A friend
recently sent me an email about the work being done by some volunteers at a
kennels in Lerchi, a few kilometres north of Città di Castello in Umbria. This
is under the auspices of the Comunità Montana and houses about 170 dogs. This
puts in perspective the 20 or so at our local canile and makes me realise how
lucky the dogs here are in comparison.
As is the
situation in many kennels in Italy, volunteers in Lerchi work alongside
permanent staff. (In the case of the Casentino Canile, all the staff are
volunteers.) Basic funding is from ENPA with ASL looking after the medical
care, but this doesn’t allow for the extras - or what dog lovers would consider
the essentials – warm bedding, treats, cuddles and attention. Back on Christmas
Day 2007, after a fairly depressing morning there, two volunteers Penny Radford
and Teana Newman decided that something needed to be done to help the kennels.
The washing machine had broken down and as the weather was cold and miserable,
the animal’s bedding couldn’t be washed and dried. The two women managed to raise enough money
from their friends and acquaintances to buy a new machine and drier and the
whole experience led them to form the Amici del Rifugio di Lerchi per
Animali Smarriti ed Abbandonati.
They
realised that they had to find a more organised way to raise funds for the
kennels. There was an urgent need for a new heating system as well as
replacement beds. One of their ideas, begun in May 2008, was to sell English second hand books. As an
avid reader myself, I know how desperate you get for reading material and can
fully understand how this idea took off, especially in an area with a large
ex-pat population. They called it Books for Dogs and began selling the
donated books at Umbertide market.
The Books
for Dogs idea has really taken off and has raised over 4600 Euro since it
started. They sell books in other languages now, and have expanded from
Umbertide market to the Cultural Centre in Pierantonio as well as a local jazz
club has given them use of its premises for the winter months and its regular
Wednesday morning get togethers.
It just
goes to show what can be done, doesn’t it? I’m full of admiration for these
ladies and what they have achieved.
If you are interested in finding out more
or would like to donate, please contact teanaandrobin@libero.it
.jpg)
