Friends of GAWT

Friends of Goa Animal Welfare Trust is a UK-based support group which manages the website, external fund raising and also edits and distributes our regular, free, newsletters. To contact us please email Friends of GAWT.

We hold fundraising events throughout the holiday season (November to April) in Goa. Our Fundraising Chairman is Colin Pickersgill ("Colin P"), who can be emailed at colinp @ gawt.org (remove spaces) or called on (+91) 9822 176972 for information on upcoming events, if you are going to be in Goa.

Cycling 350k over five days in Cuba, starting in Jibacoa on Sunday 6th November at 6am and finishing in Trinidad, mostly off-road and over the lush hills.

Becky is one of our loyal fundraisers and volunteers. Last year she spent 10 hot and muddy days cycling through Rajasthan to raise funds for us. This year her destination is Cuba, again to raise significant funds towards our work. She comes to work with us each holiday at the Shelter. This year she went dog-catching on the beaches with Raju, one of our senior assistants, and on one day brought back 7 sick puppies and a very sick little female, who had a huge tumour. The puppies have all been adopted now, and the tumour has been removed – a fit, happy and healthy dog was returned to her pack on the beach.

We want all of you to support Becky by sponsoring her via the Donations page. The PayPal option is easy - remember to state that the donation is "for Becky’". Small amounts go a long way in Goa, and bigger ones go a very long way towards helping us expand our services. So please be generous. All donations are spent giving south Goa’s stray dogs, puppies, cats and kittens a good quality of life.

Penny Stephens volunteers every Sunday at our
Anti-rabies Camp in south Goa when she is on holiday

I quite look forward to Sundays when I am in Goa, because it means it’s Anti-Rabies Camp day. The bit I don’t look forward to is the early start. We need to be at whichever village we’re going to that day by about 8.30am, so there’s a lot a stumbling around, trying not to forget water, hat, bum bag, pen, bananas (my breakfast).

Every week between September and mid-May (when the monsoon rains arrive), we set up the camp in a different village in south Goa. First, around 8.30am, the van from our Shelter at Curchorem turns up, with two or three of our veterinary assistants and one of our vet doctors. At the same time, our volunteers pitch up too – anything between six and ten people.

We set up camp in some shady spot outside the local church – the location chosen because we seek the help of local priests to let people know we’re holding the camps near their church and to remind them to bring their pets. As most priests are very happy to co-operate with us, the arrangement works very well.

The van carries all our supplies for the day – a freezer box full of anti-rabies serum, syringes and needles, the other drugs we may need, and then all the items for our shop – collars, leads and chains, shampoos, soaps, tonics, worming tablets, food. It will also bring any puppies and kittens that are ready for adoption. Most of them are female, and almost all of them have been abandoned, in ditches, in people’s gardens, by the side of the road, or on the beaches. When someone adopts from us we charge them Rs100, which includes an anti-rabies shot. The owner also has to agree to have their new pet sterilised when it’s older – most are only around two months when they’re adopted, and need to be about five months before they are operated on; we also subsidise the operation, and almost everyone has their pet neutered within the first six months.

First we build a big pen for the puppies and a smaller one for the kittens, with lots of newspapers in both to catch puddles. Then, in they go, followed by some biscuits, milk and water, all of which inevitably product puddles and more, so it’s a constant battle to keep the newspapers replenished. Some of these little ones are delighted to see you and think the whole world is there for their amusement, and these are the ones who tend to be adopted first. Others sit and tremble, but mostly they just need a bit of a cuddle before they relax and look a bit more appealing to potential owners.

The puppies are the first place the children make a beeline for when they come out of church, so one of us always has to be around to make sure they treat them gently and with respect, and don’t frighten them. We pick them up and show the children how to talk to them, how to stroke, them and, how to hold them comfortably.

Meanwhile, there is by now a steady stream of people turning up with various animals, who, apart from getting their pet an anti-rabies vaccination, are often seeking help, treatments, advice and information from our vets and the assistants and volunteers. High on the list of ailments is mange, which affects a huge number of dogs. This is a highly infectious skin condition caused by parasitic mites, which causes hair loss and crusting, and itches really badly, making the animal miserable. If left untreated, the scabs can turn into weeping sores. The good news is that it is easily treated. We have a number of lotions and washes that people can buy, to help the condition, and, in bad cases, we can administer an effective injection for just Rs50.

We see all sizes, shapes and colour of dog. Most are local dogs, but a number of pedigrees do turn up, with German Shepherds, Labradors, Dalmatians and Boxers the most likely. They arrive in a variety of ways. Some are brought in on a lead, others come on a scooter and some arrive by car or lorry. In a number of cases each week, the owner is unable to bring the dog to us either because they don’t have transport, or the animal is vicious, or because they simply have too many to fit on a scooter. It’s not unusual for people to have three or more dog. In these cases, we fill out the paperwork at the camp, and then one of the veterinary assistants or volunteers goes with the owner to their house to vaccinate them. Recently we’ve seen a rise in the number of cats brought in, including one stunning black picture Persian boy who came in wearing a harness and lead, and lay in his owner’s arms all through the procedure as thought this was a daily occurrence. We also have a few monkeys that regularly need vaccinating, and on one occasion a beautiful white fancy rat.

The living conditions of animals varies hugely. Many people know about basic animal welfare, but It’s not uncommon for dogs to be kept tied up all day, every day, which means they go a bit stir crazy, barking and growling at everything and everyone. This makes it difficult to administer a vaccination or any other treatment the dog may need. Sometimes, when we explain to people that the dog needs either a walk or to be let loose to run around every day for it’s own welfare, we tell them that if their dog is happier, it will be a better companion or guard dog for them. It’s like a light-bulb moment for the owners, and we hope the dog will be better cared for in the future. Sadly too many will just take the dog back to its tethering post, where it will stay. Wanton cruelty is not that common, although certainly not unheard of, but ignorance of animal welfare is still widespread.

The first couple of camps I went to, I have to admit I spent most of the morning getting in everyone’s way and asking inane questions. I took a lot of pictures! Now, I know the ropes and can fill in the forms, comfort the puppies and kittens, and help with the shop sales. I feel confident enough also to talk to the owners about their pets, sort out if they need any medical help or advice for them.

Around 11.30am the cry goes up, ‘Coffee and Samosas’ and we start taking a very welcome break. The sun is getting hotter by now, so there is plenty of chilled drinking water available too. By the end of the morning we are all usually covered in dust, mud, puppy wee and quite a lot else. Never mind. Everyone else is in much the same state. We’ve done another camp, vaccinated 150+ dogs, cats, and puppies, given out a lot of advice and sold a lot of things which will make life better for them.

We wouldn’t be able to do all this without donations from you, our supporters. So, a huge ‘thanks’ to all of you for making the work we do possible.

Little girl Ayesha fell in love with this little puppy who was brought in on the morning of the camp after being found weaving in and out of traffic on a main road. She carried it around and was obviously a really animal lover. Eventually her father came in to see what had happened to her, and she managed to persuade him to adopt the pup.

Newsletters
We occasionally publish a newsletter called Update to let people know what’s going on in GAWT, particularly for those people who cannot get over to Goa.

If you would like to receive an electronic copy of future Update newsletters as they arise, please send your own e-mail address to Friends of GAWT.