Good Bye My Handsome Friend

RIP JOEY my Friend,

Last Saturday I noticed that we were running out of time. You were still wagging your tail, but something had changed around you. Sunday came and you were laying close to me, closer than ever before. I knew the time was here.
That Monday morning phone call to the veterinarian was the hardest to make.

Joey was the happiest stray dog in Campania, Italy. With his love and positive attitued he was loved by many Italians, Brits and Americans. He touched so many hearts.

I got a message from Carol Mander Yeomans asking if we could find Joey a home. Stray, getting older (not in his mind at all) winter was coming....I said yes we would find him a home.
Jolene Callahan took him into her home during the health check and passport (helped us great during that time it took, Thank you)

Joey came to me and he was wonderful, deaf, positive little guy. He had a tough stabile charisma that told the other dogs to accept him. And they did, right until the end heart emoticon

No one answered on Joeys adoption add. Maybe because he was black...maybe because there are millions of dogs searching for homes out there!

He was loved, so much loved....and I didn't get to have you for a long time, but you are forever in my heart. 

Joey, you got your wish granted, to fall a sleep outside in "your" freedom with me by your side. 

Thank you my veterinarian Martina (Germany) for helping me with Joeys wish heart emoticon

Freedom Joey. I miss you so much. heart emoticon

That's Amore
Mia Olivia Max

MARIO OUR AMORE HERO WELCOME HOME

Mario, our gas station dog, is a happy stray. You read on earlier blog entries that we picked him up for castration and would later on release him. His guardian angel, the coffee lady at the station's cafe, doesn't want him to be adopted away. He is her friend and he also guards her. The gas station people love him, he greets everyone and he escorts the car to the exit.

At LegaProAnimale it turned out that he had a microchip, and according to Italian law you are not allowed to do anything to a dog with a microchip until you find the owner. Of course it was the holiday season, Internet was down and finally the name was found, but no phone number.

We just hated to put him in a kennel box, Mario who was so used to his freedom and work at the gas station. He was a happy stray.

The address was a closed industrial area! For ten days LegaProAnimale and us tried to find someone to get permission from, yet nothing. We couldn't reach the owner. Dr Friz was frustrated and so were we, and Mario.

To make matters worse, LegaProAnimale was closing for the month of January, it's their vacation month, so keeping him there would be made more difficult. I just felt like we had to release him, his soul would die in that kennel. I asked Tracey for her opinion and she felt the same. I asked Jackie to visit him during the days.

Jackie wrote,

"What a warm and wonderful greeting I received from Mario today! It was worth the drive out in the yucky rain.
The first thing I did was give him some wet food. You can't tell by the photo, but he was wagging his tail as he ate! "

Tracey and I went out to pick him up, and we met Dr Friz who was very kind and carried Mario out since he refused to walk with a leash on. We took off to the gas station and when we got closer to "his" fields, Mario started to whine in the back seat.

We have never seen such a happy stray! He jumped out from the SUV and ran around the place like crazy, the gas station people came, the coffee bar owner came out together with the coffee lady and greeted us with big hugs and thank yous.

Mario was home, and you could tell it. I loved Tracey's warm comment, that she was happy to have seen/explored that there indeed are happy strays.

This was a warm Amore day!

Mission Possible

One month ago, the AWL veterinarian Inga and I went out on a "mission possible".

Brownie, (pictured above) is one of our clients. An old stray with terrible skin problems and gum bleeding, was in pretty bad shape.

Back then Dr. Inga treated him, and yesterday, we returned to pay him a "follow-up" visit.

We knew that a very kind Sengora was looking after him and his pack.

As we pulled up we were greeted by several strays, some happy fat ones, some less fat but laying in the sun, resting happily. The Sengora, who owns her kiosk at this place, came out and showed us that Brownie was sleeping behind her counter. My heart got so warm from her kindness.

Brownie came out, and he looked better. Dr. Inga treated him again and gave Sengora medicine to follow up until our next visit.

AWL Amore to the kindness of Campanian people.

More about mission possible tomorrow!

Happy Strays

Happy strays, yes there are happy healthy strays!