AANIFEIRA – Associação dos Amigos dos Animais da Feira is a non-profit, non-government organization, located in Santa Maria da Feira in the north of Portugal. Founded on 7th December 1999, it houses close to 200 dogs and 100 cats and has a no-kill policy. There is an onsite veterinary clinic, which not only cares for the animals in the shelter but is also open to the public.The members of the Board are all volunteers holding private working positions. Each member takes care of different areas within the shelter management to ensure that all runs smoothly. AANIFEIRA rescues animals from all sorts of difficult situations such as street animals as well as helping those owners who are unable to keep their animals due to difficult circumstances.The shelter runs an international volunteer program which began in 2010 and is open to veterinarian and vet nurse students as well as the general public with a love for animals. It received students and people from around the world who are looking to experience volunteering with animals at a shelter in a foreign country.The shelter very much relies on local volunteers who are an important resource for the upkeep of the animals on a day-to-day basis.AANIFEIRA has an active protocol with the local Municipal Council to take in animals reported by members of the public to the authorities found on the streets.Aanifeira's main objective is to create large spaces called sanctuaries for the dogs so that they can run freely with plenty of space to move around in. Four sanctuaries have now been built and are occupied by dogs. A further one is under construction, and more are to be built. Volunteers and donations of building materials are important for advancing these projects. There are five catteries, three very large ones with large, external accesses to a patio and gardens for the cats to move freely around enjoying their freedom. Many of the cats and dogs at the shelter are blood donors to the BSA - BANCO SANGUE ANIMAL (Portuguese Animal Blood Bank) who come regularly every 3 months with a team of veterinarians to collect blood. These blood units are then sent to various veterinary hospitals around the country to save the lives of other dogs and cats in Portugal.Responsible adoptions are key to the shelter with a focus that all animals are spayed/neutered whatever the circumstances may be. Sadly, many animals are not adopted and spend the rest of their lives in the shelter. Aanifeira does its utmost to ensure that these animals have the best possible care and comfort within the conditions that the shelter offers.