Miracles exist ...

Damaso and Magda .... they spent years together in the Refugio and now a miracle, they will be together forever in their forever home. We can't thank you all enough, all of you who have made this wonderul ending so happy - together forever !!!!

Miracles EXIST !!!

Jim's Journey

JIM previously called Panchito. Here's a letter from his loving new owners:-

He is now half a year with us, our Jim a.k.a. Panchito. But actually, we always call him Zoef: he goes from from 0 to 100 in a half seconds. One minute he is blissfully grunting, asleep on the couch and curled up like a donut. The next moment he standing in front of you with bright shining eyes. We call it "At the ready!"Always ready for action, this cheerful bouncing ball. As long as it's not too early in the morning because Mr. loves to sleep late.

We knew where he was coming from and what we were taking on : a dog from Spain ... from a killing station ... and then some time in the shelter .. naturally you expect some rough edges. A small behavioral problem, some difficulties with discipline, perhaps. He had already been half a year in Netherlands with forter parents who had taken very good care of  him, but still. We expected some difficulties.

But guess what? Nothing! From day one he has behaved well. Even on day two we dared to let him run free, he listened so well and always kept his eyes on us.  He didn't always do exactly what we wanted, but he obviously did incredibly his best to do well. Very touching. Within two weeks he had  already 

We were aware that he became a little excited when we went out in the car. And it's true, and this happened particularly when we arrived at our destination. The first few times we took him with us, he was shaking when we lifted him out of the car and he hardly dared cross the threshold and in his anxiety made puddles we didn't mke a great fuss, just had some sheets and mopped it up. Meanwhile the penny dropped and he started to associate a ride in the car with fun things. The beach, the woods, visits to people with other dogs to play with ...

He takes just as much pleasure running beside the bike. If he gets tired he will ride in the front in the basket. And recently we've got a boat and he goes into the water. As with all things he's hesitant to begin with, but within five minutes he becomes aclimatised, this brave dodo. We are more than a little proud of him, how easily he adapts and learns new things. At best one could say it's his survival instinct, but it could have been very different, he could have put up more resistance, shown more anxiety, had a slower learning process .. But really nothing of the sort happened. Nothing like it.

So yes, he is very happy but is there any downside? Well quite often he runs off wth shoes, preferably boots. He does not damage them, just dances around with such a happy wagging tail and then he leaves the object 'somewhere'. So you regularly walk around wearing one boot and searching the house for the other. Also in his enthusiasm he wants to jump up at people. This is fairly normal young dog behavior so that we'll also correct with time.

He is now half a year with us, our Zoef. And it should be clear: we are very happy with him. What a wonderful beast!

Jim in action

Cycling near Muiden

Sailing through the canals

At home

Urgent care sought for Gia

We are looking for a foster home for Gia or, better still, someone who wants to adopt her.

Specifically we are looking for:

- A foster family / adoptive parent with a lot of experience with dogs that are easily excited.
- A foster family / adoptive parent who has the space for an active dog.
- A foster family / adoptive parent who may have other dogs but no other pets.
- People who will persevere, even if it is difficult. There will be plenty of guidance and advice available.
- People who will not expect her to be off the lead outside. Who will help her integrate with other dogs and help her to calm down.

For information please email adopties.nederland@ace-charity.org

Update - 28th May: No Inspection Today

No inspection today but a lot of hard work, ...

We didn't have an inspection today, the nerves were strained but we are confident that we have accomplished a lot in the first 30 days. We would like to thank all the people who were here, who helped us, who have donated and have contributed in any way.

Please know that we could not have done this without you. It would not have been possible.

There is still much work to be done and people are still welcome to help if they can. We have to keep going. This is a battle we have to win.

Here are some pictures from today!

Greetings Fabienne

 

Messing about in the river ...

... Chelsea, who used to be called Moussa, was one of the only two dogs we have rehomed in the UK.
As you can see from the photos, she's grown a lot and is having a wonderful time. She has owners who adore her and gets on very well with her two doggie siblings, Frankie the GSD and Cookie, a bulldog.

I want the ball! No, I want the ball. 

Mine, mine, mine!

Come and get it!

Happy dogs! Frankie (l.) Cookie (c.) Chelsea (r.)

Spanish hunters and their dogs ...

... and this is allowed. Unbelievable!!!

The wisdom of rescue dogs ...