REFLECTIVE COLLARS FOR STRAYS

Thank you Tracey and Megan from USA when visiting AWL they brought these brilliant reflective collars with them as a donation.

I received a very good question today by a friend who asked in a "friendly" tone, if these collars on a stray wouldn't make it that people might stop from helping since they will think the dog has an owner?


There is never a correct answer that will fit in on every stray's situation if they should have a collar or not, but after 10 years working and studying strays let me tell you what I have observed and how I do it. Please, a very important note, you have to be very experienced in the field with strays before you do this. If you don't have experience and have worked with them in different countries, it can have devastating outcomes.


I don't put collars on every stray I see, everything depends on where they live. If they are being taken care of in a Parco, there is no sense to put a collar on them. But if they live around heavy-traffic streets and they are healthy and people feed them, then the collar will help with the traffic, and the hope is the people will continue to provide food (if the dog keeps the same routine, more than likely the people will too). The people know me from my rounds that I make 2-3 times a week. I know the dogs, the people know me. They feed them, I (AWL) medicates them if needed. I de-worm them regularly, also.

A collar can save a stray also from being caught by the dog catchers here and put into horrible concentration camp/shelters that not many know about, (and if the know they don't want to visit them because they are so horrible). --I have been in several of these concentration camps under cover doing research that will be coming in my next book.


Also I have learned that people are nicer to "strays" that have a collar, it is someone' dog so they will think it is a nicer dog. After all, if someone got close enough to put a collar on, the dog can't be too likely to bite or snap. Many people that have caught a dog with a collar (including myself) and no tags and no microchip seek to find the owner. They nurse the dog since they feel sorry for him, they put up posters and after two months they are trying to adopt him away (or ending up keeping him.) The Italian law is that if no owner has claimed the dog in 2 months, it is yours --- as long as you go through the authorities.

Many times the collars are getting stolen by people too. That is another sad side shown from the humans. That is why we no longer put scalibor (flea collars) on them, they got stolen in one day since they are so expensive to buy. So now I put Expot on the strays instead.


So in some cases we put on the reflective collar but not on everyone....like with all cases, you have to make a thorough judgement/research. That is "glowing" Amore

Another Poor Soul

Olivia my 4 year-old daughter and I were out walking together with our dog Clyde, when we ran into this little stray girl. Young, a couple of months, maybe nine or so, skin and bones. You could see her hip bones standing up, and the ribs you could play xylophone on. Scared, but we talked to her and sat down and she became a little brave and came slowly up. It was a sad sight but at the same time I could tell Olivia how to behave, quiet and no sudden movements, give her time to come to you. This little one was very head shy, you could tell she had been abused.

Olivia, Clyde and me hurried home to get some cat food (a lot of protein) and some pellets in a bowl and returned without Clyde. The little one, a German Shepard mix was up roaming on our four lane main street, not street smart at all. The cars are driving 70-90km/hour and she was zig-zagging back and forth across the highway, scared. Olivia and I held our breath, following slowly so as not to stress her any more than she already was. After 10 minutes we got her off the road and managed to get her attention with our food.

I looked at Olivia holding my hand how she was absorbing in the picture from this dog. I wondered to myself what she could think? She looks up at me and holds up her thumb, "good job"

The picture is not so good, since it started to get dark and I didn't want to stress her more.

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.

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.

Missions go on despite illness

The nasty cough I've had now for about a month, took a nasty turn a couple days ago. I spent a night with high fever, and could barely breath. Well, enough of that, went to the doctor this morning, and was diagnosed with pneumonia. So, now I'm being treated for that, but it takes me out of the fight for a few days.

But, that doesn't mean that the missions stop, or animals don't get helped. Far from it.

Brian, the kind heart who with his wife adopted Lui (and will adopt Fiore in June), found a puppy near where he works in Naples. This puppy has a bad wound to his ear, and needs some TLC.

Because Brian and his wife already committed to Fiore as well as Lui, they didn't feel like they could adopt this little fella, too. But they are going to foster him until they can present him for adoption at the next NFOA adoption day on base. (Or before if a forever home comes along).

AWL will help with the costs for spaying and treating him, getting his first shots, and checkup. That and the love of Brian and his wife, should just do the trick to get this little guy up to par, and into a good forever home.

Big amore hearts.

Please visit www.animalswithoutlimits.blogspot.com

When You Want to Look Good

Its often said that statistics lie.

Well, this article shows that statistics can kill, too.

Statistics. Numbers of stray dogs. Numbers of rabies cases. Numbers of ... the lists and tables go on. Then, for one reason or another, it becomes a crisis, and the 'normal' process is thrown to the side, and people are activated to do that which they wouldn't normally do.

Why? Statistics! And fear of making the city or country look bad on the world stage.

Lives sacrificed for image. Souls cast aside for convenience. Death on a massive scale.

Homeless humans cause much the same problems, and have many similar "statistics", yet society never stands for the wholesale slaughter of them. Why? What makes humans so special?

This article is about bureaucrats sitting behind desks, making decisions totally removed from reality, or from having a heart.

Eric Needs Your Help

Lin is an English lady who has fed Eric (pictured alone) for over four years now. Every evening at 19.00 she shows up at the parking lot where Eric and two other dog friends of his hang out.

This parking lot is in a place the locals call "crazy corners" and the traffic is hectic and "crazy" I don't think I would survive one week there, but Eric has for a lot of years.

Eric needs to be examined by an veterinarian! He is getting old. Lin doesn't think he will survive another winter, and one eye is getting cloudy-grey.

My dream, through Animals Without Limits, is to open up a sanctuary for older dogs, so they can have a quiet and healthy ending of their long, rough lives. Until that time, I will be heartened, and help all I can people like Lin, who has shown such great dedication and has made it a little bit easier down the road for Eric, together with his long-term friends.

This is heart warming Amore! We need your help with donations, and it will become warmer Amore!

A Wonderful Dog Story

I wrote about "Dustflake" last Thursday, September 4 th, that was found by friend and AWL sponsor/supporter Ylva, brought in their parco, then to LegaProAnimale for check and fix up.

Last Monday we picked her up, and it was a happy, playful and energetic "new"dog. I have never seen such a transformation in such a short time.

Ylva tells me she is wonderful. No accidents inside, she follows them, sleeps on her little bed in her "private" area inside the house. Nils, (pictured) she adores, and curls up to him, she doesn't say or do anything when he with his toddler hands pulls her leg or fur.

I always get amazed, and it never stops surprising me, how fantastic these "former" strays are, coming in from a life on the street, and adjust themselves with great love and admiration for their new family.

By the way, her name is WILMA

More people should see this, and explore it too. This is fantastico Amore!

Leaving Dogs!

The days have just gone by so quickly (sorry for not writing as I should) and Animals without Limits was handed a problem that is still unsolved. Last Thursday, late evening, I received a SMS about an American family that would move Saturday and had two dogs that they would let out on the street and just leave.

"Unhappy" at this news would be an understatement!

Animals without Limits does not and cannot work directly with adoptions; we help others that are in the adoption effort.

But, because of the immediate nature of the problem, and the fact that we knew some of the intermediaries, we became involved. We simply couldn't have slept at night knowing we turned down attempting to help the dogs! (Note: we are helping the dogs, not the people.)

The situation:

These two brothers (Mario picture above) had lived their whole life (2 years) with this family with three children. They may have been born "stray" and unwanted, but as soon as they were adopted and raised with a human "pack", their instinct and intuition degraded. By now, it is long time gone. The former owner said; "They never leave our garden even if the gate is open."

We came to know of this situation through an intermediary. The "mother" lady was in the same book club as my friend and that is how we got to know, my friend was so upset and so where some of the other members.

What could AWL do?

Even if the Italian law says that you are not allowed to throw out your pet on the street, it doesn't seem to help. Putting a healthy animal to sleep is forbidden here too, and they had tried to do just that but the veterinarian refused.

The family said they had tried everything, with flyer's, church and organization but nothing.

What could AWL do?

Animals without Limits went over to the Reverend and his wife where the two dogs were Thursday-Friday. I wanted to meet the "former" owners! It was a loaded atmosphere from both sides. The dogs where not spayed, not up to date on their vaccination, no microchip and that would take a big chunk out of the foundation's bank account. I said AWL could take care of the dogs if they could help out with a donation to cover the cost of spaying and vacinating them?

It was not a happy face but the husband promised to donate. Still AWL are waiting!

Today there are Internet computers everywhere so to use his Paypal account to transfer to our our Paypal account shouldn't be so difficult, or take a long time.

We are waiting for the Christian Amore!

Sad View in Campania

(C) NFOA Naples Friends of Animals

Stray mother dogs with a low "strength" and "older" puppies that are trying to survive.

More later!

Sad Amore view!

I Need Your Help

At the end of this week I am going on a new mission, to do research and take pictures.

Many shelters here are run for profit... they get paid by the government for each dog they "shelter". So there is little or no motivation for the operators to find homes for the dogs. In many of these concentration camps-for-dogs, up to 1000 dogs or more are being held in horrible conditions. They will never get out unless someone adopts them, and the chance of being adopted by a family is near zero.

I have been told they are sitting on a cold wet floor, (one square meter) day in and day out. No exercise. Some are sick and in terrible condition.

Already I feel very bad going there, and I would rather stay home with my four healthy loving dogs.

I need your support to get the strength to walk into these places, where I know the dogs are very unhappy.

Their freedoms are gone, they are just waiting to die.

Their days are so long. Remember when you have to sit still and wait, for maybe one hour, how restless and bored you become. Well, they are there forever!

So when you see homeless dogs, wait to feel sorry for them, they are at least having some kind of freedom. Every dog is unique, and has it’s own story to tell. Wait and listen before you judge. Maybe he is a lucky stray dog!

This is not Amore but please help me give them some kind of Amore!

Happy Month

We are now in the month of Pisces, also known as the month of joy!

Is it joy for all God's creatures, or just humans? Is it meant to be?

~~~

On my way to a client--to have his picture taken--this beautiful "girl" was relaxing near where I parked my car.

This is her home. A cushion and some blanket scraps. A man comes every day to feed her and her "room mate"--another dog companion. Are they happy stray dogs? Is perhaps freedom their happiness?