Dear Osborne - so nearly went home

Osborne and Fabienne - they thought he was going home.

In her diary, Fabienne tells us the story of poor sweet Osborne, who so nearly had his golden basket. She fetched him from Isabelleke's because at last, this lovely boy was going to live with a forever family. He had a nice wash and was got ready for his big trip. Everyone, including Osborne, was so excited - he'd been waiting so long. And then, at the last moment, a phone call. His reservation had been cancelled. So sad, such a disappointment. 

Why does something like this happen to such a good dog? He's a lovely character, a dependent dog who is social with the other dogs. A young Bodeguero, he was dumped like trash and thrown over Isabelleke's gate. She is one of our splendid foster mummies and has lavished love and care on this little one, as she does with all the dogs in her care.

Osborne is a real cuddle bunny, he loves being petted and is always cheerful. We so want him to find a loving family, especially after this cruel setback. Please, who can help? Who can make sure that this darling soon gets another chance for a happy life with his forever family? All his details, and how to adopt him, can be found on his very own page.

Osborne - champion cuddler!

Please will you be my family?

A happy, cheerful, thoroughly sweet character.

Indiana's story

Sweet innocent Indiana - joy wrapped up in fur.

I'm only four months old but my life so far has been sad. My mama was an ordinary cat who should have been able to expect a home, a pillow, a bowl of food, a garden and a boss who loved her. Unfortunately her boss didn't love her and abandoned her. After that mama became pregnant and it was difficult, so difficult that she died shortly after giving birth to her kittens. 

All my brothers and sisters, died too. Only me and my brother survived, thanks to the hard work of some kind and devoted people who bottle fed us until we were old enough to manage on our own. I was given the pretty name of Indiana and, just like my mama, it takes very little to make me happy. I dream of coming home with you. 

I'm not a pedigree cat, not a Persian or a Siamese cat. I am just an ordinary black and white cat but I'm a first class hugger. Really first class. I am house trained and very devoted. When you get to know me you'll find me more beautiful every day and when we grow up together I will not be an ordinary cat any more but the favourite of the house, that's for sure.

A modest, black and white cat but a first class hugger!

More beautiful every day!

Please fly me home ...

Gidion is yet another victim of the economic crisis in Spain. He was a little puppy when he first went to live with his family. He had a lovely life and there seemed to be no problems. But the economic crisis descended on Spain and his owners lost their jobs and their house with all terrible consequences  that entails.

Gidion is four years old now, a super sweet character, a darling who doesn't understand what has happened. Suddenly he finds himself in a shelter that is overflowing with dogs. That's realy hard for a former family dog. Nevertheless this dear fellow is very good and social with the other dogs and he adores people. He's a sweet guy who deserves to be appreciated and loved so much. Who will rescue him?

Gidion loves people

Social and playful and longing for a family of his own again.

Isn't it obvious? I'm in Paradise!!!

Our Firmin Crets!!!

As you can see this beautiful sweetheart has found happiness and contentment with his new family. Paradise indeed!

Who'll give our Pepper a chance?

Our wonderful Pepper 'big ears' is looking for a new home

Isn't he gorgeous!

Those eyes!

Our dear Napoleon helps out at the airport ....

Osvaldo - saved from the motorway ...

Osvaldo 

Poor little Osvaldo was found on the motorway and fortunately someone grabbed him and saved him. Nevertheless he ended up in the killing station, which was where we found him. What happened to this fellow, what is his story?  He had infected, puss filled bites all over his body. He also limps because of a damaged back leg. His body is just a heap of bones and his eyes tearful because they are infected and he is severely malnourished. He feels bad and just doesn't care any more.

He is with us now but because of his sick body he is listless and indifferent. He doesn't see the point in carrying on any more. His sad eyes go right through you. What happened to this dog? Who knows?  Poor soul! We so much want to give you a chance and so we hope against hope that you will survive. That you will make it.
Osvaldo is quite young but already so old because of everything that has happened to him.

So sad and fearful

His beautiful eyes are full of sadness

Just a bag of bones

His skinny body covered in sores

We hope this darling will recover and that we will find him a loving forever home.

Gentle Dana - Happy in Holland.

 

   Dana with a bunny

A message from Dana's adopters. At the Refugio and on the website she was No. 5895. 

Hello everyone.

I wanted to let you know that it is really going super well with Dana. She has been with us for three years now and is a very busy, active and very sweet dog. In these three years, she has experienced a lot of fun things, like gathering together things for the dogs who are still in Spain and we delivered these together on the ACE day in 2014. She went to school for a lesson in dressing dogs in leather  has also had nice meetings with our newborn niece and granddaughter.

She likes everything and hasn't a bad bone in her body. She follows the wild rabbits in the neighbourhood, not even hunting them and if a young rabbit is sitting quietly in the bushes she gives them a lick and then continues her run. It's super fun to see. 

We are really happy with her, our little girl

Xx Dana and her adoptive family.

A lovely photo: by Paul Croes on the day ACE 2014

  At the school

Nice run in the park

Duardo helps out ...

Our dear Duardo helping collect cents for ACE

Supervising the transfer!

Duardo and friend, standing guard.

Smiley faces - job done!

Another happy boy ...

A letter from Bono's new family

Bono 

Hello animal lovers,

It began when we read about a sweet Golfo, a very sad Spanish water dog. We realised that he looked very like our other Spanish water dog, Mop, who is sadly deceased. We found our Mop in Spain, when he walked into our neighborhood in Spain (where we had lived for 7 years). They looked almost identical and, in the beginning, Golfo was equally as fearful and, like Mop, he didn't wag his equally short tail. 

How different it is now. Golfo, now called Bono, has been joined by two Galgos, Duuk and Bettie.
Duuk is missing his right hind leg but he runs even more than Bono. They play together beautifully. Bettie is a cast-off hunting dog aged ten and a half. She too wants to play with them, but we can't always let the Galgos off the lead together as the hunting instinct is so strong and they are straight away chasing the bunnies.

Bono had a bad ear infection when he arrived in the Netherlands, but he allowed himself to be treated and didn't make a fuss, even though he was in pain. And now after a brisk shave, done by the boss himself, he looks beautiful. And now we can clearly see his little tail and after a week or two we see it every morning when the dogs greet us. Bono's tail wags back and forth. 

Bono was and sometimes still is very cautious. So that when we call him he does not dare to come into the room. But as soon as we call Bettie, then he will come and rushes to be the first one to come to us.   He loves to lie in the boss's lap, or otherwise on the ground next the boss's chair. When the boss gets up, he gets up too and follows his boss. He would even help him tie his shoelaces if he could, is eager to have his collar and lead on and walks nicely with Duuk beside the boss. Bettie always walks behind on the other side.

If possible we will take them to the beach so that all three of them can have a lovely, interesting, one- hour walk. Bono, like all water dogs, does not like to go in the sea, he finds it strange.  At low tide Duuk likes to lie down in a puddle and then then Bono loves to rush over and splash him and get him wet, but then he quickly runs away! Also when we leave them off the lead, Bono stays close to us, he will walks on his own towards other dogs to greet them and then he comes back nicely.

Bono has many similarities with Mop so that it feels as if he is back with us again. Fortunately Bono is young, only three, and we hope to have a lot of fun with him for a long time. Therefore on Bono's behalf we hereby thank everyone who has worked to rescue him and enable him to come all the way to Holland to us.

PS Bono has twice fallen into the ditch, he thought it was grass, but it was green slime.  That happened late in the evening. He really stank and was put straight into the bath - he found the hot water a nice bonus!

Greetings Rob and Joke vd Kleij.

King of the Castle!

All tucked up with my brother and sister.

Keeping close to the boss.

Lapdog!

If you ask us why we do it ....

Why do we struggle and strive and move heaven and earth to save these abandoned, abused dogs? You don't have to look very far for the answer. Our reward is the thousands of happy dogs who have been saved and who now have loving forever homes. Here are just a few pictures of a very few of these dogs. There are many more to be seen on the blogs and on the website under Lucky Dogs

Alessia, the sweetheart. Happy and loved.




Miko relaxing on his golden basket a.k.a. the couch!




Kisses for Miko.




Darto enjoying the green fields....




... and his golden basket and his special toy.




Bliksen & Donder (Thunder and Lightning) - so happy together in their forever home.

Marcopolo is still looking and longing ...

Marcopolo

There were four of them, all born in the Campo. We managed to save them, but couldn't catch their mother. One of our excellent Spanish foster mothers reared these four rascals with great care. They are now beautifully socialised with people and other dogs.

Marcopolo's sisters Marah and Lista and his brother, Pablo, have already found forever homes. Only Marcopolo is left, who knows why. He's such a lovely character and so handsome, with such beautiful eyes. This gorgeous cross-Podenco is bright and eager and growing very fast. Who will offer him a loving home so he can start his new life and bring happiness to his new family?

Marcopolo as a puppy.

Gody - it's time!

Dear Gody - still waiting.

Gody and Julio were brothers who belonged to some children. They loved the children but the children grew tired of them. They ended up with us. Julio was adopted some time ago but sweet Gody is still with us. He's been with us since 2009. He's in foster care in Belgium and life is passing him by. He's nine years old already and it's more than time that he had his very own family. I featured Gody on this blog not long ago, but he deserves to be in the spotlight again - we so want him to find a forever home. 

Pilar - please, please help her.

Pilar - such a sweetheart

Fabienne writes ...

Every time the phone rings and I see an unknown number I'm suspicious. I hestitate to answer. Should I just leave it? But you answer anway and then it begins - "We found a dog. We are on holiday. No one wans to help her. The police say to take her to the killing station but we don't want to do that because they will kill her. She is very small, barely knee high. Please will you help us?"

This sort of thing goes on all through the summer. this time it is German tourists who are staying up behind Velez Malaga, which is a serious distance from us. I explained to them that we were full, etc, that they should look for a rescue organisation in their neighborhood. Then the woman began to weep ... the crying was so bad that I thought "well, maybe we could take a little one."

And then they arrived and what do you think! This was certainly her own dog, because Pilar put her two paws round her and clung to her, trembling and afraid, she saw the whole refugio and all the dogs running towards them. This was not a lost dog and not a little dog either. She was 53 cm. The woman cried her crocodile tears - we stayed quiet! Pilar was obviously attached to her owner who denied being her owner and repudiated her!

Pilar's body language was more than clear. How can you do this? The woman walked away crying but for Pilar it was much, much worse. She was really in shock, the poor darling. Anyway, she is with us now, will have to adapt and then we'll see. She is very sweet ...

Her life has taken a different turn and the so called tourist will be somewhere on a terrace with one less problem to deal with !!!

Three more lucky dogs arrive at Schiphol ...

Schiphol August 15th

Tonight three dogs arrived at Schiphol, escorted by Ismay. They are little Nela, and our dears Flouk and Phenix. Here you see them meet their new owners, ready to set off home to their golden baskets.