Duke
Rescued: July 25, 2016

One afternoon we received a call from Almoradí police – a pony had been found wandering near Almoradí’s communal swimming pool and sports centre.

Duke was actually in pretty good condition, which is always a relief for us considering some of the horrendous cases we are called to. We believe he was about 12 years old when rescued. But Duke wasn’t microchipped so there’s no way we could get in touch with his owner.

We brought Duke home to our rescue centre and later held a fundraising competition to find a name for this adorably laid-back little guy. A young boy ended up winning the competition, naming Duke in memory of his dog, who had sadly drowned about a month earlier. We’re so happy that Duke the dog will live on a little in Duke the pony.

We were extremely impressed by the way local police acted with this case. They asked for the pony’s age, breed and condition to note in their report and also brought a chip reader with them.

This would never have happened back in 2008, when we started our rescue centre. Almoradí should be proud of its new, young police force and their action on animal welfare. We were also pleased to learn that the Spanish people who found Duke called the police and gave him water while they waited.

This is truly progress and we are so happy to be part of what is happening here. With cases like this, it feels like all our hard work lobbying for the better treatment of animals in Spain is having an effect.