sanctuary are taken care of, in a maximum way with minimum resources. Not too far from Estômbar, two charity shops are the main resource for the sanctuary. Monthly costs for the donkey- and dog food, electricity, petrol etc. are on average € 5.000,00. As it is not allowed to build permanent quarters for the dogs, they have to spend the night in fibreglass Dog dens. One dog den costs about € 100,-. And there are still not enough dog dens!

The sanctuary hosts about 20 donkeys, 5 mules, 1 horse and about 94 dogs. All dogs are neutered or spayed. The Sanctuary’s goal is to home as many dogs as possible in Portugal itself. The Portuguese do not take puppies older then 3 or 4 months, so older dogs sometimes fly to Germany or Holland as they have a better chance of adoption over there. In a few cases older dogs are selected to leave to the North as well. As donkeys rarely find a new home they regularly spend the rest of there lives at the Refúgio dos Burros.

With the Financial Adoption Project we strive to provide the Sanctuary with adequate financial support. We can only succeed with your help.

You can help by:

  • Financial adoption of a Donkey or Dog.
  • Promotion of our sanctuary at the bulletin board in the waiting room of your Vet.
  • A link of our sanctuary to your website.
    Please contact us at Refugio dos Burros
  • Promoting us at the bulletin board in the waiting room of your Vet.
    Please mail us your e-mail address and we will send you the promotion flyer as an attachment in JPG. You can print it out and pin it on the bulletin board at your Vet’s waiting room!

The donkeys and the dogs do appreciate your help, thank you very much!
Peter, Nan, Indra and Nora 

Donkeys in Portugal

The Refúgio dos Burros or The Donkey Sanctuary was founded in 1992 and sprang into existence as a result of Peter Landers hobby with 22 Dogs and 3 Donkeys. In no time everybody knew about The Donkey Sanctuary and the number of inhabitants grew and in 1997 gre to 50 dogs and 24 donkeys! Now we take care of 82 dogs and 22 donkeys, 1 horse and 4 mules.

When the donkeys enter the Sanctuary they receives a complete health check. The teeth are taken care of by the vet so the donkey can fulfil its most important duty…..EAT. Every donkey is wormed and the blacksmith arrives for the needed manicure. More then once it is necessary for the smith to come back a couple of times until the hooves are presentable.

The donkeys at the Refúgio dos Burros (the Donkey Sanctuary) have their own corals and are placed in different groups. They all have a place to take refuge from the sun, rain and wind. Everywhere at the premises you will find brand-new bathtubs (donated by a Dutch company called Beterbad bv in Dronten) These tubs hold the drinking water for the donkeys.
The horses (minimal 6 per year) are very expensive to keep, we always find them in a very bad state and for that, they need fast and intensive medical care. When they get healthy again, they don’t stay very long because lots of people like to adopt a horse. When they don’t get well and their wounds do not heal the Vet decides to euthanize the horse to avoid further suffering. All this costs lots of money unfortunately.

Off course we have mules and jennets which are taken care of with lots of love. The Gypsy’s leave their mule, jennet or horse in a terrible state, that is when the commercial value of the animal has dropped to zero. This is because when it ceases to work they stop feeding the poor thing. Wounded, skinny and covered in sores and parasites the animal is collected where it was found by private people or the police.

Lots of private land is being sold here in the Algarve to make way for another tourist house or holiday resort. Most of the time there are still horses on this land, front legs clustered with steel wire, tied to a tree or as a prisoner in a dark stinking stable; because when the land is sold there is no room left for them! Fortunately the Donkey Sanctuary takes good care of all these poor abandonees.

The Donkey Sanctuary and The Healing Animal Organisation

We at the sanctuary are very glad to be working with the Healing Animal Organisation and we believe that Elizabeth and her organisation have great symmetry with our charity. We run our farm in a “holistic” manner, which unlike many other charities, allows the majority of our animals to run free in large enclosures. We are the oldest animal charity in the Algarve and we believe that we have achieved this by allowing our development to be flexible and are always open to new ideas. It was therefore that we welcomed Elizabeth and her ideas with open minds and we have to say we were impressed. Although we have our own fully stocked pharmacy, operating theatre and vets assistants, we recognise that animal pharmaceuticals can only provide some of the answers to the problems we face. Indeed many of our animals have not just faced physical cruelty but mental also which takes much longer to heal.

Elizabeth arrived with us like a breath of fresh air and brought us not only donations which of course are desperately needed but also Rose hips, which our donkeys love, bags of Devils Claw and other natural products which we have not only been using but actually finished. Our dogs also responded very positively to the natural oils and other products. We look forward and need her to return. It is also worth noting that while with us for a short time, Elizabeth succeeded, after a short session, in getting a donkey to stand who had been down for 2 days after all our attempts had failed….suitably impressed…we were. We are also looking forward to receiving students of hers over the next year to work with us over here. This collaboration between our two organisations is one that we wish to continue and we look forward to seeing our relationship develop further in the near future.

The Donkey Sanctuary Accomplishments of 2006

  • Over the year 2006 we have increased our intake of animals to number over 100 dogs, nearly 50 cats and 16 donkeys and mules.
  • Over 60 dogs and 40 cats have been homed both here in Portugal and in the Netherlands.
  • Donkeys and horses have been rescued and given our health and medical support in over 25 locations across Portugal.
  • Over 200 castrations and spayings took place at the charity last year to aid those who find it impossible to finance their own operations for their pets.
  • Continuing support and participation of the Algarve’s spaying and neutering campaigns.
  • Expansion of our currently successful online adoption scheme.
  • Purchase of a new donkey/horse trailer.
  • Collection of a trailer load of materials and medication from sympathetic businesses and charities in the Netherlands.
  • The building and stocking of our own animal surgery and operating theatre.
  • Refurbishment of our Lagoa store

Our Plans for 2007

  • An ever increasing support for the spaying and neutering campaigns such as our contribution of a new operating table for this month’s campaign. This is vital to us as it addresses one of the fundamental causes of our predicament.
  • The construction of 4 new shelters of our dogs for the winter that will include separate areas for eating and sleeping.
  • A general refurbishment and maintenance of existing structures which is now required for some buildings that are over 15 years old.
  • The opening of a quarantine compound.
  • The expansion of our homing policies from those existing in the Netherlands to include Germany also.
  • The purchase of a simple security system to ensure that animal theft does not take place (as has unfortunately taken place in the past).
  • Purchase of an animal management computer programme which will enable us to keep accurate and up to date medical and homing records of our animals.
  • Expansion of our “homing visitation” inspections.
  • Purchase of staff uniforms.
  • An expansion of our education programme and school visits.

All of the above achievements and plans are of course in addition to our most important function which is the continual feeding, sheltering and above all, care of our animals on a day-to-day basis.

For further information please see our website at www.refugiodosburros.nl



Donkey left abandoned by the roadside

 



Same donkey rescued by the sanctuary

 



Sally self selecting rosehips to boost her immune system

 



Elderly donkeys self selecting devils claw a natural anti inflammatory

 

 


Liz working with Sheba who until rescued was locked up for all of her life in one room. She now has co ordination problems and has very little use of her back legs and suffers from muscle atrophy


Nora with three rescue dogs


Donkey self selecting rosehips

 


Liz working with Sidney the 8 foot South American Boa Constrictor.

 


 

 

Acorn Trust

“ the acorn project “
animal rescue     education     therapy

Initially set up in Somerset in 2004 by Steve Shore , the acorn project is now based in Lincolnshire and takes in animals from across the UK . 

We provide quality care for all our animals and take on the more time-consuming cases such as orphan rearing, unusual, older or difficult animals who need specialist care, plenty of TLC or training.

Domestic animals are looked after in a “homely” environment and come to us through vets, animal centres and the public. With a network of carers, healers and volunteers we can look after a wide range of animals whilst at the same time keeping costs to a minimum.

Our wildlife hospital has been set up to care for our British native species such as hedgehogs, owls, bats and many garden birds. Looking after orphaned, abandoned or injured animals and birds until they can be successfully released back into the wild.

Our work also involves education in schools and colleges which we believe will save animal lives in the future through awareness and learning, as well as helping the environment and wildlife through conservation.

We also bring joy to the elderly, disabled and infirm through therapy and reminiscence learning visiting over 50 nursing and care homes..

CONTACT
Steve 07793 – 228049 or email sshore@btinternet.com

Our focus for 2007 is to expand our Wildlife Hospital and extend awareness about our work so that we can help even more animals this year and also in the future.

 


Sidney partners Liz at many animal healing workshops to help educate and inform the public about reptiles and how to heal them. All workshop proceeds are donated to the Acorn Trust