Animal Care España has rescued more than 33,000 dogs

On the edge of the forest, near La Cala de Mijas in Spain, we enter a desolate area with warehouse buildings, high fences, and behind them—makeshift barracks. It is hot and quiet as we arrive at the gate. A memorial plaque is fixed high on the fence. The plaque shows the founders, Belgian Fabienne Paques and her husband Ton van den Broek. They ran the rescue centre Animal Care España (ACE) together. Then Ton became ill. A year and a half later, he died of cancer. Fabienne lost the love of her life, but their life’s work—ACE—is full of life.

We press the doorbell. The silence is immediately broken by a chorus of barking dogs. From the deep, dark bark of large mastiffs to the high-pitched yaps of tiny chihuahuas. We wait. The barking subsides. After a few minutes, we ring again—and release the chorus once more.

A friendly woman with reddish-brown hair comes to the door. We explain that we have an interview appointment with Fabienne Paques.

“Sorry,” says the woman, who introduces herself as Veerle Debeurme. “Fabienne had to leave on an urgent mission.”

A number of dogs needed to be picked up immediately. This is daily life here—appointments matter, but nothing is more important than the dogs.

They may only get one chance.

466 dogs and nearly 200 cats

Debeurme shows us into the kennel area. It is divided into various levels with cages and exercise yards. “Usually we have 350 to 360 dogs here at any given time,” Veerle explains.

Today, there are 466 dogs under their care—plus the 20 to 25 dogs Fabienne is picking up as we speak. And in the cat kennel, there are nearly 200 cats—all waiting for a new home.

“The need for help is huge. We could easily take in 20 dogs a day. But we don’t have the capacity,” Veerle explains.

Finding new homes in other countries

ACE was founded in 1999. Since then, they have rehomed more than 33,000 dogs and 8000 cats. Each year, around 1,000 dogs are rehomed. Most are transported to other countries, especially Belgium and the Netherlands, but also to Denmark, Canada, United Kingdom and Finland. In these countries, volunteers for the organisation work to find new homes for the dogs and cats. They meet potential new owners in person and check if the homes are suitable for the dog they want. If you want a large and active dog, you usually need more space than if you want a smaller dog. ACE’s website and social media are important tools for reaching potential adopters—and for raising donations to support the work.

When the dogs arrive at ACE, they are placed in quarantine for two to three weeks. They are examined by a vet and receive vaccinations, deworming, grooming, microchipping and any other necessary treatment.

Afterwards, the dogs are socialised and trained by volunteers.

“Some of the dogs have never been on a leash before, and some are not used to being touched. Here, they get love and patient training,” says Veerle.

Every third week, the vans head out, full of crates. Around 50 dogs and cats are transported for rehoming in other countries.

“Some dogs are easier to rehome than others. Small dogs and older dogs are easier to place than big dogs. Many adopters are older people. They often want a dog that doesn’t require too much,” says Veerle.

Waiting lists of dogs

“Do you get many dogs through the police?”

“The police are usually required to take dogs to the perrera, which is government-supported. There the dogs are euthanised after a certain period of time. It used to be ten days, now it’s a bit longer,” says Veerle.

“What kinds of dogs do you take in?”

“All kinds of dogs. Dogs that have been abandoned, street dogs, and dogs whose owners no longer want them. We have a waiting list of dogs whose owners no longer want them. Sometimes we also get dogs through the Spanish animal police (Seprona),” says Veerle.

Chief was locked in a small room

We pass through different areas with gates in between. Along a road, between one kennel section and another, there are large stacks of travel crates in various sizes. A green tarpaulin hangs beside the road. Debeurme bends down and lifts the tarpaulin slightly. Underneath lies a big, yellow-brown dog, wagging his tail.

“This is Chief. He likes to lie here. He is eight years old. His teeth are in very bad condition. He was locked in a room for many years and used his teeth to try to get out,” she explains.

We ask more about Chief and are shown pictures from when they rescued him. In a filthy room, full of rubbish, faeces, old garden tools and fishing rods—a room with no windows—Chief lived for several years. Then he came here, and now he has a home waiting for him. We hope Chief will have many good years in his new home.

In a barrack, under an air conditioner, lie two large dogs—Mamita and Nonna. Mother and daughter. The big, gentle dogs are dependent on each other and therefore it is not so easy to find a new home for them. They need an owner who has the time and space for two gentle giants.

Fabienne arrives

Shortly afterwards, Fabienne arrives and we are shown into her office. Outside the office, more dogs are reaching out for attention. Two of the dogs, a pug and a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, are the lucky ones allowed into the office that day. The walls are covered with photographs of dogs Fabienne has had herself, and large paintings of dogs wearing crowns. The two office dogs are quickly up on the desk. The pug stands on my notebook and gives me a kiss.

“When we got her, a couple of months ago, she was afraid of everything. She barked all the time,” Fabienne smiles. The dog standing on the notebook now appears confident, happy, and very social.

The puppy mill

“What happened today?” we ask.

“There was a puppy mill that had 80 dogs they wanted to get rid of. They posted an ad on Facebook. They only have these dogs to make money from them. They easily charge 2,000 euros for a puppy. With us, it costs 400 euros. Then you get a dog that is fully vaccinated and microchipped. Several of the dogs in the puppy mill were in very poor condition. The dogs we took were adults. They were the ones in greatest need. They were thin and neglected. One of them was missing half a leg,” says Fabienne.

Shortly after, she points out the window. A volunteer is walking by with a trolley full of crates with new dogs. They are thin, dirty and anxious.

“As long as you love what you do, it’s okay”

Life at the kennel is hectic—and expensive. Running ACE costs 35,000 to 40,000 euros a month.

“Last week we were completely out of food. So we went to a nearby pet store and handed out flyers to customers asking for donations of food. That day we got 500 kilos of dog food,” says Fabienne.

“It’s donations that keep this place going, and it’s a lot of work—both physical labour and organisation. But as long as you love what you do, it’s okay,” she says.

Spreading knowledge

The organisation does more than rescue and rehome dogs and cats. They also work to spread awareness about animal abuse in Spain—and knowledge about proper animal care. This includes the importance of neutering and spaying dogs and cats.

“This place is a pet cemetery”

Fabienne, who is now 61, is from Belgium. Her parents had a house in La Cala de Mijas, so she has had a connection to the area since childhood.

“At that time, I had never heard of killing stations (perreras). But a woman took me to the kennel we are in now. Back then, it was a perrera. Every Friday, they killed the dogs and dumped them into large mass graves. They didn’t want anyone to see what was going on. This entire area is a pet cemetery, full of buried, dead dogs. When one grave was full, they dug another. And the smell in here, the smell of death—I will never forget it. I decided I wanted to change this,” says Fabienne.

It began with Fabienne and Dirk renting a small part of the kennel. They took in homeless dogs who received care, love and a second chance. Dirk took Polaroid photos, which he shared through tourists and acquaintances in Belgium and the Netherlands. Then the first dog found a new home. Then another. And another. Other dog lovers heard about their work and offered to help. They had to rent larger areas of the kennel. And finally, in 2008, the owner of the perrera asked if they wanted to take over.

“I didn’t want to take over a kill station. I wanted to save them.”

“I said no. I didn’t want to take over a kill station. I wanted to save them. Before that, I had paid a lot for each of the dogs I rescued. Now I took over to save animals. Gradually we built up both the kennel and the organisation. The Spanish state subsidises perreras, but not organisations with a no-kill policy. The perrera in Fuengirola recently received one million euros to operate for four years. We get nothing,” says Fabienne.

When ACE rescues a dog from a perrera, they must pay around 100 euros for the dog – sometimes less, sometimes more.

Many staff and volunteers

Fabienne and Veerle are far from alone in running the place. In total, there are 16 employees at ACE, six vets are connected to the organisation, and 30 volunteers. In addition, there are volunteers in the various countries to which the dogs are sent.

“At first you don’t notice that the organisation is growing or how much you are working. So many lives have passed through our hands, says Fabienne.

People can create dangerous situations

Sometimes dangerous situations arise. They are related to people, not dogs.

“When animal welfare organisations collect dogs from owners who may be dangerous, we often travel far. This is to avoid confrontations. But if the police bring a dog they have taken from a homeless person or someone with drug problems, we become the bad guys. It’s not fun, but we do it for the dogs,” she says.

In Spain, hunting dogs—galgos and podencos—are considered tools and are not covered by animal welfare laws. These breeds are often treated particularly badly.

“Sometimes we take in a hunting dog that has a microchip, but we see that it has been treated so badly that we don’t want to return it. Then there is usually a long process to have them legally transferred to us,” she says.

Many Spanish dogs have been a gift to a child

With so many dogs that have suffered so much, we ask if dangerous situations can arise with the dogs.

“Very few of the dogs are dangerous to humans, but we have dogs that don’t get along well with other dogs. Most Spanish dogs are gentle. Some are afraid at first, but they get lots of cuddles, love, patience and help so they become confident,” says Fabienne.

She explains that most of the dogs are especially fond of children.

“Ninety-five percent of the dogs here have started life with children. They were often a gift to a child. The children have been kind to the dogs, but when the dog grows up and starts urinating or defecating, the parents get annoyed. Then they don’t want the dog anymore,” says Fabienne.

Spends the whole day with the animals

“What is a typical day like for you?”

“I have 20 dogs and several cats at home as well, who need care. I get up at seven o’clock and clean until nine there, and make food for my own animals. Then I come here and work all day. In the evening, I go home and take care of my own animals again. Sometimes I have visitors in the evening. Otherwise, I work,” says Fabienne.

She lost the love of her life

It has been two years since she lost her husband. He died of lung cancer.

“We did everything together. First we ran a business together in Belgium. Then we sold it and invested in property here in Spain. Then we built ACE together. He was like me. He loved animals,” she says.

“What does ACE and the work with these dogs mean to you?”

“It means everything. They are my children. We couldn’t have children. We tried for a long time and went through many difficult periods. Then we started this and suddenly we had 500 children,” says Fabienne.