Rifugio I Fratelli Minori - Lida Sez. Olbia: Shelter+ Challenge Grant Report

How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?

The money will be used towards replacing the shelter's roofing. This was blown away by hurricane Cleopatra, which hit Olbia in November (you can see some photos here: http://bit.ly/italian-shelter). The shelter was badly affected, too but luckily no animal was lost or injured. Many people pulled together to help the shelter so a good number of kennels have been replaced already, but the roofing for the pens is still needed and the prize money will help us buy the materials to replace it.

Without the roofing, the dogs and cats are left at the mercy of the elements, and we are in the middle of winter! Giving our animals a roof over their heads is a top priority to ensure they are cared for in the best possible way.

How many pets did this grant help?

The shelter has 700 dogs and 150 cats.

Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.

Pirichitta (photo 1) is one of the oldies. She’s had more major surgeries than we can count, but she is a strong as an ox and still full of life. Veronese (photo 2) was probably the victim of a hit-and-run. He’s a beautiful cat and the volunteers have done their utmost to get him back in shape. Solo (photo 3) is the king of the piazzale (the central area of the shelter): He used to roam free in a district of Olbia, but one day someone reported him just because of his size. He wouldn’t hurt a fly, but he is now in the shelter, hoping for someone to give him a forever home. Ninno (photo 4) is but one of the hundreds of kittens that are rescued by the shelter. He’s lucky because he’s very healthy, but lots of kitties arrive riddled with cat flu. These are but four of the over 800 animals your prize money has helped by helping us putting a roof back over their heads. Thank you!