The moment you walk into the Santa Cruz CRO Shelter, you feel it immediately. Dogs watching quietly from behind gates. Cats observing from corners and climbing spaces. Some excited, some anxious, and some simply desperate for attention.
And then the moment someone opens a kennel door for a walk? Everything changes.
This week, our community visited the Santa Cruz CRO Shelter, where around 68 dogs and more than 100 cats are currently waiting for care, attention, and hopefully one day, a home of their own.
One of the most beautiful things about this shelter is the environment itself. Surrounded by nature and green spaces, volunteers are able to take the dogs on walks, hikes, and outdoor adventures that completely change their day. For many of these dogs, those moments are everything, freedom, smells, grass, affection, and simply the chance to feel like a dog again outside of a kennel.
The shelter also has a lovely open area for the cats, creating a calmer and more stimulating environment while they wait for adoption. You can immediately see the effort and care being put into giving the animals a better quality of life despite the constant challenges shelters face.
Because the reality is that shelter work is not easy. Behind the scenes there is endless cleaning, feeding, medication, rescues, adoptions, emergencies, and emotional exhaustion. And somehow, through all of that, the staff still continue giving these animals patience, affection, and love every single day.
But they cannot do it alone.
The shelter desperately needs more volunteers, especially on weekends. Not experts. Not superheroes. Just people willing to show up. People willing to walk a dog, spend time with a cat, give affection, or simply help an animal feel seen for a little while.
At Madeira Friends, this is exactly why we organise these kinds of community visits. Community should not only be about social events and networking, it should also be about supporting local causes, helping where help is needed, and creating meaningful connections with the island and the people and animals who live here.
One thing we hear again and again after these visits is:
“People think they’re helping the animals, but somehow the animals end up helping them too.”
A huge thank you to the Santa Cruz CRO Shelter team for welcoming us and for the incredible work they continue doing every day for these animals.
And if you’ve ever thought about volunteering, maybe this is your sign to start ✨