Mia Mattsson-Mercer Born in 1964, Sweden. Author to three books. Writing a web-column for the Magazine NARA. “That’s Amore” is my catch phrase. Finishing the manuscripts for two different books. Also HomeSchooling Mother. Worked: United States, Germany, Switzerland, Bosnien, Bulgaria, France, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Bahrain Founder/CEO Animals Without Limits. I am a proud Lyme disease, Child Abuse and Animal Warrior.
Every day since June am I still feeding Cucci and Grace, my beloved friends. They are so wonderful, and my biggest hope is for them to find a home together.
Little One is new in my feeding schedule. She is so adorable, very shy but so nice.
These beautiful guys....what can I say...I hope for their best; good health and amore respect from peopleUlla Linders, and Bella Appleblom our faithful animal sponsors, thank you so much for your donations. Also AWL want to thank old "animal friends" Jeanette, and her husband Waldemar --with their company Dreamlight AB --for their donation so we can keep up our work with the medical treatment to our fantastic strays.
Our next mission; going to get a dog with broken back legs out from a shelter.
Thank you Kim from Denmark, you and your wife donated a super fantastic dog bed, bowls, brushes. Millions Amore Thank you to all
Jackie was one of the hard working volunteers last Saturday. She is a very gentle, patience and loving person. The dog's loved having her around, she gave them so much, so much to remember after we left. Amore Bella!
Also visit www.animalswithoutlimits.blogspot.com
This little fellow enjoyed the bath so much, she couldn't or not even wanted to move away after Vince and Elizabeth was done.
She was rescued from the terrible shelter. Back then she didn't have any fur, and her body was covered by some kind of skin problem. Today she looked so beautiful.
We have known Molly for over a year, passing her by the lake by the garbage and together with two other dog friends. In the middle of the garbage people would put out food for them, I stopped and medicated them, and put frontline on them. Molly was the one most loving. One day one dog was gone, killed we presume...another day the other one was gone, probably killed.
We tried to ask people to adopt her or foster her, no luck. On our way home from the dog walk I had the AFN team filming her situation and help me maybe find someone that could take her home.
We couldn't bring her in here, 14 dogs and another one can risk the harmony in the pack. And, my neighbor's they are so wonderfully patience with us.
I think it was a week ago I got a feeling that something bad would happen to Molly, I told my husband. He asked me several days what we should do? My answer was the same every day; "I don't know!"
Todd drove out to see Molly but she was gone...the whole surrounding area was burned down.
We are keeping our eyes open, and keep driving past, hoping against hope that she will turn up. But increasingly, we fear that Olivia's channeling is right. And the world has lost another sweet, innocent soul, needlessly.
This beautiful German Shepard was found abounded. His fur was horrible but Eric and the AWL team did a great work giving him a bath and brush.
Rossella brought him into her shelter. You can tell she does a hard great job. Amore work Rossella!
Snails having breakfast here in our living area.
Jackie, our trooper girl, putting out so much love and carrying to each of them. Your heart is so big we could all feel it too, not only the dogs. Thank you for all the bags of blankets that you brought--and treats for the dogs.
Linda, you are an brilliant volunteer lady with so much power/energy/love to the dogs
Jenny from Sweden and Krisitine USA did a fantastic job, cleaning and grooming these loving dogs. All were amazed how well behaved they (dogs) were. Well, not many humans have messed with their minds. (Picture to the left Elizabeth filming for AFN)Photos Copyright (c) 2009, Todd A. Mercer. All Rights Reserved
From a shelterdog's eyes (or ears), not much Amore to look at from their side of the cage.
Outside the shelter someone had placed a starving, aggressive and afraid dog with a long chain. You could tell he had been beaten badly and shackled with heavy chains around his neck. We guess someone broke him lose who had enough of watching this poor creature suffer. But the shelter is overcrowded. The shelter and AWL put out water and food for him, and I will soon hear what happened next.
AFN (Armed Forces Network) TV came out with a camera crew, to film what we have been doing at St. Francesco and elsewhere. They will come out to the shelter cleaning next week, to "fill out" their story, and also conduct an interview with me. We are hopeful it will be a great story that will generate more interest for what we are doing in the Campania region, and elsewhere.
Vincent from AFN came. Like last time, he gave a lot of Amore to many different dogs.
It was a sweaty wonderful dog walk with a lot of inspiring people and loving dogs.
On our way for a small Mission today. 20 people walking dogs in the "500 dog shelter" And I also think there will be a TV recording and interview that will learn more about AWL work.
Keep your fingers crossed.....
picture taken last time by Dennis one of the great AWL volunteers
Remember from earlier blog?It is now official after changing the microchip. Stella has been adopted by a lovely loving couple. She's already been living with them for a couple of weeks. After we changed the documents we went all to have a good cold coffee drink in 35 C.
We are so Amore happy for Stella.
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?
Photo; Linda McClintock bought bags of food and dog shampoo for the shelter. AWL Olivia is happy!There are so many I want to thank and I am so afraid to forget someone. Please forgive me if I do.
Thank you everyone that made the dog walk possible and into a positive chaotic success. Americans, Brits, Germans and even one more Swede helped out. It was a chaotic, wonderful day!
All the 70 volunteers that walked in the heat and gave the dogs something to remember while laying in their cages. AWL also wants to thank St Franscesco who let us "invade" their shelter and with a lot of patience for us roaming around. To the persons who brought in the sick cat that laid injured outside on a street, so the veterinarian -- located in the shelter-- could put in an IV and examine the little one, thank you for your kindness.
Vania, Keegan, Bruce and Dennis (and Rosa's spirit) my top team, thank you for helping to spread the word, and for helping our new volunteers. It's not easy being new in something that is very different from "back home".
We donated around 30 bags of dogfood to the shelter, thank you all for helping with this.
And all the treats, and petsmart balls and frisbees and collars (Eric) and blankets (Cindy).
Gennifer and Tim's beloved pet, Charlote's things. Her spirit lives on with her things' new users.
So many wonderful hearts, all at the same time.
Money donations; Lisa Tullis, Keegan Kasten, Bruce Armond, Eric Wooley, Lynn Woodalls, Tracey Kleber, Cheryl Kelman, Todd Mercer, Tamara Hampikian, Patricia Hoskins, Paola Maria Gaetano, Traci Van Field, China Plauto, Bella Appelblom, Mitra Talarman, Ulla Seidel, A wonderful couple from Cuma.
Chans Organization donations from their members, thank you so much.
Thanks to Jackie who informed Anna on the base about us, Anna made sure that AWL could get 50 boxes of "dog hamburger food" that we donated to Shelter Franscesco.
For the drinks and fruit thank you Mia, and Vania brought ice, and Jackie plastic cups. Team work!
And Lisa at Panorama, for shining a light on our work.
Gosh I am so behind many things, and I will not get any vacation this summer. Eh, who can have vacation with 13 dogs and 2 children?
Of course, every day I still go and feed Grace, the German Shepard with the problem front wrists-- and she is starting to be worse again--, and Cucci the Rottweiler. I am worried since the neighbors don't like Cucci chasing their tires when passing. One mother stoped and told me the rottweiler is a dangerous dog. I asked why, "He is chasing the tires when my children are passing."
I can understand a mothers concern, I believe I would feel the same. But I am worried that they will do something bad to Cucci. It is fantastic though and others have said so, Cucci doesn't chase my tires. They hear my SUV and out they come to greet me. Today they wagged their tails, but they only ate a little and then they didn't want to cuddle as we always do. I pray nothing will happen to them, but I'm worried for them just the same.
There is another dog two streets away that I have started to stop and feed, also. One house was giving him water and food, but a couple of days ago I saw the plates were smushed, and no more food. I don't have the heart to pass him while he is still waiting for the house to feed him as they always did before. How will he understand that they don't want to feed him anymore?
(I feed away from the house, more into another street)
A new dog walk day is coming up, and we need 20 volunteers for this day as the last time was a bit of a "out of control". Dogs were returned to the wrong cages since the shelter didn't have more than two volunteers that could help us 70 people. 
These are my also my favorite pictures. (Top) The dog above didn't want to walk, so Vince accepted it and sat and cuddle with him instead.
Sweet Romeo found in a storm drain two days ago, where his parents couldn't reach him.
Olivia wanted to dog walk too and kept pulling my pants, begging to be a part of the mission. I asked another Swedish girl, Jenny, if she could help Olivia find a dog to walk and socialize. And boy did they! Olivia was so happy, walking this little girl 1-2 years old, and they sat together on a chair, when they needed a break. Later, I saw Olivia sitting on a tombstone at the pet cemetery at the end of the shelter, talking to her new friend. My heart just melted.
After toady's mission I went home and cried. I had a face during the morning that would support others involved, since I know their pain.We were going to move an abandoned dog from an open Parco. The Italians who lived there didn't want the dog and hit him with brooms and other sharp equipments. Since he was abandoned he returned down to the place were he had once felt secure, outside what had been "his" villa. He could snap at you if you came and tried touching his head but that was just a defence mechanism.
When I came there today he had gotten into an Italian garden and couldn't get out. He sat so close to the fence, happy when we came in. I had a collar and leash and after some minutes I got him, without need to tranquilize him. I got him into the SUV and you could understand he had been in a car many times before. He loved sitting there in the A/C while we drove to the veterinarian to have him castrated.
"Sammie" as we named him, had of course no microchip, no collar, and when it was time to weigh him, he showed his teeth. We tried to put a muzzle on, and it didn't work, he snapped at us. Trying to do the injections in his neck, he bit me and he went after my hand four times.
"Sammie", likely a Husky/Sheltie mix, had been so damaged by people hitting him, and we also don't know why someone abandoned him. Clearly he had been someone's pet before.
We couldn't dare to adopt Sammie to anyone since he bit without a warning; not just once but many times because he was scared. We did the right thing by removing him from his cruel environment, or so some people say. One part of me says that too, but darn it that a dog has to pay a price --- his life --- because of cruelty and stupidity and irresponsibility of humans. I most of all wish the people who loved him as a family member and then left him when they departed, would know that their little friend isn't happily living with some other family, but rather had to be put down after being abused for too long by cruel and stupid people.
Please also visit http://www.miamattsson.blogspot.com/ for more pictures.
Pictures Copyright(c) 2009, Todd A. Mercer. All Rights Reserved.
Big amore thanks to every one of the approximately 70 people who showed up to walk the shelter dogs on Saturday, 1 August. What an amazing turnout, and I know the dogs really appreciated the exercise, attention and amore you all provided.
More information, follow up and pictures later. Just a super amore day.
Or as Olivia says: "cool".
Pictures: Copyright (c) 2009, Todd A. Mercer. All Rights Reserved.
