“We’ve spent lockdown in a motorhome – with ten dogs!”
Sarah Allan was travelling through Spain with her husband when the pandemic hit. But they have lots of furry friends to keep them company…
❛ LIVING WITH SO MANY DOGS IN SUCH A SMALL SPACE HASN’T ALWAYS BEEN EASY ❜
When Sarah Allan got stranded in Spain during the COVID-19 pandemic, she ended up taking in a pregnant stray dog – who gave birth to a litter of puppies in the back of her mobile home. Now, dog lovers Sarah, 45, and husband Darren share their small home with Lady and her eight puppies.
Sarah says, “The puppies run wild in our tiny van! It’s chaos, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
In May 2019, Sarah and Darren gave up their jobs in Newmarket as it was always their dream to travel around Spain. After ten months there, the pair were thinking about heading home – but then, the pandemic hit.
SHOCKED
Sarah explains, “We’d just got to a seaside town called Turre, near Almeria. But within days, the army arrived and told us we couldn’t leave.”
As the pair settled into life in Turre, they were shocked by how many dogs lived on the streets.
Sarah says, “We kept spotting the same two stray dogs waiting outside restaurants for scraps. Locals told us they were a mum and daughter, so we named them Lady and Lola.
“When the eateries were forced to close, we didn’t want them to go hungry, so we fed the dogs ourselves. Then we noticed Lady’s swollen stomach, and realised she was pregnant.”
One night in April, during a storm, Sarah took the dogs into the warmth of the van. That night, Lady went into labour.
Sarah said, “Neither of us have any veterinary training, but Darren put on rubber gloves, and while I soothed Lady, he helped her deliver. It was amazing.”
Now, the couple live with Lady, Lola and the eightweek-old puppies, Chalky, Dotty, Oboe, Stavros, Cheeks, Poppy, Bel and Koda.
Sarah says, “Lola and Lady spend most of the day roaming around the fields, so we’re left with the puppies. Stavros and Chalky are the naughty ones. They’re always looking for trouble – including finding their way into the fridge! Lola and Lady sleep in our bed with us, while the puppies sleep on the floor on blankets. We’ve had a lot of help from the vets,
Clinivets, and the locals. They’ve donated dog food and money so we could get them vaccinated.”
SILVER LINING
Now, Sarah is working with a charity, Ibizan Hounds, to get the dogs rehomed – and one day, they hope to move to Spain permanently. She says, “Some of the puppies have already been adopted and will soon be with their forever homes. Our hearts belong to Lady and Lola. We really hope to be able to buy some land in Spain and give the girls a forever home. Living with so many dogs in such a small space hasn’t always been easy, but it’s been a silver lining of lockdown.”