Giove--Follow up

Finally, finally we are getting to give Giove a wonderful life, he so deserves it.

You remember Giove from the terrible shelter. Ylva took a picture that a wonderful couple in Sweden saw and fell in love with him. They fell so much on love that they adopted him and this was back in February! He was transported to another shelter, not as bad as the other one, but not very nice either. Paper work is a nightmare here and the change of microchip took a long time so we could start with all the blood tests. We transferred Giove to one veterinarian clinic in quarantine, tests and a hernia surgery, de-worming and de-worming and gosh everything.

We have paid, me and my husband, 700 euro for his treatment and lodging. And then the trip for him is not included. This is one reason why Sweden gets a lot of sickness and problem dogs since adopting a healthy dog is expensive and no organization can afford to spend up to 1000 euro per dog on many cases.

Today, me and my children picked him up and he was so sweet in the car, sitting looking out through the back windows. He was a good gentleman when walking into my yard and 6 dogs greeted him sniffing him very carefully and he stood absolutely still and wagged his tail.

Right now he is outside laying in his first grass ever, together with his former "terrible shelter" friends wondering...what is this green stuff?

Love is in the Air

Pictures (c) Sandra Jontz

These pictures are from "terrible shelter" when picking up our dog Nebbia (means fog in Italian)

It was (and is) Amore in the air

Donation Help For New Projects

My friend and volunteer Ylva took this picture at the terrible shelter were we rescued the dogs.

Still we need donations to continuing helping them.

Ariel & Nebbia in Freedom

After emptying the "terrible shelter" we took "our" four dogs to get washed by Vivian at Cucciolandia. Ariel had so many dreadlocks with poop tangled in her fur. The smell was horrible even after one wash they smelled!

The next day me and my family went and picked Ariel and Nebbia out for a walk in a beautiful park. Ariel have been locked in in four different shelters. This was her first day in freedom, with grass around her and trees, alot of good smells.

She is around 10 years old, and her front leg is like Charlie Chaplin so she walks very slow. She would be great with an older person who cannot walk fast, or much.

Great with children and other dogs. I just love this dog so much.

Some people glared at her twisted front leg and on one woman you could see her disgusted crumbled face, "Doesn't that dog have a terrible problem?" she asked.

"No mam, I think you have more problem with it than her."

My Ariel deserves a dog bed, and a warm hand petting her, some Amore pay back.

I have been told that Nebbia means fog in Italian. I like that.

Nebbia is around 4-6 years old, sweet and great with kids. She have been by herself in a terrible cage because they claimed she was aggressive. When I met her I sensed right away that was so wrong. I took her out with another dog and she walked great. Yesterday we had her lose with other dogs in the park, it also went great.

I asked "them" why she was labeled as aggressive?

Once when she got her food in this terrible shelter, the cage door was open and another dog went in. She growled and defended her food in her own cage.

That's why she was labeled as a bad dog, she defended her food that normally came once or twice a week.

What would you have done?

AWL in the news

Freedome, Bella and Ariel waiting in the car to go with AWL.

Yesterday's activity to close the "terrible shelter" was reported on in the Stars & Stripes newspaper. Read it here.

The reporter told me that her editor cut about half the story she had written because of space limitations. I can only assume he cut the best parts that talked about our wonderful Veterinarian, Dr. Inga (also a friend) and great volunteer/friend Ylva. Our many, many thanks to them.

Also, so many thank-you's to Ms Sandra Jonz, the Stars & Stripes reporter who spent the morning with us at the "terrible shelter" and not only wrote a great article, but will perhaps one day go on a mission with us as a volunteer herself.

People coming together to help those without a voice of their own. That's amore.

Terrible Shelter Update

A lot has been happening about the "Terrible Shelter", and we've now been informed that it will close completely on February 13th. On this date, any remaining dogs will be seized by the authorities, and taken to one of the "official" shelters... the ones that are canine warehouses.

So, there is only about 2 weeks to adopt away as many of these wonderful, worthy, helpless souls. You can see the current listing of dogs, with pictures and descriptions at this link.

These amore souls did nothing to deserve being in this shelter, and their continued love of and for humans demand that we find them homes.

One Who Deserves a Home

Photo from the randagi organization. www.randagi.org

http://it.youtube.com/watch?v=QpuHCm9NVxo

She is such a loving soul that is left in the "terrible shelter' where we are going to help this weekend.

The first time I met her I fell in love with her. Maybe it was her love and eagerness to love up on me, that made me see her among all 60 dogs in terrible need.

Maybe it was her right-front foot that is oddly twisted, (probably from a badly healed break) that made me love her, she is so beautiful and I call her "my duck foot." She is 5-6 years old and it is such a shame that this loving dog has to be moved to another "awful shelter" if we can't find her a home.

She is so sweet, kind, loving and it breaks my heart even harder this time that I cannot bring her home with me. We have seven now, and soon eight....oh my God I hope our landlord doesn't read my blog!

If someone would like to adopt her I will do everything in my power to help. She is a fantastic dog, and if Mia Mattsson-Mercer, the well known animal psychologist says so, it is so.

This is an Amore dog with a beautiful paw.

Starving Dogs

Yesterday evening around 19.00, I got a phone call from the Sengora of "Terrible Shelter." Could I come with dog food, there was no food left for them.

Urgh!! A Saturday evening, my family time and where to get food?
I locked my family into a room with chocolate* and said, "Back in a minute!"

Yes! Still some lights on in the dog store. I banged on the door and Alberto, with family, opened. I waved with the donation envelope and shouted I needed dog food for 51 dogs! He thought I couldn't get my numbers right in Italian and came with a small bag. "No no" I said, "I need 60 kg dog food!"

Kind Alberto drove the 60 kg of food ---- three huge bags --- home to my house, I surely couldn't lift that.

Back in the house, I opened the door where my family was locked in to see that they just finished their chocolate*...mom hadn't been gone that long. Sigh!

Thanks Alberto and family for helping AWL. That's sharing Amore!

* The children were not unsupervised, my husband was with them, and the chocolate!

What a Day!

AWL had our first meeting with a fantastic group of Italian animal workers and the project "terrible shelter" is ON! Finally after searching for the right connection and people, being mislead to wrong people we have found the right ones. And today we sat down and talked about what to do at the "terrible shelter".

These people have a working knowledge of the shelter, and the "back story" or history behind it. It is not simple and is terrifying when you hear the background. Once the mission is completed I will write you all the whole story, we are still kind of egg-shell walking at the moment.

But these ladies and we are starting off this Tuesday with plan 1, I can tell you more about that Tuesday evening when we are back. Your generous donations have not been used yet, we are having them ear marked until the middle of January, when our big operation starts, plan 2.

Dexter, our new dog, we knew that he must have had some difficulty in the past, since he is very afraid of hands and people and noise. He is great with other dogs, though.

One of the ladies we met with today, has his sister and is very involved in this mission. Dexter was born several years ago in this cage where we found him. He has never seen freedom until now!

Our wonderful Dexter, no wonder he doesn't go out by himself, he is scratching the door in panic! He sleeps nearly the whole day in our guest bed, and he keeps away from us humans at a good distance. When you are finally reaching him he lays down and freezes. Our little Dexter was for several years kept in this terrible cage in this terrible shelter. He is such a good boy--even if he is peeing quiet often inside--but what the "pumpkin" what does he know differently?

Today it was a lot of Amore, a better day.