Heavenly Dogs and Heavenly Humans and Heavenly Bears

Picture from AFF homepage/

I am so proud over my friend Milla in Sweden, --that runs the cafe Himmelska Hundar together with Kate--Milla has been in Philippines and rescued dogs from horrible slaughter houses, (were 2000 dogs slaughter illegal every week) together with the organization Animal Protection.

And, now she will join them (AFF) to China visiting the rehabilitation center for bears that has been trapped in small cages, tied down so they could be milked from their bladder (bile).

Its one of the cruelest thing you can do to some one that breaths, a life.

We hope to get an update from Milla. Good Luck my friend. And to AFF wonderful job!

Good Morning from a "Kennel"

Its time for breakfast in my 3 floor-house. With a strong cup of coffee I take out the dogs bowls. Different kind of food...I have to think; "this is for Trooper, and Tjojs needs extra vitamin,...etc"
Done! Thirteen bowls, and time to hand them out to their special feeding places...one, two....ten, eleven...what the??? Who are you?

HONEY!!!! Why is here a new dog in my kitchen wagging her tail off?
Silence...."Can't we keep her?"

Ehh, welcome number 14...to the crazy Mercer Family (Kennel)

My 4 year-old daughter turned around on the kitchen chair and said; "Mom, this is a new dog!" A big smile over her face, "Can I pet?"

I guess this is starting to be crazy Amore!

Grace and Cucci Update

Every day I visit Grace and Cucci. Every day Sengora is giving them water and food. If a problem comes up we solve it, we do not walk away, we do not hand it over to someone else. We have commitments.

Dr. Inga visited Grace and gave her an antibiotic injection so her swollen wrists became better.

Later Grace got cortisone injection that lasts for six weeks. She is doing so much better, and she doesn't have to search after food anymore. Were she lives is a protected area with a lot of fruit trees around, very quiet and nice.

Cucci got examine too and is doing wonderfully.

People that know them have seen their changes for the better. It is wonderful to work with committed people. Committed Amore.

Strays -- Randangi

I realized that I haven't been posting on the blog since Thursday! Shame on me.

It has been hectic here with a lot of troublesome people and wonderful dogs, plenty of driving and giving people service. In return, solving people's dirty laundry. I will write everything in my book, and when that one will be published I will have to move to the moon!
Relax, there will be good stories too. Actually I am doing a project about "happy rescue dogs" and their families.


Right now am I doing research, because there is one thing I don't get....why are so many international people abandoning dogs? Is it because they don't think the dog can tell anyone? Some have told me the dog(s) had it great for the time they were with them... that should be enough!


I met woman today, she told me that in Germany the US military is not allowed to adopt any strays. There have been to many who abandoned their pets and the German people were tired of it. Same is happening here and it is a shame. I have to do more research about this!



Vania thank you so much for donating four big bags of dog food, and for fostering Tiger. Thank you for your big heart.

Adoption Fee

Still, I think being nice to people will pay off for the dogs they want to adopt. Still I believe in peoples words, and still I get surprised that people have not much respect. That a dog is nothing worthy, pick it up and leave it back.

Animals Without Limits will take out a donation adoption fee/security for the rescue dogs that will be finding new homes.

The donation will help paying for medicine and surgery for the next stray in need.

A person will take a dog, and after 12 hours he calls back telling me he is getting deployed, I have to take the dog back! (in this case he had been promised no deployment, and he was really sad letting the dog back)

Another call 15 hours later --they want me to take back the dog they adopted, because they found another cute dog on their way home

Three days later, ops it was more work than I thought with a dog, another one says.

3 months later, the adopted dog barks, come and get him

6 months later, oh it was expensive with a dog, cannot keep him.

Is this respectful commitment Amore to anyone?

A friend told me today, "Mia if you don't charge, many will think it has no value." That's true but shitty Amore.

Pa-Law The Sofa Amore

Sometimes we also need "very" sunny stories. Let me share one with you this morning. Bruce is a fantastic guy that helped/worked with Animals Without Animals when we cleaned and helped dogs in the terrible shelter back in January/February. (earlier blog)

Hey Mia,
Here's my new pup!! His name is Pa'Lon (pronounced Pa-Law). Tony, who owns the hardware on JFC, found him on the interstate. He's about three months old, very well behaved and loves my sofa!! He's also very smart.
He's a very calm puppy and responds to commands like a well trained dog.
I'm so excited to have him!! I'm getting him registered this week. He gets along happily with my cat Shakespeare.

This is a "very" Amore sofa. Good Luck Guys!

Every Morning

Every morning I drive and feed Grace and Cucci, and every morning it is a pleasure to be greeted with love and wagging tails. Grace is having problem standing up for to long....I need a hospice to her. My passion are with the strays....what is your passion?

Adoption A Friend For Life

Please don't forget to visit www.mytailwagsforyou.blogspot.com New photos, new hearts.

Animals Without Limits want to thank Niklas in Stockholm for his donation. Molto Amore, Grazie

Strong Fighting Grace

Every morning, I drive to feed them --and medicates Grace(read earlier blogs) They have started to recognize my car and greets me with wagging tails and ears up(!) She is such a fighter, trying to survive the pack and not being a burden. I love them so much.
I put collars on them, so people can see they are getting help. Thanks to Maria Kurta Cucci got a black with white paws on, and from Ylva Mercer Grace got a pink collar. Just to let every one know, they are being loved and cared for--even if I need a fosterhome.

Limping Dog Bigger Problem Than Limping Humans

I'm not a veterinarian. I'm the first to admit that. But, I work with some great veterinarians, and I've been doing this sort of work with animals and vets for quite a while, ten years together with strays. Experience is a great teacher.

So, I get frustrated and sensitive when people without the experience start offering their opinions like they have a knowledge beyond their education, training or experience. It happens often. I take someone who is very interested in helping the animals out on a mission, or I meet somebody and help an animal they reported to me. The next thing I know, these people think they are experts. Is this human nature? Ego? Something else?

Some "animal friends" seem to have convinced themselves that this or that dog needs to be euthanized, and call us expecting to be validated in their belief. If we, or our vet, does not agree, they seem to be upset with US! One would expect the "friend" would be happy that they don't have to put the animal down. I don't get it.

Its not like we don't euthanize when necessary. Remember Morris? Remember Flower? Even Lupa, and others I've talked about on this blog. So, when I say that we are doing what is required for a dog to have a quality life, and their condition is under control, why would a novice question me? I'm all for a second opinion... but that opinion should be informed by knowledge or experience, don't you think?

Funny thing is, in this most recent situation... the dog is clearly in better condition now than she was previously, and the issue that is of most concern to the "animal friend" was there before. Yet, now he wants to euthanize?

Strays on the streets have become society's problem. Occasionally, and usually for reasons that have nothing to do with the strays, the problem is trotted out so that bureaucrats can "solve" it publicly. Yet, for the strays themselves, life on the street may be shorter, but it is of more quality during that period than being incarcerated in one of the "shelters" that merely warehouse the animals until their life is over. Their spirit and soul leaves much sooner.

And we do not want anyone to suffer, but euthanize because the picture isn't pretty, that is wrong.

Giove Getting Happier

We have all been able to follow Giove from the really terrible shelter (earlier posted blogs). How he got rescued, surgery from his hernia, and waiting for September to come to join his family in Sweden.

He is happier, full off life and love to play football.

Enjoy the pictures from this month. Happy Amore!

Its Not Right!

(look at earlier blogs)

I didn't feel right to leave them back out on the street again. From being strays, to rescued they were now back to being strays.

Cucci and Grace are the sweetest dogs I ever met. So says the others who met them too. But why can we not find anyone to help out by fostering them, or even better up, adopt them?

My husband and I even said that if somebody would foster them for one to two years, we would pay the bills if needed. And then we could take them back into our home. Right now we have 12 dogs and in a month we will foster a dog for two months before he goes to Sweden! There is a limit, after all!

It's wonderful that some are making the call to tell us about animals in trouble, so we can help them... and to a man, they all profess a great concern for the animals. Yet, they never seem to consider helping with the expenses, very few does (my hat off to Michelle and Maria). Even a small amount would go a long way to providing the assistance these dogs need. Ok, I shouldn't say never. Mario and Lupo's former "parents" did make a $300 donation in connection with us helping to find a new family for their dogs.

Grace would need "only" to be a stay-at-home dog. Lay in the yard, have some one who pets her and tells her how pretty she is. She needs very little exercise, because she simply can't do it. Right now she walks three meters and then must lay down (but with right treatment she will do better), thats how difficult she is having it living on the street.

Put her to sleep? It is only her difficluty getting food on the street that she is having a problem with.

According to Dr. Gigi, she is ok now but when it gets cold here, is when she will really have difficulty.

Cucci --- what a guy! Holly Molly he stole our heart at the clinic and people around. Rottweiler mix, so happy, so sweet, so gentle. He sat in the waiting room amazed looking at all the dogs that passed him, right in front of his nose. Absolutely no aggressive or territorial moves at all.

Driving them back after one week at the vet clinic, it was with a sad heart I had to leave them. During the 30 minutes drive they sat like two saints in the back seat.

When we were back on their old "home" street they went out in the grass and pee'd and poo'd. I was so impressed that they "knew" to hold themselves in the SUV, until we stopped.

So easy to have, so loving, and so fast learners, why doesn't anyone ......

Children and Animals

Animals Without Limits work with children it is not about "only" donating money or clothing's it is about educating, having fun together, mutual respect, and healing. Moreover, children are wonderful to listen to and learn from.
Youth who spend a lot of time socialising puppies and rescue dogs, not only help to make the dogs easier adapt to a new family, but they also grow, become responsible and calm in the process.
Children from 4- 16 (youth) help with grooming, the younger ones holding while the older ones are doing the washing or brushing.
We also educate youth on simple First Aid on a pet. We tried with a cat once but ended up doing first aid on each other. The cat was happily satisfied licking his paw..."purr-fect"
We all learn from each other. Quite often they are the best teachers, with all their questions that also makes me question myself and life more, and not keep my beliefs tidy in a box.
This is Amore outside the box.

Broken Painful Amore

Today I went out to the vet. clinic to pay some bills and to hear how everything went with Grace and Cucci. They were doing fine, and again I am amazed how strays are so friendly, brought from the street into a very strange, possibly threatening area. A lot of dogs around them and no one knows their own territory. They can hear a lot of other dogs barking, but not see them.

It seems like Grace's problem is not her hips. It is her two front legs. Her front "wrists" are not right, and it causes her to wobble when she tries to put any weight on them.

Some time ago, she probably jumped down and broke both "wrists". That explains why she suddenly became a skeleton, she couldn't walk to find food. Poor thing.



Tomorrow am I going out there again and we are going to do some x-rays to determine a good solution for her. It is so painful in my heart and her wrists to put her back out on the street again. It doesn't feel right! (For either of us.)



Later on this afternoon it was time for Olivia's riding lesson. I sensed something was wrong when we came back home. Most of the dogs were out, but one I couldn't see. She was laying under the back stairs bleeding. My heart ached when I saw her, Shiloh. (She is the one that narrowly survived getting hit by a car last year this month.) Jack, our kind of new-comer was bloody over his chest and legs. I was so disappointed, and my head was spining around. WHY?

I gave Shiloh a bath so I could spot all the wounds and see how bad they were. Luckily not too bad, but this poor girl hasn't had it easy since we arrived to Italy. Poor Girls!

Newspaper Kvallsposten and Expressen

What a wonderful response to the article in these two papers. 98% positive and 2 % negative I want to thank the newspapers Kvallsposten and Expressen for including animals and making something difficult inspiring in a positive way. "Paw-fect"

Also everyone that wrote comments after the article...we all thank you so much for your kind words and support.

One comment posted to the article was that Mafia are also humans and "animal friends". Yes, but we are talking about a business that is done here, and very lucrative for the criminal element. Of course they love animals as long as there is money to be made. Don't confuse how they feel and treat their own pets with what they are willing to do to unwanted strays to make a euro!

Another poster thought helping animals was a waste when there were so many starving children in need of help. He apparently didn't do good research. If he were to go to my homepage http://www.miamattsson.com/, he could read that we are helping orphans at Centro Laila. Also, my finished manuscript is about children's suffering in the whole world, and also how animals can help to heal children's trauma. But also, how mean children can be towards animals.

But that is like saying to veterinarians, "why not help humans?"
A measure of a society is how it treats all its less advantaged and those without a voice... two AND four legged.

If you want to read the article in english you can get help from http://translate.google.com/

KIMBO Needs A Home

Sweet sensitive male, around one year-old needs a home were he can relax and grow both on the inside and outside.

He is now at a foster home with seven other dogs and needs to be in a forever home to learn a few things. He was found wounded on the street. Maria and Michelle brought him in, cleaned his wounds and made sure he got medical treatment. One wound was were the collar is and still he is still kind of protective around that area if you try to pull him away. He is not aggressive, he is a young, novice boy who needs a gentle hand and clever, willing mind.

AWL want to thank Maira Kurta for the collars in different sizes, and toy. Also did Maria and her friend Michelle donate two big bags of dog food. That is so wonderful Amore, thank you.

Evening News Paper

Lovely journalist Maria Kallberg from the evening newspaper Kvallsposten called and made an interview about AWL work down here.

She had made darn good research, and she is so wonderful to talk to that I couldn't stop talking. That is Amore professional journalism.

Sully is Going Home

Follow up on earlier blog.

This morning Olivia and I went out to LegaProAnimale to met Sully's new family. They were so sweet towards Sully and they had bought her a new collar and leash.

She also got a new name now, Brandy. I love it.

Unfortunately her liver test is sky high for proteins, and more tests will have to be done. Brandy has to go back in two weeks for an update blood test and we all do pray that by then, the test will be normal. (There are a lot of reasons the test results could be as they were; her malnutrition, worms, etc.)

Good news though is that Brandy has gained weight.

Fred and his beautiful wife are so wonderful towards Brandy and out by the car they gave her treats that they had bought just for her.

With their love and in their home AWL does hope for a fast, healthy recovery. That's Amore!

Grace and Cucci Getting Treatment Today

Update from Tuesdays blog

This morning we went to pick Grace and Cucci up and brought them into the veterinarian clinic. Grace, talked to me with a low "happy" voice., that touched my heart so much since it was only the third time we met. Grace is an adorable girl, both my husband and I want her.

She is a very sensitive girl, and her bones are giving her some kind of problems. She doesn't want to stand up for long, or walk. I am very concerned for her.

They are going to make an examination, and this Saturday I will get an opinion from the team

Our AWL veterinarian Dr Inga, will have a look at her too, when she returns to Naples.

Grace and Cucci let us lift them into our SUV. I admire them so much, these strays which probably never been in a car before, and strangers lifting them, and they accepts it so beautiful. Their genuine kindness and trust, I wish more people could have that. And honesty! Cucci is a cool boy, friendly and forward in a polite way. He is getting castrated (Grace was already spayed and released out on the street), de wormed and frontline. Both are being tested for different diseases.

They are both around 1-2 years old. Grace is depending on Cucci, and both really want love and leadership, they couldn't get enough with that today. What a couple and I am so happy to be out among the strays again...my passion, my life.

Megan Seibert, Ulla Linders and Bella Appelblom thank you so much for your generous donations. It means so much for us and the strays. We are really working to keep the costs down. LegaProAnimale is also an foundation and helps us keeping the bills lower than with anybody else. Our dr Inga is giving her free time to work with the strays.

A Soldier and His Dog

A soldier and his stray

US military personnel overseas are not allowed to adopt stray animals. The reason, say officials, is to protect soldiers from diseases strays may carry. Click on the link above.

Update on Cat the Tiger

Earlier on this blog I wrote about the cat Tiger about his family with small kids who could not keep him. They asked around, and an organization told them to release the cat but the family didn't think that was fair to Tiger, he had been an indoor cat his whole life and he was swatting at the kids. One veterinarian on US Base told them to contact us. They did and AWL took him to a foster home for evaluation. We do not keep dangerous or sick animals that are suffering, but we do put all our resources in. AWL veterinarian Dr Inga, me as an animal psychologist and then Vania with good back ground/experience with cats Vania is keeping me up to date about the progress with Tiger;
"We will find him a home, have faith Mia!
If I found a home for 30 cats and dogs in Spain, and 2 cats and a rabbit here, we will manage again! He is a sweet cat really, not bad, he just needs to learn what he can and cannot do. Already I found a way to stop him biting-I blow in his face!he hates that and it stops him straight away and if he bites again, it's not as hard as before. Now I have to figure out how to stop him getting up on the tables-
This morning tiger broke a one of a kind hand blown vase we had received as a wedding gift-the naughty boy keeps getting on the furniture, I guess his previous mum and dad did not teach him better manners!
Needless to say, I was furious even though I know he did not mean to. I usually push him off as soon as I see him jump up.it really just boils down to him and I building up an understanding-I have to understand him as much as he has to understand me and what he can and cannot do.
He is still young and energetic and would be best in a family with older kids and preferably other cats as he does love company."

Thank you Vania for your great work and for giving Tiger a chance in life. You are wonderful.

Fiori: A New Start in Life

Remember Fiori from the shelter were AWL went and cleaned twice? She was left alone with her brother in an apartment. Her family moved to their "home" country and didn't bring them with them. When we came to the shelter everyone could sense she was different. Incredibly loving and calm, and charmed us all. On top of everything she was pregnant (nobody knew!). Here are her sweet puppies (picture above and last picture). We hope they will have a good start in life, with someone that adopts them, and keeps them.

My husband picked Fiori up and brought her to LegaProAnimale--even Dr. Gigi thought she was sweet-- were she will be sterilized, de-wormed and treated with Frontline(tm). She was back in the SUV in a crate that she sneaked out from and climbed the whole way to Todd and sat in his lap the whole 45 minutes drive.

We got good news. Fiori is being adopted by Brian and his wife, they that adopted Lui. We wish them all the Amore and happiness together. Good Luck Fiori with your new family.

Animals Without Limits want to thank Tracey Kleber for her generous donation. She and her sister Megan are true loving animal lovers/helpers and with their wonderful heart the also encourage AWL to keep up our good work. That's Amore

Grace And Cucci Abandoned

Yesterday I wrote about the phone call I received about a "skin and bones" dog. I met David, and he took me to the Parco where I was greeted by these two wonderful, kind and loving dogs. Grace, is a German Shepard mix and cannot survive by herself. She is a modest girl that lets the Rottweiler "Cucci" eat first while she is waiting behind him. The result is, no food left for her.

She is sterilized, there is a tattoo below her belly that indicates that. A lady from UK fed her and tried to find homes for them but without luck. She returned to UK two months ago. AWL is bringing Grace in to the vet station for an examination, her hips seems to be not 100% ok.

Grace is so sweet; she let me examine her without doing anything, gentle and polite. I picked ticks from her ear, and she didn't even blink. What a big heart.

This guy --- Cucci --- had a wound on his shoulder. Not castrated (yet). Sweet and forward, and you could lift him up without him doing anything. An Italian couple who lives where these guys hang out, gives them water. They told me these two had been abandoned.

Please help me give back their hope and spirit by making them healthy, and finding them a home. Every one is entitled to love and nurture. (And a warm dog bed.) I need your help!

David (GB) thank you for calling AWL and your help with Grace and Cucci.

One Rescued, Several Others Need Help

The phone rings, I look at the watch, it is 08.30. I regret answering since I have a personal policy not to answer the phone before 09.00, because it is my family-time. But my brain was still in sleep mode, so I answered. An Italian lady wanted me to come and take her 2 puppies, she could not have them anymore. I love this when people call and demand the same day to pick up dogs. When I say we are not an adopting foundation and that myself have 12 dogs they seem not to understand, they get kind of pissy. I am even paying kennel fees for two other dogs.

Then a shelter is calling telling me that one dog is ready to be picked up, and it is 45 minutes drive from me. I ask her if we can meet up half way, the answer is, "No, don't have time!"

Another phone call from a great animal friend, she needs help finding a dog that got hit by a car and limped away probably with a broken leg. The driver, an Italian woman didn't stop.

Afternoon, a phone call from a concerned man. There is a dog in a parco that has been feed by a British lady, but she had returned to the UK two months ago. The dog is a walking skeleton, can I come and help?

Animals Without Limits is for the moment without money and it is painful to have to tell people that. Maybe it is because it is summer season and people are going on vacations? Or maybe the bad economy is causing wallets to stay closed?


I want to thank Ylva Mercer for her donation of dog food, collars, bowls, treats, and brush.

The collar came in handy for Sully who looks great in pink! Thank you for being a loyal AWL friend.

Little Sully Update

My husband made some fliers last Friday that Sully needed a loving, good permanent home. Nervous I was that we wouldn't find any person for Sully since it is very hard to adopt away dogs here. Many families already have a dog or two, and then, the competition is brutally hard here since hundred thousands of stray dogs are roaming around, and shelters are over-filled with poor souls. That is were AWL comes in, we medicate and make them healthier on the street, here are many people that are feeding the strays but cannot afford medicine.

My husband said, "Mia, just have faith!"

I realized I had lost my faith. It is so easy to lose faith when working with rough cases, they are living, feeling souls.

I went home and meditated, told myself several times, "have faith".

In the afternoon the phone rang. A couple (US) asked if Sully still was looking for a home?

I held my breath for a moment.."yes" I whispered.

Saturday, we went out to LegaProAnimale were she is in quarantine-- since she is full of worms.

I put a new pink collar --that Ylva had donated-- on her and to our delight, she had gained a little weight, too.

Next week she will be going home to Fred and his wife for one week of relaxation and love, then its time to vaccinate and sterilize her.

Later on when I came home there was another email from a person that also wanted to adopt Sully.

My heart was so warm, and I really have to work more on getting my faith back.

I learned a lot from Sully and my husband, this was my lesson. The school of Universe is outside yourself where ever you are, it is about listening with all your senses. When closing up, you won't hear anything and your spiritual growing will always be on stand-by.

Our Little Sully

Yesterday morning my husband brought her into the vet clinic. During the car ride she was a good companion, sitting looking out through the back window, not making a sound.

Our little Sully is not a puppy! She is between 2-3 years old and have had at least one litter of puppies before. No one has given her much food and she is very underweight so the vet cannot do any spaying on her until we get her weight up. (She's 20 kg, normal is around 30 kg). Angie, her Tuesday overnight foster mom, reports that the first poop she had, was all grass... indicating she was foraging for anything and everything to eat, even grass!
She's skin and bones, but her life-spirit is so enormous that it surprised my husband. She's also very people-friendly and interested in everything going on around her. What a heart she has!
Sully will stay at the clinic for 7-10 days observation and then, we need a warm loving family to give her back the hope and life (and weight) that she once was given.
A foster family would also be fantastic....please I beg you to help Sully, she has suffered enough, she deserves the comfort and safety that a loving family can give her .

Sully is Cold and Starving

At 08.30 this morning, I got a phone call. I totally forgot it was a holiday today, and family time, so I answered. It was Angie. With an upset voice she tells me there is a young boxer dog that is in a terrible shape, only skin and bones. She will not survive without immediate help.

I look with begging eyes to my husband who is home today; "Can you drive and take a look?"

Via cell phone and computer I am sick in bed, trying to coordinate everything; pictures are being sent to me; sure she really need help. She got some wounds on her back.

Hanging teets! Can you gently squeeze from her tummy and down, any milk? ..."No" Good, she doesn't have puppies somewhere that will starve without her.

Ok, bring her in to the crate in my SUV.

No veterinarians are open today! Angie can you have her until tomorrow? Yes? Good!

We will take her into the veterinarian clinic first thing tomorrow morning. Please keep Sully in your thoughts and hearts.