Friday 29 March 2024

Borg Cardona & Co. Ltd supports pet charities and foundations

Pictured above: Carm Serracino Inglott and Nigel Borg Cardona Cardona,  at Thomasina Cat Sanctuary in Luqa 

It has always been part of the Borg Cardona & Co. Ltd mission to support pet associations, charities and those foundations with an ‘animal’ element.

The company, that has been trading for more than 70 years, devotes part of its profits to enable these various bodies to fulfil their special purpose, revolving around dogs, cats, birds, rabbits and horses.

One of the longer associations has been with the Malta Guide Dogs Foundation, which provides guide dogs for free, along with other orientation and mobility services, to visually impaired persons. Borg Cardona & Co. are committed up to 2021 under the current agreement to providing food for free to the brood bitch during gestation and lactation; technical support in relation to nutrition, parasite treatment, grooming and general hygiene; food for all guide dog puppies for their first 12 months; and discounted prices on dog food, supplies and accessories for all guide dogs.

Several animal charities benefit from in-kind donations. These include the Association of Abandoned Animals (AAA) of Birzebbuga, Carers for Stray and Abandoned Felines (CSAF) of Vittoriosa, Stray Animals Support Group (SASG), Thomasina Cat Sanctuary of Luqa and the Gozo SPCA.

Rosalind Agius and Andrew Borg Cardona, at the AAA Sanctuary in Birzebbuga

When the AAA was set up in June last year, not only did they benefit from a €2,240 one-off donation but also received 2,560 kg of pet food worth €4,480. They now benefit from reduced prices, apart from an annual rebate according to the amount of pet food they purchase.

These sanctuaries, along with the Gozo SPCA, also benefit from an annual rebate according to the amount of pet food they purchase and from are given a free starter pack, consisting of a bag of food, toys, bones and a voucher redeemable at the Borg Cardona & Co. outlet in Balzan, as a thank-you gesture for those adopting a dog or cat.

Two local rabbit clubs also benefit from support: the Malta Rabbit Club and the Malta All-Breed Rabbit Club, which received cash vouchers that are given to new and renewing members, to make club membership more attractive. They also receive a donation for every rescued rabbit and benefit from free exhibition space during various events in which Borg Cardona & Co. takes part.

Raymond Formosa (first from left) and Mario Bonello (fourth from left) of the Malta All-Breed Rabbit Club with Andrew and Nigel Borg Cardona outside the Borg Cardona & Co. Ltd warehouse in Ta’ Qali 



The SOS K9 unit, a dog unit that helps in search and rescue (SAR) operations to locate, stabilise and extract individuals in distress, is also part-sponsored by the company. These range from hikers who get stranded, a trapped urban disaster survivor or an Alzheimer’s patient wandering city streets. SAR dogs can be classified broadly as either air-scenting dogs or trailing dogs.

Air-scenting dogs usually work off-lead and use airborne human scent, while trailing dogs are typically on lead and use their nose to follow ground disturbances. Borg Cardona & Co. donates food for their dogs and gives the unit favourable prices for other items and accessories.

In addition, proceeds from sales of the book For the Love of Animals – 70 Years of Borg Cardona & Co. Ltd, published last December, and being sold exclusively from their Balzan outlet, are to be donated so that more horse shelters are built for the horse-drawn cabs like those in Valletta and Mdina.

The company is currently running a charity campaign, the Royal Canin Malta Charity Campaign, until the end of the month, in which it is donating 5c for each kilogram of Royal Canin dog and cat food purchased in Malta and Gozo. Proceeds go to supporting stray dogs and cats.

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