Well, it may be cold in Carcassonne but at least it is sunny! This meant that we were able to get lots of dogs walked, which is always good for morale, both theirs and ours.
And we had an adoption, which has become such a rarity nowadays that spirits are lifted enormously, especially when it is a dog of seven years old! Gisele has gone home with Wendy, who, it turns out, is friends with volunteer Rob. They bumped into each other when Rob was bringing Blacky back from his walk, and Wendy was just leaving. So we will definitely have news of Gisele (who is to be renamed Gigi) in her new home.
Yesterday’s two arrivals should be collected tomorrow, all being well. Their owners were not pleased to hear that they had been brought to the SPA, as they were close to their house and it is “quite normal” for them to be left to wander. This seems to be a peculiarly French way to treat dogs; kick them out in the morning, let them in at night. Not everybody here treats their dogs like this, by any means, but it is far more common than it is in the UK. And many owners do not like the inconvenience of making a trip to the SPA to collect their dogs. Look at Fox, for instance. He was brought in so many times that his owners just decided one day that enough was enough, and left it up to the SPA to find Fox a new home. It is so hard to know what to do; but by no means should you assume that everyone loves their dogs the way you love yours, and that they will rush to collect them and be grateful. Just ask poor Carole, who fields the angry phone calls!
Oh, we must say a huge thanks to MaxiZoo thanks to whom every single dog in the refuge has been treated to a flea and tick treatment. Incredibly generous of them, and we are looking forward to spending a day in their store on December 20th too, when they are hosting a pre-Xmas collection for the SPA.
So it is not all doom and gloom; especially as the SPA is active on three fronts this weekend….See tomorrow’s blog!
Wendy leaves with Gisele (now Gigi)