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!

ABBY UPDATE

Abby was found abandoned at the gas station. Shivering and timid, she was sneezing blood. AWL was working full speed to rescue her. Since we don't have many foster homes or a hospice we don't know were to bring the dogs after a visit at the vet clinic. And here are thousands of wounded--in one way or another--and we cannot keep up. It's heartbreaking many times. We think Abby got hit by a car because she couldn't walk.

We brought her to the vet. and he examined her. A foster home with Tiffany and husband, cat and a small dog and she is recovering. Still sneezing --she's on medication--but not blood. I had the feeling she would start walking, after some peace of mind, food and warmth, her shock would diminish. We humans are the same.

I called Tiffany to check on Abby after a one-week stay, and to all our happiness Abby can walk--but not down stairs. The family had put out treats and exercised her in that way. Abby loves to lay under the coffee table, she is a very quiet, calm, loving dog, who just wants "a coffee table" and a stay forever. An easier dog you would have to look hard to find....

(Abby earlier blogs)

BRONKO THE HERO

This big boy lives at the gas station were we have picked up Abby and Lucy (see earlier blogs) He is a survivor, a hero, a gentleman a true happy stray. Every day for five (5) years has he followed the Ukrainian lady Nadia home after she finishing her work. A walk through tough parts, through strays territorials, in the dark he is there by her side.

They love each other, and non off them want to change anything, well.. accept Nadia agreed that AWL can take Bronco and have him castrated--I think Bronco is of another opinion. :-)

He looks after the gas station. He greets us. He never ever takes one step over the coffee bar door step.
That my friends, is a true hero.