My Mum is in the process of adopting a Caucasian Shepherd from Romania. We have a fair few up here, do you get them down south?
Oh they’re beautiful dogs! So big and cuddly! Please post pics!! There was an awful story earlier in the year about one near me which someone had tied to a tree (cos humans are rotten) and it was scared and lashing out. So the police shot it There was massive public outcry because a woman was there from a local animal rescue with a dog handler who said he would go and get it and then they would try and rehabilitate it because they believed it was just terrified and not aggressive, but the police said no. Poor thing!
My neighbour/friend has got a Romanian rescue dog. Looking up Caucasian Shepherd, I now realise that’s what he is. My friend didn’t know what he was either so thank you.
She looks looks quite a lot like the southern mastiffs in colouring, but fluffier. No, I've not seen any like that around here. The southern versions of the native breeds tend to have shorter hair down here due to the heat, I suppose. I've seen similar pups come out of Romania to Germany, though. A friend of a friend has a real thing for pulling the biggest dogs out of the Romanian shelters, so she has a bit of a 'collection'!
Yes, from her colouring she looks a lot like Mami (mastin cross with all the pups) from the shelter. I look forward to meeting her in the flesh
Today it was Operation Find Paul a Home day. Miry (my saint-like rescue contact) has offered to help present Paul to a Bodeguero rescue she knows in Germany, so has asked me to get photos of him in different situations. Ergo looking cute in bed, looking chilled around cat(s), walking on leash and today was meeting children. As I do not have any children and know less about children than I do about cats, I took Paul to my walk and talk language group meeting in a beach bar and then assaulted a nice English family with a small child and asked them for help. Mission accomplished! Scoping out the walk and talk group... Finding the right person to suck up to for cuddles... The purple twins... Hanging politely at the beach bar... Child target spotted! Going in for the kiss... Passed the toddler headlock test... Back on the beach looking handsome...
Paul is doing so well, that was a lot of different people and a child. Can you get those "ADOPT ME' tabards? it might get people approaching about him. Well done x
ADANA (the 'far' shelter) has these. I can ask as the close shelter where Paul is. Bodegueros are a tough sell for local adoption as they are everywhere, but you never know. Every little bit helps. I used to have Brogan wear "Adopt my little sister" sandwich board signs on his backpack to try to get the word out about my little chi fosters. You can kind of see his signs here at a fun run with Emma the foster and some admirers...
It started as a rainy day with messy pen cleaning, then cleared up in time for good walks with some of my best ADANA buddies. Charlotte showing her range with her serious face... And her happy face... Dog sledding with mastiffs (but without the sled)... Beautiful Ana... Looking regal together on the mountainside... Messi's way of asking for cookies... What a face... And finally the perfect pose in the sunshine...
I hate to say it Emily, but you really, really suit the Bodeguero (and it's not just because you're both twinning in purple!). Maybe you'll be an exclusive "Bodeguero only" foster mama!
I absolutely adore the little guys - me, who used to think of "terrier" as a dirty word. And I have to say that in comparison to Toby, Paul appears to be a piece of cake. Of course he's probably just lulling me into a false sense of security, sneaky devil.
It was a bittersweet farewell to the dogs of ADANA today. Yes, there was bawling like a baby into lovely soft doggie fur. Messi, Charlotte, Ana, little Nathan, Max and so many others are leaving a big hole in my heart. But with Garfield going to his new home last night, I'm changing gears for a new doggie adventure that won't allow me to visit ADANA any more this year. Messi is reserved for adoption to Copenhagen and will leave to his new home on 24 April, but if any other dog in the photos here is tugging on your heartstrings, you can find out more about adoption to the UK (or anywhere in Europe) here: http://www.adana.es/en/ Though I took Max and Charlotte for a nice walk, my goodbye kisses with gentle Charlotte were in her pen, laying in the greenery in the sunshine. When I walked away and looked back, she was actually rolling on her back with all her legs up in the air, just the way Brogan used to do. I'm so glad this old girl has found a place where she feels safe enough to roll in the sunshine and has so many admirers who will continue to baby her with love, good food, walks and cuddles. Messi was less than enthusiastic about the 'up hill' portion of today's walk... Ana looking out over Estepona and the sea... Happy faces... Here's Nathan again - my favorite cuddler and ADANA's tiniest full-grown resident - a quiet boy who just wants to be held. While today was all about spending time with my special pups, I also peeked in on the baby Bodegueros and Podencos to send us off from ADANA with a little puppy levity and mischief.
The little ones do fairly well, especially the puppies. The bigger ones, older ones, black ones, fearful ones, ones that maybe don't get along with other dogs...tougher. There are good stories, like Reuben the chocolate Dobie puppy who went out this week. The mastin female that came in with Charlotte got adopted in her first week. Elsa, the super fearful mastin who was adopted after six months waiting and came back to visit two weeks ago, happily greeting everyone she saw. Then there is Ana, who has been adopted three times already and comes back again and again. Bobo who was adopted as a puppy and came back and will likely be there for a long time because he's big and black. Kipling the Bodeguero who has been there nearly 5 years. Each dog has a photo on the outside of his pen, and certainly the saddest ones are where the photo is a tiny puppy and you look in the pen to see a full-grown adult dog. But there is the Danish volunteer who works with a Danish organization to find homes (Messi and another mastin, Martina, are going out in a couple weeks thanks to her) and they have community events like a big dog show at the end of the month to get the word out, especially in the huge ex-pat population on the Costa del Sol. Each dog is photographed with a write up on their web site, many have videos too. Overall, just to get into this particular refuge, these dogs have beaten huge odds - there's always hope that they'll find their forever homes, one dog at a time.
That's so lovely to hear. I'm constantly surprised by this trans-continental stray network that you have in Europe, it's amazing.
