ABBY'S JOURNEY IS NOT OVER--SIGH

Remember Abby? Every one's favorite and so many wanted to adopt her. Found on a wet, cold, gas station concrete pad, bleeding from her nose, a broken leg that had healed badly. We took her under our wings and we have been many that have been doing everything in our power to get her healthy. Money, time and love (and sometimes tears).

Dr Damiani and Dr Loungo made the fantastic discovery, a tooth in her nose and the flesh had healed over it. (read more about it here) (Read the whole Abby Story here)

A family in Sweden contacted me and wanted to adopt her. For months they have been planing and talking about when Abby will come home. A wonderful family.

Abby has during a long period of time lived in my house on a big dog bed in the kitchen with a gate so she could be resting by herself. She had rested for months after the nose surgery and leg surgery (the old broken leg that had healed by itself broke again). Specialists were brought into the clinic and Abby was a little concerned jumping around with the other dogs. She had her routines, out in the morning for an hour then she wanted in, she was never content to be outside too long. She was afraid that her past would come back, alone outside.

The tests started, leichaminiosis and other blood work, we wanted to know everything about Abby inside and out. Rabies shot was done and we were told that after 30 days a blood test would be done to see if the antibodies were developed. Dr Damiani read on the Swedish Authority's website, the agriculture site....30 days if positive then we had to wait 120 days for the passport.

I told I had heard about the 120 days but was he sure? We talked to the Campania agriculture veterinarians (2) were we had to go to get the passport. Yes, they read and underlined and showed me the paper.

A blood test was made 30 days after the shot, and we got the result a week or two later that Abby had developed the antibodies. We were so happy. Only one laboratory was used since the vets do not trust many others here--blood work has disappeared among other things. It's more expensive but we want the best and correct results.

ASL told me in May that Abby would be ready for her passport, 120 days later. I took Abby there, where two different veterinarians looked at all the papers, they are very suspicious that dogs are being brought out of the country since a "rumour" is going around that a big vet clinic is sending strays out to a testing laboratory in Germany.

No, I assured them, Abby is going to my friend, and I showed them pictures. I showed them the blog posts about Giove who became famous and went out in a Magazine with his story.

All tests came back, she was healthy and looking good. ASL completed the passport but I had to go to the veterinarian clinic and have a de-worming certificate done 24-48 hours before leaving the country. They got that law written very tightly....and so I did as was required. For one hour we sat while they were doing the paper work; they listened to Abby's breathing; they even cut her claws. Stamp, stamp ready to go....have a great trip!

Monday (yesterday), Ulla took Abby on the plane with her back to Sweden. Todd and I had been up making sure Abby's folder had all the papers that were needed, and any others they might ask for "just in case".

I cried at the airport when saying good-bye to Abby, for God's sake I wanted to keep her but I know Maria and her family could give her that extra that I could not provide her with.

Ulla promised to text and Maria was involved in the texting, and suddenly I receive a phone call from Ulla at the Swedish Airport customs office. Abby's papers were not correct! The floor started to spin...what the "pumpkin"??!

According to the Swedish law, and it says so right on the Internet, that after a rabies shot is given you have to wait 120 days until a blood test can be made to see if the antibodies have developed. Only then can you get the passport. What the Italians (2 offices in different cities) did was after 30 days take the blood work and then wait 120 days for the passport!

You see if we do the math here, Abby got her antibodies developed so she is no threat, but just because we took the blood test earlier but waited the exact amount of time....Abby is now in Swedish quarantine!!

I am so angry! And sad! Why do we have EU if not to standardize such things? And providing information but having Town Hall veterinarians (2) telling me and underlining what the law is...what can I do more than trust them? They are supposed to be the "experts" in this! And they are so stringent in their "law" and rules that it would be impossible for me to get a passport if they were not right.

So one veterinarian will go to the Swedish quarantine and take a new blood test. But when Abby can come home to her family after this long journey, we don't know.

This is not Amore! Learning from the hard way is one thing but learning from the hell way is frustrating, especially when you know you have done everything in your power to abide by the rules and listen to the advice of "experts" yourself. And this knowledge is being learned at the expense of fear and anxiety on Abby's part.

We hope Abby's stay at the quarantine facility is short, and she can be in the embrace of Amore very soon.