ABANDONED,NEGLECTED, DUMPED AND BROKEN PROMISES

(Picture shows Sassi after a couple of months in Moments home)

When we see animal neglect on pictures we condemn the people who do this. We are angry and want those people to get caught and punished. But when it happens around us and near us by people we kind of know, what do we do?

For four years has AWL been involved in many cases of animal abuse and abandoned dogs here in Campania region.

Even more have we heard broken promises from people. But we have continued working hard to rescue animals, in some cases, we've even had to report people to the authorities. We can't have blinders, even when it is people we know. But tonight happened something that is simply not acceptable.

Shaggy Raggy (not on any pictures)was one of the biggest Casanovas who loved to roam around free. He got adopted by a Swedish lady and a foster lady Ms. Moment offered to foster him. She had also found this black and white (pictures) hunting dog on the streets that she brought in to keep. (She already had two smaller dogs.)

Because she was fostering an AWL dog, AWL provided her with everything, food, medical bills, frontline and de worming, we even provided with medical treatments for the dog she found and wanted to keep, Sassi.

Sassi looked good when found --- a happy healthy young dog. One day when we, as agreed, were going to pick up Shaggy for his vet appointment I saw Sassi behind the gate. You can see the picture above. I got terrified that was not something I expected to find in someones home--- she was in a horrible condition. I brought her into the veterinarian for examination, afraid she had any diseases. The veterinarian did all the examinations but told us that she was neglected, what she needed was food. The vet asked if AWL could take care of the dog because she was very underweight.

I spoke to Ms. Moment about it --told her this was not looking good but I would give her a chance (son) and we agreed that we would keep Sassi until she was healthy and then switch dogs. Moment was welcome to visit her dog whenever she wanted. She expressed many times that she missed "her Sassi"

Back with Shaggy, complaints were made by her neighbors and she had to move to a new area. We went and visited Shaggy who was not happy to be locked in a small area. Ms Moment jogged a lot and we asked if she could jog with Shaggy or her son could walk Shaggy, we even offered to pay a dog walker. Nothing was done.

Sassi was with us and slowly, very slowly she gained weight and became happy and playful.

The Swedish passport for Shaggy was delayed since some antibodies didn't develop, we all were frustrated over that message. We always informed Ms. Moment, who claimed to be "fine" with the delay, not happy but ok. "I cannot wait to get my Sassi back" was her exact words. She came few times to the hospice and petted Sassi on the head, took a bag of dog food and left.

Ms. Moment was there for the hospice one year anniversary October 8th. We told her that Shaggy's owner would fly down and pick him up close to Christmas. Ms. Moment was not happy since she would travel over ThanksGiving and Christmas. AWL offered to solve that by having him kenneled. She agreed again.

Back in Germany I get this e mail that Shaggy has destroyed her garden and her house, her landlord is not happy. (That Shaggy would suddenly destroy her house? no one was allowed to come and help her fix her house and garden)

So we agree via e mail that a switch would be done three days later since arrangements from Germany via Italy had to be done. But she wrote back that we shouldn't tell her what to do, she didn't want Sassi back. Her landlord wouldn't accept that. Well, that was nothing AWL could do about since we had an agreement. No room at hospice for healthy young dogs.

She stopped communicating and tonight I got a phone call from one of our volunteers that during the late evening close-up she found Shaggy deposited in the backyard where we keep a Pitt bull isolated since she attacks dogs. Also since no one knew about this, a tragedy could have occurred also it scared our volunteer to find a big barking dog who she didn't know of.

Moment didn't pick up her own dog, Sassi. Now it has become other volunteers problem since Shaggy cannot stay at the hospice. If he could we would have had him a long time ago.

What kind of person does this, when we had agreed to take him back and switch would be made in three days.

Well she abandoned her "own Sassi" too. If you can neglect a dog that bad with skin and bones we should have seen this coming...but what is it we are saying "You should be giving people a second chance!"

We are tired of cleaning up after others, we never get to finish our own rescue missions from real sick shelter dogs. We are not neutral anymore, this has to stop!