Kisses the baby donkey who was rescued by Easy Horse Care Rescue Centre (EHCRC) recently, having been found tied up in a bag but who sadly couldn’t be saved, stirred the hearts of hundreds and thousands!

There was such an out pouring of grief, particularly on social media, over the brutal mistreatment and ultimate loss but also anger towards the inhumane treatment this poor little creature suffered at the hands of an inhumane human being. The messages flooded in from across the globe but none so much as from the Spanish people here in Spain.

The Spanish nation are often criticized for some of their traditions involving animals but there is a very active movement of young and old alike who are vehemently against any kind of animal cruelty for any reason.

 Many of these people kindly donated money which enabled the Centre to pay for the costly hospital bill for Kisses.

EHCRC’s monthly Open Days are now testament to the increasing interest in their work and the thirst for knowledge on how everyone can work together to advance animal welfare in Spain. The free Open Days are jam packed with multinational supporters who come to join in the activities by taking part in one of the guided Tours which are available in Spanish, English, Russian and French and participating in the raffle and enjoying a vegetarian lunch.

All proceeds go directly towards the animals’ care. Sue Weeding co-founder said: ‘We are so grateful to all our supporters and we could not continue to care for our current 123 rescues or develop our services for the future if it wasn’t for the public’s support, donations and fundraising. Rod and I will not be here forever and we need to ensure that the Foundation is well established to continue our work.’

One example of outstanding support comes from Louise and her team at Looking Good Boutique in La Zenia. They have been staunch supporters of EHCRC for many years but following the horrendous story of Kisses they have taken up the challenge of doing some serious fundraising.

Incredible kindness in memory of Kisses.

Not only have they installed a very special rail of designer clothing donated by their loyal customers with all or a percentage of the sales going to EHCRC but they have also held fashion shows and have had some incredible donations for example a brand new smart phone, designer outfits straight from the Joseph Ribkoff company and incredible donations of money with one particular customer donating €1,000! Congratulations to Looking Good Boutique and their amazing customers-keep up the good work!

There are so many other ways for people to show support and just one of the most useful is for people to donate their unwanted furniture to the Charity Shops as this is a valuable source of financial aid for EHCRC.

Finally Sue said: ‘Sadly the story of Kisses is not an isolated case. We have had many situations of a similar nature where the poor animals had been abused and left to suffer and die in solitary, lonely, off the beaten track places where the perpetrators of these horrendous acts of cruelty hoped their deeds would never be seen.

We are sure there are many more unknown cases and we are determined to work closely with the Police and the local authorities striving to grow the organization to build a better future for all animals.’

The non-profit Easy Horse Care Rescue Centre relies entirely on donations to fund its important animal welfare work. Those interested in volunteering at the rescue centre or in the charity shops can call Sue on 652 021 980.

The Easy Horse Care Rescue Centre, located just outside Rojales at Partido Lo Garriga, 59, opens to the public on the first Sunday of every month between 1pm and 4pm. Free horse tours run throughout the afternoon and refreshments are available in the café. For more details and directions, please visit www.easyhorsecare.net