AWL AWARD TO RITA

AWL's award board agrees it is difficult to nominate great animal rescuers, there are many to choose from. Many are trying and doing their best, even if they're busy with school, family or work and their own dogs. But the board saw something extra one day a couple of months ago in Rita Schneider.

Julian (dog) was found paralyzed and couldn't see. The finder didn't want to keep him, she had a lot of explanations why not. AWL brought him to Dr Damiani for treatments but didn't have a foster home. Rita said "bring him here!" She cared for Julian and gave him his medicine, and one day he even ran through the apple tree plantation adjacent to her home. Julian got a couple of months of happiness and was the most loving soul, but the Universe called him home. Not for nothing, Julian taught us a lot about ourselves.

AWL's award board was touched by Director Mia's story about Lea. She and other volunteers visited a shelter with 500 dogs. When leaving they are being passed by a big female limping, skinny and sick with Erlichia. With tears Mia asked where the dog was going and got the answer she had been spayed and now released back on the street (sick) Mia took Lea in the car and once again Rita said, "bring her here."

Medicine was bought and Rita's mother sponsored Lea with special dog food for her liver that is so expensive, everything to get Lea back to health. And so she did, AWL Lea is now a big, overweight girl (she gets in to all food) and healthy. Now staying at Mia's house together with 17 other dogs, and she is doing great.

This is Amore; any foster is special, but to take in multiple dogs with special needs, to help special cases in need with medicine, home and care goes above and beyond the call. Rita, thank you for what you do for the homeless, sick un-wanted animals. That's Amore.

SAMMY WISHBONES WISH

Lynn (GB) called me and asked if I could go with her and have a look at Sammy (Wishbone) eyes. He is a stray that she feds every day. She even put a collar on him to fool the dog catchers that he has an owner. But the people keep stealing his collar. But Lynn is an "old fox" and stubborn and keep getting him new ones.

He is the sweetest thing, so gentle and polite, and sure his eyes are looking "old" AWL will make an appointment for this little fellow to see an eye doctor Tuesday. Keep your paws.

Thanks to your donations we can make the strays get the medical care they need. That's Amore.

The spring is coming slowly to Napoli and that means riding lessons on content horses. I have to make sure my children knows not to ride on unhappy horses....and it makes me more relaxed than having to inter fear with the owners how to make a horse "content"

But it is wonderful to see children bloom among animals. That's Amore!

Two Adorable Dogs

Rosa lives on the street, and is always alone. She is very sensitive but so sweet. Adorable to my children and other people. We put FrontlineTM on her and we noticed she is already sterilized. Would you like to have a girl whom never will let go of your side?

Fox is a young male, locked in an empty lot with nothing to hide under or away from mean children throwing rocks. With a big goofy heart he is constantly trying to reach you with his front paw. (like a chimpanzee)

These two are my favorites. If we didn't have 9 dogs in our house, and 3 distance-adopted dogs I would bring them home, in a heartbeat. They are so much Amore.....

Feeding Strays? Dare da mangiare ai randagi ?

This morning we went back to the skeletal houses (read below) to feed Truffle and Hunty. As we drove up, from the car I could spot Truffle's white tail wagging, far away. I got out of the car and was greeted by Hunty and Truffle with a lot of affection ---I nearly lost my balance. Hunty's eye looked much better, and both seemed in such a good spirit/mood.

I saw they hadn't been eating much of the dry food that left for them last night (returning for the third time), but when I opened the can of juicy meat they where all over it, and inhaled it with great joy.

A friend of mine later asked why they didn't finish the dry food....if they are so skinny and bony?

The answer: Strays are mostly surviving from humans' garbage; from pasta and other wet food. Good and soft. For them that is a delicacy.

It does make me wonder when some people say you shouldn't give your dog table scraps...well ask a stray!

When strays are eating "wet" food, they don't have to search for water to drink. But when they get dry food, they need to drink a lot. Sometimes, it can be hard for them to find water, especially when the summer here is more than 8 months long, and hot! Don't tell me that the strays didn't figure this out in a splendid way.

This is darn Amore surviving intelligence!

Copyright (c)2008 Mia Mattsson-Mercer

(In Italian)
Questa mattina siamo ritornate alla skeletal casa (potete leggere di piu riguarda questa casa giu nel blog )per dare da mangiare a Truffle e a Hunty. Potevo vedere dalla macchina la coda di Truffle che si muoveva da lontano. Sono scesa dalla macchina e Hunty e Truffle hanno fatto una corsa per aggiungermi. Ho quasi perso l´equilibrio .
L´ occhio di Hunty e molto migliorato. E tutti e due sembravano cosi contenti e sereni.

Ho visto che non avevano mangiato quasi niente delle krokantini che avevo messo per loro ieri sera ( ritornando una terza volta ieri ) Ma quando ho aperto una scatoletta con tanto di quella carne che piace cosi tanto si sono buttati proprio. Un amico mio piu sul tardi mi ha chiesto perche non mangiavano il cibo secco, visto che erano cosi affamati ? La risposta : randagi molto spesso grazie alla spazzatura riescono a vivere, dalla pasta, o altro cibo un po bagnato, buono e morbido. Per loro questo e molto piu buono e perfetto. Infatti rimango un po "cosi" quando sento dire dalla gente che nn dobbiamo dare ai cani quello che lasicamo alla tavola noi ... caso mai chiediamo cosa preferiscono i randagi !!

Per i randagi si semplifica tutto mangiando cibo "bangiato" cosi non devono poi cercare aqua da bere. Con le krokantine o qualsiasi cibo secco devono bere tanto , e qualche volta puo essere difficile trovare aqua, sopratutto quando l´estate qui puó durare piu di 8 mesi !
Ovviamente i cani randagi hanno realizato questo da soli...

Questo e amore,,, surviving intelligence!!

Truffle Update with Friend

(In Italian)

Update from October 29th)
We visited Truffle this morning, and found out he is taking care of a young, female. She is thin as a skeleton, and we named her Hunty. So sweet that it tears your heart in pieces, painful because you cannot provide them a warm home.

A drafty skeletal house, dirt, weeds and mud.It was so nice to see Truffle again, he and my daughter Olivia were cuddling up to each other, him closing his eyes letting go in human-child love.

Both Truffle and Hunty were famished! We offered them the can of dog food I always carry with me, and they inhaled it! Truffle seems to be doing well, although he limps from what appears to be an old wound, and has a scar on the right side of his face that looks like a grin. Hunty is doing much worse, it seems. She is skin-and-bones thin, with her hip-bones jutting out through her skin. I know she'd make somebody a great companion and maybe a hunting dog.

Truffle stayed close to Olivia. He seemed to sense her animal Amore, even at her young age. She's a great partner on our "missions".

Dr. Inga and I will visit Truffle and Hunty again soon, to check up on Hunty's eyes, and Truffle's limp. Hopefully, we will be able to routinely feed them too, to make sure they gain some weight, especially Hunty.

Here's some warm Amore for two loveable strays as the weather gets colder.

Abbiamo visitato Truffle questa mattina, e abbiamo scoperto che lui si prende cura di una giovane cucciola.. ma lei e magrissima, di ossa e pelle. La abbiamo dato il nome Hunty. E cosi dolce che si spezza il cuore guardandola ed e cosi doloroso sentirsi di non essere in grado a poterli dare una casa bella calda.

Invece questi due si trovano in una casa abbandonata sporchissima, fredda e schifosa.
Era cosi bello rivedere Truffle di nuovo. Lui e la mia figlia Olivia si coccolavano, e lui chiudeva gli occhi lasciando cadere la testa nel braccio della Oliva. Aveva tanto bisogno di quel tipo di amore che possiamo soltanto dare noi persone, e molte volte riescono ancora di piu i nostri bambini.
Truffle e Hunty avevano una fame... Abbiamo dato a loro la scattoletta di cibo che porto sempre con me. Truffle sembra di stare bene. anche se faticava un po mentre camminava per via di una vecchia ferita. (Lui ha una cicatrice lungha sul lato destra del viso che fa sembrare che sorride sempre. )

Hunty sta molto peggio, almeno sembra. E davvero troppo magra, si vedono tutte le osse. So che lei potrebbe diventare una cucciola fantastica a qualcuno o magari anche un cane di caccia.

Truffle e rimasto vicino a Olivia. Sembrava quasi come se avesse capito quanto vuole bene agli animali la Olivia. Infatti Olivia e un partner perfetto quando andiamo a fare Missions".
Dr. Inga e io andremmo presto a visitare Truffle e Hunty di nuovo. Per controllare gli occhi di Hunty e tutto il resto. Speriamo di potergli dare sempre da mangiare in modo per fargli ingrassare , especialmente Hunty che ne ha davvero bisogno.

Mandiamo tanto Amore a questi due bellissimi randagi specialmente ora che il tempo diventera sempre piu freddo...