MAYRA
Mayra was born around October 2016, she was my second foster dog here in Portugal and crept into my heart so that I adopted her myself, at that time she was about 1 year old. A dog from animal welfare, abandoned, living on the streets, distrustful of people, especially men - an unfortunately common life. Mayra is not perfectly trained, but she is very sociable with other dogs, likes to play and swim, loves our walks together, where she gets as much freedom as possible. Her fear of people is decreasing, not least through constant contact and positive experiences. Unfortunately, she sometimes still barks at strangers, but she is also curious and just needs some time until she establishes contact herself.
CHRISSY
Mayra does not like to be left alone and enjoys the company of other dogs even in our home. Her interaction with our foster dogs made it clear that she would prefer to always have a companion. In April 2018, I came across pictures of Chrissy on Facebook, she also was found abandonned and brought to the shelter Sao Francisco de Assis in Loulé. I went to see her the next day and adopted her after the obligatory waiting period. In the meantime we went for regular walks and Mayra agreed, too. Chrissy is half a year older than Mayra and apparently had very little contact with other dogs. After a few weeks the two became dearest friends, Chrissy learned to play boisterously. Unfortunately, she was tested positive for heartworm, and during the lengthy treatment I had to severely restrict her urge to move, so there were still no long walks during our first summer together. Nowadays she is a healthy, happy dog.
ANJA
At the age of 49, I fulfilled my dream of moving from Germany to Portugal. I have been living in Vale do Garrao on the coast since July 2017. Through many holidays in the years before, I got to know the beautiful and, above all, varied Algarve as a tourist, made contacts, looked for and found my dream home, took language courses, all in preparation for the long-awaited move.
I have known the animal shelter Sao Francisco de Assis in Loulé since 2012, often worked there as a dog walker during my holidays and supported the founder Dona Lilo at the Algarve Fair. The work done at the shelter by staff but also volunteers is incredible. Even though the sight of the many dogs and cats is almost unbearable, many animals are successfully rehomed locally and abroad. The effort and the costs are immense - and worth every support!
Without the shelter and its volunteers, Mayra and Chrissy would not be with me today!
