Vacation of a life time.

I think that all of us have a story about how we became involved with the hounds of Spain. We all want to see how the dogs are as they are saved and re-homed around the world.  But I think our own personal stories are what can inspire others to get involved and bring others to this cause.  We find ourselves one day face to face with the horrors of these marvelous animals and can never look away. Getting involved is another thing.  I know, not all can do what I did or others have done. But I got inspired and that is what made me take the leap.  So, I want to tell my story and hope others will do the same. These are the stories that can inspire and let people know they too can get involved.  I tell my story to whomever will listen. But locally is not enough. MPMFJ is a place that will get our stories heard and start the inspiration that drives folks to get more involved.  I believe we all give something but inspiration is a driving force and that is what I hope we can do.  

It started two years ago, for me. I saw something about the dogs in Spain but blew it off as it was just one more country with over population of dog. I was helping with this problem in Peru at the time.  My interest was there because of the Peruvian Inca Orchid dogs that I love. It was many more months after that, that I seen something else about the problems in Spain. Again, it was same problem just a different country. Then later in 2015 I saw the Million Paws March for Justice face page and started to read. I still did not know what was going on but found myself searching the internet trying to learn more. It was during that search that I became inspired.  I started looking at the website of the different refuges in Spain and reading about what the dogs are going through and how so many never make it. That took my heart and left me sleepless many nights thinking how can this be in the 21st century I read on many of the sits how people where needed at the refuges to help take care of the dogs and help with things needed at them. The refuges were looking for volunteers.... I knew this is something I can do. Work.  I spent the rest of the year of 2015 doing my homework.  I decided being older I might not have a whole lot left in me to be a mighty work horse for someone but I still could help. I settled on Pepis refuge and contacted Jane.  She told me she would love to have me come help.  I told her I had three weeks of vacation time to donate my help to her. She told me to come on. I started my search for cheap flights and airlines that would let me bring back a dog on. My intention was to help and then adopt a dog and bring back with me. I took a chunk of time looking for the best way to get myself there and get myself and a dog back to the states. Now this was a mix of trains, planes and automobiles getting this all-in place.  It became a driving force to make this happen no matter what. I needed to help and donating some money was not enough for me. I felt I needed to see firsthand and experience this for myself. To be there and understand what the people on the ground in Spain felt and done daily to save as many of these dogs as they can.  I need to check my opinions, my personal beliefs, and my way of life at the airport when I boarded the plane. I was going to work, help others, and observe.  I learned so much and can never be the same again.  I did not see the death but most every other thing.  I learned what is was like to give up everything including your life to help the dogs of Spain. The admiration I have for the folks who do this work in Spain, cannot be describe in words. I am now a much more effective marcher in the USA. I spread my story and the story of the dogs to all.  I work on a receiving dock and meet truck drivers daily and I have my dog at work many days and pictures that gets me started. My company has over 500 employees and most of them have met my Enana and or heard me talk about Spain.  

I would hope that the next vacation folks plan would be to donate themselves for a week or two at a refuge in Spain. It will be a vacation of a life time and you will not regret, donating one vacation to the hounds of Spain and the folks who save them.

Refuge

 

Refuge

1. Shelter or protection from danger, difficulty, etc.
2. a person or thing that gives shelter, help, or comfort
3. a place of safety; shelter; safe retreat
4. an expediency or shift; action taken to escape trouble or difficulty

Rescue

To save (someone or something) from danger or harm.

Sometimes I believe seeing the definition and understanding the definition can often be different.  I use the dictionary definitions to give a clearer meaning of what I learned in Spain.

I am the President of a 501C3 non-profit rescue in the United States. I have been doing dog rescue in the States for close to 10 years give or take.  I go to Peru and sponsor Spay and Neuter clinics in the villages to help keep the overpopulation of pets down. But I do not rescue.  I travel and help move dogs, I foster and I can say I really have not went out and rescued. All the dogs I work with in the states are owner surrenders or we get them out of the shelters.

 I found myself questioning was I really helping. Is this what rescue is? Well yes it helps everything helps but for me I do not rescue. I believe the term is being use wrong. I went to Spain to help at a Refuge and learned firsthand the definition and what that mean to me now.

I learned about the Galgo and Podenco’s about a year and a half ago.  It came into my social media but I never stopped to pay attention just blew it off as one more country with animal problems. A few months later I saw the Galgo dogs plight again but still not paying much attention.  Last Oct. I had just returned from Peru and seen the Million Paws March for Justice. I then took time to read and learn. I spent many hours reading and educating myself on the situation in Spain.  I never cried so much as I did through the education.  While doing the research I seen where people could volunteer to help at the refuges, it took another 4 months to run the idea over and over in my head till I knew I had to do my part.  I looked at many websites to see which one I thought could use my help the most.  I contacted a few but settled on Pepis and spent three and a half weeks there.  Where I was educated in the real meaning of refuge and rescue.

When people can give all they have, even their way of life for the dogs. I was humbled in there presences, to see how life was for the humans and dogs.  To use every last dollar to give to the dogs. It is not a way of life I could live and hats off to those who can.  To use what they have and keep the dogs safe to get them medical help and to suffer the heart ace of loss when puppies die of Parvo the broken and tortured dogs that come to them.   The mental, emotional and financial drain that is 24/7 makes the physical labor looks like a walk in the park.  There is no end to the work but how does one keep up the pace every day no days off no time to do things for themselves.  Every element of weather causes a new need, every new dog taken in has a new need.  There is no end, it all keeps coming like a freight train and there is no light at the end of the tunnel. There is no future no time to dream. Only worry about how they will survive, pay the vet bill, the long hot summer, the threat of floods, how to keep all the dogs safe.

Without the help of strangers volunteering and donations coming in these refuges cannot survive. I know not everyone can just get on a plane and go help. There are many ways to get involved. I was touched and believe in a higher power guiding me. Now I am hoping to encourage some others to reach out to the folks who have sacrificed so much to help the beautiful hounds and dogs of Spain.  We need to understand that they do what they can with what they have.  Some have a little more than others but to understand they all love the dogs.  They need us…  To adopt to foster the dogs is a big part, refuges are not a way of life for the dogs they are there to keep them safe till they can move into foster or permeant homes.  The need us…. 

Train Wreck

One of Peruvian dogs I brought back last Oct was a street dog born and raised. He had had multiple traumas as seen in an x-ray showing many different healings on all the breaks. His poor body is a train wreck, his hip is broken, pelvis, leg and even his back. Now on a better note he does not know he is a train wreck his body has healed just the way it was broken but he has learned how to get around and he can run and jump he just looks funny doing it. Now this has left him incontinent, but we have worked through most his body functions to lessen the amount of work needed to keep up with him. Now if he gets playing too hard or struggling in some way or another, this can bring on poop. Truly we have learned these things the hard way, we did not learn straight away it took us some shocking incidents to get us thinking. He gives shit slinging a new meaning.  As we do not keep him in a diaper all the time so he does not get infections or skin rashes we have to be on alert so we can catch things before they happen. We have gotten much better at this so life is not so bad now.

A while back I got home from work and my daughter is standing in the kitchen and it is totally void of any dogs and the noise coming from the other room is deafening.  I looked in as I passed the gate and seen all the dogs in their kennels screaming their heads off.  I ask why they were all in their kennels she said, “They were all in a big fight.”  What the hell happened? She said “I don’t know” When was the fight? Unknown.  Who all was fighting? Unknown. Who started the fight? Unknown The end result of all the questions was an undetermined amount of dogs just started fighting. I began ranting because she knows how to break up a dog fight and why was she not paying attentions to them. Was any one hurt? Ya Ma, but just scratches and bruises   As I went from cage to cage to assess the damages they did to each other. I ask her again Who was on the top of the dog pile???  And Why didn’t she grab the back legs and send the top one air born? She said I don’t know Ma I was just afraid that Train wreck would poop. Now that stopped me in my tracks. I left the room with visions of a pile of fighting dogs wallowing in shit. Say no more.