Hold onto your hats everyone! No fewer than eight dogs left the refuge today! Been quite a while since we had a day like this!
Lemon (now Buddy) and Shakira left for their new home this morning. A big thanks to Moira for driving them half way, I will let her tell you all about it tomorrow. Then this afternoon saw the continuation of the Anatolian Exodus, with two of the three remaining Anatolian Shepherd puppies, Gargamelle and Gaia, leaving for pastures new. Titan will leave us on Wednesday.
We then said goodbye to one of my favourites, Spirit, who was found in a terrible state and taken to the refuge in Castelnaudary, from where we collected her towards the end of September. Finally a loving family and some stability for this lovely girl, who has been moved from pillar to post for most of her life. Next to go was Cherry, who has a lovely new black labrador for a brother. Flurry left just before closing time, another dog who had been homed and then brought back due to a divorce. This time her luck seems to have well and truly changed.
Moka also left. This is the border pup who had been in foster care with volunteer Val for two months. He has gone to live with friends of the owners of two other SPA borders, Sake and Lolipop (remember them?). Like them Moka will take part in a programme of educating school children to love and respect animals. This is only possible because Moka is such a well-balanced dog, and he (and we) have Val to thank for that. If there were a gold medal for fostering, we would be handing one out to Val. I am sure she is a bit tearful at saying goodbye to her baby, but that leaves room for a new temporary member of the family.
Fostering is not for everyone. I failed dismally. The only time I fostered I fell in love and refused to let the dog go. It takes a special kind of person.
On the subject of fosters, Moise, the old border collie, has gone to live with another border-loving family. He is very lucky as he is old and arthritic, so a winter at the SPA would not suit him one bit. He will have to undergo an operation in the coming weeks for a tumour on his unmentionables, but at least he will be in the warm to recover.
Coraline left for a foster family too. She will spend 2 weeks with Isabelle, one of our volunteers before moving to her “permanent” family. And foster mum extraordinaire, Edith, took Frizzy home to try and build up her confidence and get her ready for a new life.
So if you add those to the eight adoptees, the refuge has eleven fewer dogs tonight. Or at least it would have had three dogs not arrived. But tonight I am still smiling!
The SPA is open tomorrow as it is the first Sunday of the month. Let’s hope I am still smiling this time tomorrow!
What a great day. So So happy for Moise. He will spend the Winter being warm and loved. xx