Buy a pair of pants, feed a pup!

Posted on December 18, 2016 by Shan Maher | 0 Comments

Did you know that SolosolMovement donates $1 from every purchase to a no kill animal rescue center in Bali? I discovered BARC through my partnership with SolosolMovement and I knew that a portion of the proceeds went directly to a nonprofit that aids in animal rescue but after stepping into BARC I truly realized what an impact every purchase with Solosol makes.

Considering that BARC is essentially run by all volunteers - except for the dog whisperer - and a few other local Balinese on staff this place only stands because of donations and volunteer dedication.

Last Monday I had the pleasure of spending my afternoon at BARC in Ubud. BARC is a no kill dog rescue center that currently houses 350 dogs ranging in age with many more waiting for a spot in one of the clinics. The dogs that are taken in are mostly found malnourished and living in horrid conditions. BARC is run solely on donations with seven locations around Bali. In Ubud they have a clinic and adoption center which is where I spent my time touring around and playing with the pups!

At the clinic there are fifty dogs. I counted at least seven that suffered from skin diseases. I asked BARC’s resident dog whisperer if this was common and what primarily causes these issues. He said that they find a lot of dogs like this and it happens from mistreatment of the animals. They give each of these dogs medicine once a week to treat the skin disease and over the course of three months, their hair slowly returns and their skin stops itching. It really saddened me to see so many of them in pain over something caused by humans. You always hear the phrase “Dogs are a man’s best friend” but here in Bali, I guess this is not the case.

It takes so little to provide these dogs with the medicine and care they need. For example, simply the purchase of seven yoga pants can provide skin care medication for a dog to be treated!

Along with providing medicine, the clinic is where they make all the food for the animals every day. They eat a mixture of rice, squash and chicken which is homemade in the small outdoor kitchen by one woman. The dogs each get their own bowl and the bowls are portioned out by size of the dog. They do this so that each dog gets a fair share of a meal!

The dogs at the clinic seemed really happy with their play area. They have plenty of room to run around on the grass and hang out in a large courtyard area. All of the dogs here have already been vaccinated and sterilized so they are ready for adoption with the exception of two puppies who are in a separate room waiting for their vaccinations.

The dogs are so sweet and loving and are just begging to be taken home and loved on. Sadly however, since most new owners are looking for puppies so many of these dogs have lived in the clinic for months and months and sadly, might never leave.

The adoption process at BARC is fairly easy, especially since there are so many dogs that are on a waiting list to come into the shelter. There is no adoption fee and all dogs are vaccinated and sterilized for you beforehand.

Like most things at BARC, the sterilization and vaccination is done on a volunteer basis. They have a Veterinarian who comes in on Mondays to perform the procedures and since I visited on Monday afternoon I had the opportunity to watch!

The procedure is quick, roughly twenty-five minutes total including the time for the dogs to fall asleep after the anesthesia is administered.

BARC also offers their services to other dogs and dog owners in the area each Monday. There were a few other dogs with their owners waiting their turn for vaccines.

I was so inspired by Lana, the woman who volunteers each day for multiple hours a day to help facilitate everything at BARC.

The staff is very kind and they all LOVE the dogs. It was warming to see that the dogs taken in are so well fed and receive the kindness and attention they deserve.

I feel blessed to have been able to educate myself and spend an afternoon with Lana, the dog whisperer and the dogs. It was truly an eye opening experience and I can’t wait to return.

How can we make a difference?

We donate, we educate ourselves and take the time to see where our money is actually going!

Want to check out more information on BARC? Please go to their website www.barc4balidogs.org.au

Posted in INSPO

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