Animal Amore

Best Amore Friends! Olivia and Trooper relaxing.

One Campania Dog Shelter

An area volunteer at a dog shelter has, for several days, tried to get into the shelter where she helps out. The person that runs the shelter has not been around... gone for three days.

No food, no water. No cleaning up for the dogs. This is a normal day for thousands of dogs in the concentration-camp settings of dog shelters in Campania.

This is no @%$@ Amore!

A True Hero

Footage from a traffic camera overlooking a busy freeway in Santiago, Chile captured a dog performing a ulling heroic act — pulling an injured friend from oncoming traffic.

So how can you justify your thought about animals not being intelligent?
This is amazing Amore

Old Friend

For many centuries I have been standing by you, and standing up for the human beings --- and I still do.

Where is your Amore for me?

photo Copyright (c) 2008 Mia Mattsson-Mercer

check out what AWL is doing http://www.animalswithoutlimits.blogspot.com/

Sad News & Good News

Opening my mail today I found this wonderful e mail from a friend a got to know in North Carolina. Our new dog had climbed the fence and I drove around crying looking for him. I saw a woman walking her two dogs and I stoped and asked if she had seen my Clyde?

She had not, but she helped me searching after Clyde until we found him. When Zina was living in Africa she helped the stray dogs there. She is a true Amore animal friend!

"I wanted to let you know that we are putting a package in the mail to you tomorrow (Dec 8) which contains some blankets, bowls, collars, and a small cat carrier. I was able to get some good deals at the thrift store on Post. I hope you don't mind "used" items, but I was sure to wash everything in bleach to ensure it was all clean and ready for use. I am able to purchase more this way. I hope you find these items useful for your projects.

We just rescued another dog and were lucky to find him a new home already. He was chained in the backyard with no attention and not being fed daily. I may have told you about him before. Anyway, tomorrow he goes to the vet for neutering and shots, then off to the new home on Tuesday. He is a very sweet boy and is enjoying his time here with us. He will go to a farm where there is another Lab waiting on his arrival.

Did you see the story on the national news that a woman in Wisconsin left her dog outside in 10 degree weather and the dog froze to the sidewalk!! Luckily someone called authorities the next day and the dog was still alive. They had to use hot water to melt the ice to free him. He is now in the safety of the Humane Society, and the owner was arrested.

Makes me sick to think about. Happy Holidays to you and your family. Zina"

Ah, yes. The holidays. I guess in this boy's case, Santa came early, and in the form of mere (but big Amore caring) humans. On behalf of the animals you help, thank you Zina. Merry Christmas!

Time Flies

Max turned one-year-old yesterday. Happy Amore Birthday, wonderful boy!

Don't forget to visit our other blog www.animalswithoutlimits.blogspot.com

Swedish Lucia ... in Italy

Yesterday we got to see a pretty Lucia at a very nice glogg party (Swedish Christmas smorgasbord) at the "other" Mercer's house (not related but great friends)

Of course I got so emotional when our little Mui walked up next to the Lucia, as a little Starlight.

Since we are so many people with different nationalities here, we celebrated Lucia yesterday instead of December 13. Many families are going home to their own countries over Christmas.

It was a wonderful Lucia Amore evening!

Rat Poison

The research is scary, and many veterinarians tell me it is a big problem with people laying out rat poison. And it is not small amounts, it is several cans that people pour out.

Olivia and the dogs play where there is a big hole in the fence into an empty skeleton house. It is kind of ironic, the entrance gate is locked with a big chain, but a couple of meters away there is this big hole.

When I walked in there was this cat laying there and I can just imagine the slow and painful death she suffered, the animals are bleeding inside for 1-2 weeks before they die.

Two big jars of rat poison lay near the opening in the fence, and just the thought of Olivia playing with these jars made my heart beat faster.

I went and visited Zara today (read blog yesterday) and she is doing better, but still she has to be in the cage so she doesn't become too physically active, and start to bleed internally again. And she is very weak and tired.

The veterinarian showed me the blood test results from the lab and they were scary, she was so close to death!

I thank you all for your Amore thoughts, and I thank the Army Chaplain for his Amore prayer, for our Amore girl.

It Happened Again!

Right now it is a very worried and stressed situation here in our house, in our pack. What can I say --- it happened again.

Zara, our latest, wonderful dog--sniffing our son's leg on the Tuesday blog--is terribly sick. I took her in to the veterinarian today, who told me if I had come in with her one hour later she would probably not have been with us anymore.

What is happening? What kind of place is this--- certainly not any heavenly place for dogs.

Zara came in the house (Friday) and looked like she had a bad cold. The next day, Saturday, I put her on antibiotics and a painkiller. After a couple of hours she looked a little better. I decided if she didn't seem well on Monday, I would have to visit the veterinarian.

Sunday I got a vision (from her) of internal bleeding!

Monday morning she looked the same --- low. So I took her to the veterinarian clinic we routinely use. I also had an urine sample from one of the other dogs back home with me, I thought she might have a bladder infection. One of the veterinarians took the sample and thankfully it didn't show anything wrong. Then I told him about Zara's symptoms.

"Does she haves diarrhea?"

"Well today she had. Can I bring her in? She is in the car"
"Blood in the diarrhea, vomitting?"

"Eh no. Should I bring her in?"
"Oh no. She's been eating something. Keep giving her antibiotics."

"Eh... ok?"

Driving home I just felt that it was not right. But going against a veterinarian? Hell, I am not a doctor.

Tuesday morning I go inspect the skeleton (gutted) house that is our neighbor in the parco. I remember Zara had been in there for 3 minutes the previous Thursday. I find two open buckets of Rat Poison, and a dead cat. Later, I saw Trooper come out from the hole in the fence to this skeleton, with some unidentifiable piece of meat in his mouth. I retrieved it from him before he could swallow any of it.

By this time, Zara was now "just" laying; eating but laying; pooping hard, no vomitting, but "just" laying; tail-wagging but "just" laying.

I woke up this past night to hearing Zara "scream", it was 0130. She looked so sick and I just hugged her and told her to "hang in there". Darn it, the other veterinarian clinic wouldn't open up until 09.30.

The morning light hit our bedroom, and Zara was still laying very still; not moving, not eating. Now she couldn't even walk well. Todd had to carry her down the stairs so she could pee pee and poo poo. Luckily, no sign of blood. When he gently tried to nudge her toward the door, by pressing gingerly on her chest/shoulder, she yelped in pain. When we carried her out to the car, she layed still the whole way out.

I carried her into the new veterinarian clinic and the veterinarian looked at her, then felt her body, "she has internal bleeding" he reported. He did his blood work and told me she was really bad, maybe she would need a blood transfusion --- they needed to find a big dog. He reported that she has a chance to recover... but just a chance.

So, right now we are waiting for good news Amore! Please keep Zara in your prayers.

Sniffing Amore

Aroma Amore....who's leg? Check out more Amore "sniffing" pictures on www.animalswithoutlimits.blogspot.com