Pat Waterhouse receives bouquet at fundraiser.
Over €4,000 was raised at Pat’s Rescue Party on Friday, September 20 in Estepona in aid of the dog shelter Pat’s Rescue Retreat in Alora.
A wonderful night was had by all with music, food, comedy, and a very generous raffle. In attendance was Pat Waterhouse, owner of Pat’s Rescue Retreat in Alora, currently home to 67 rescued dogs that had been abandoned or abused. Pat managed to make it too, travelling all the way from Alora to receive the funds raised in aid of her rescue centre, and received rapturous applause from the 50 guests at the De La Mar restaurant in Estepona.
Credit: EWN
The event was raising funds to keep the rescue centre afloat amid mounting financial expenses and to keep the poor dogs from ever having to be put down.
Pat Waterhouse was recently diagnosed with cancer, and she’s worried that she will not outlive her dogs, many of which are old or have issues, which makes them less attractive to potential adoptive owners. 14 of the dogs she took in this summer when their owners were tragically killed in a traffic accident near Antequera.
While the rescue centre is owned outright by Pat, the daily running costs are mounting, not least with the water deliveries that have to be brought in due to the drought costing €320 per month. The centre spends €1,200 per month on dog food and supplies, and veterinary bills were over €3,000 in just the last 6 months.
For this reason, a GoFundMe page has been set up to receive urgent donations, and there is a website for those willing and able to take on a new pet or two.
