Dead Neighbour

It suddenly occurred to me the other day that I had not heard the neighbors, annoying screaming voice for a while. The woman has such a distinctive voice, a lot like running your nails down a chalk board. When she screams "Pedro, Pedro" the whole neighborhood can hear, and trust me it is loud! So I begun to wonder if they were dead, of course in my head they couldn't just be on holiday, they had to be dead!

My next thought was if I found their rotting corpses, what would I do, and of course, the first thing I thought was, I would reclaim the roofing sheets the thieving bastard took from us! Then I thought, no fuck it I will take everything.... Then I might call the policia.

So, I decided to go and investigate, operation Pedro was underway, and I stood on my wall staring into his property. This does resemble something from Steptoe and Son, therefore, seeing if things were untouched was hard. The little yappy dogs were not running around, so, everyone must be dead!

Now, Pedro doesn't live in a house, he lives in a shed, even worse than my goat shed, so there isnt much to explore. There is one window, and I decided I would need to go and peer in, to see where the rotting corpses were. Maybe he had shot and killed his wife, due to the annoying voice, and then died of boredom.

I found the window, and my first thought was, they do sell glass cleaner in the shops you know! As I was trying to wipe dirt off the window and peer in, I could sense someone was watching me, oh yes Pedro was stood behind me. He didn't look so dead, in fact he had a look of WTF are you doing. I smiled and muttered "sorry I thought you were dead, and your window needs cleaning" Both statements were stupid, and he looked even more confused, but I made a quick exit, and had failed to make friends with the neighbors, or get my roofing sheets back!

Gigi the Street Dog

I am asked to help a lot of dogs and I always reply with the same, send me photos, and a bit about the dog, and I will think about it. Basically this means please stop asking me, the answer will probably be no, but at least you have been told something. So, when a lady from Dakar asked me to help, she was told the same thing.

Now I'm not going to lie, I had no idea where Dakar was, and yes I googled, and was then amused that we had been asked to help a dog in Senegal, and honestly had no intention of helping, until I saw the video. There was something so sad seeing a dog living on the streets with a deformed leg, scared and alone. Gigi had got to me, and I offered to help.

Yes before you say it, don't we have enough dogs here to save, but there was something about this guy.
I was told that Gigi had been hit by a car, and then run over again and left for dead. He didn't die though, he wanted to live, so he got up,and moved as fast as he could.

Volunteers in Dakar are amazing, they have limited resources, and very little funds, but they caught Gigi and had surgery performed. This was a long and slow process, and although not how we would typically amputate, they did a good job.

Gigi was now a tripod dog in a country with very few offers of homes. Although his life was now better, he needed a home,which is where we stepped in. We offered to take Gigi into our rescue, and find him the home he deserves.





The arrangements were made, and Gigi arrived on Spanish soil, he was scared, but knew he was going to be ok.

 We had him looked at, and in the first few days he was poked and prodded, but took everything in his stride. He is a lovely dog, and we have every hope he will find a great home. So, have faith if you ask me to take a dog, you never know I might just say yes!

Im Too Old For This!

I am not one to complain, and generally I can do anything but transports I have decided I am far too old for that shit. Transport days are hard work as you would have read in previous blogs, and for me I have all the paperwork and worry as well. The day is long, the task is hard, and I have to sleep on an airport floor.

The last transport we did, 20 dogs were leaving, and even now Miss T and I are amazed we pulled that one off. You have to consider the logistics, and pure hell that transporting 20 dogs brings, and as always it never goes smoothly.

We had barkers, we had shitters, and of course we had the I'm not going to sit still, and tip the boxes over ones. Everything did go as best it could, apart from me being held up in security, and being late on the plane, as I do not run for anyone. The airport need to understand they can call my name a million times, I am still not going to move any faster.

Thankfully on the plane, I had a whole row, so sleeping on the journey was great, and my dog didn't shit, or bark once, result. Landing though was that dreaded feeling knowing I had to collect, and move all the boxes. The only thing you can do is grit your teeth and get on with it, I simply focus on the fact that all the dogs are going to new homes.

I realized I was too old the last transport when it took me days to get over it, I ached from head to foot, and felt like I had been run over by a tractor. Every part of me hurt, and I honestly sat there thinking, I am just too old for this shit.

Viking Burial

Viking was the second horse that we rescued, he was old, and unwanted, but loved from the day he arrived. He was calm, and very friendly, and Magic adored him, which made life easier, however, Viking suffered from colic.

Colic is a huge concern with horses, and we had to watch what he ate, and even then, as he got older, his attacks were more frequent. I knew that colic would kill him one day, and sadly I was correct.

One morning as I rounded the corner to the stables, I knew something was wrong, viking was not stood with his head over the door as normal. As I got closer, I knew he was dead, I entered his stable, and fell to my knees. As I stroked his head, a tear or two fell down my face, my beautiful unicorn was gone.

I covered him with a blanket, and practical head kicked in, we had to get him out of the stables to be buried. Now I know it is illegal to bury your animals on your property, but it wasn't even up for question, he was going in the ground.

Calls to the vets, digger guy, and people in the area were made, as we needed help to get him out.  As we all stood staring at a huge dead horse, and a tiny gap, the discussion of how we were going to do this begun.

The local guys are great, but they were practical, and forgot this was my horse. The answers were, a) cut him up... NEVER going to happen in a million years b) take the whole roof off, get a crane and lift him out, an option but we had just had a brand new roof put on, or c) take down the walls. Although this was a huge task it was the only one we had.

The walls came down, and Viking was strapped to my car, not what I imagined my 4x4 would ever be used for. He was then dragged out, which was horrific, although I knew this was the only way, I had to walk away. After what seemed like an eternity Viking was out and placed where he needed to be, again I covered him, and said my goodbyes.

Magic was also let out to say goodbye to his friend, this might sound odd, but Magic was frantic, he kept pulling off the blanket, and nudging his friend to get him to stand. Slowly the hole was dug, and then it was time for him to go. That day my heart broke a little more, I often wonder how much it can break before, there is nothing left....

Spock!

Over the years we have begun to decline taking certain dogs, as we have found that we cannot rehome them, they sit in the kennels for years. Podencos are one of these breeds, as I had one when I first started doing this and it took me over two years to place him. I see no benefit from dogs sitting in kennels, and would rather leave certain breeds to people that specialize in these. However, any dog in extreme danger deserves my attention.

I had a call one day that a hunter had hung his Podenco from a tree to die, this is done to kill them at the end of hunting season, Not as common as Mainland Spain, but some hunters still continue this barbaric tradition. The lady who called was trying to get him down from the tree, and hoping the hunter did not return.

By the time I got there, the dog was down, and one very pissed off hunter was stood there. Now I tend to ignore the screaming angry owners, as there is no benefit with arguing with someone so stupid. So I got the dog, and begun to walk back to my car, the one thing I had forgotten was that hunters have guns.

This guy was stood in front of me, with his gun pointed at me, screaming how he wanted his dog. Yep the dog he had just left to die, go figure. Now, this is one of those moments when you can either A) pee your pants B) give the dog back or C) continue walking and pray he has an ounce of sanity and realizes that shooting a human is far more serious than a dog.

Thankfully option C worked and I got me and dog in the car, and I realized I might have peed myself a little! So we had one safe dog, one angry hunter, and one wet drivers seat, but all was good.

Spock remained hidden with me, as the hunter spent weeks trying to find his dog. This meant I could not promote him on FB, I could not try and find him a home.

Everything had to be done in secret, through messages, and some how I got a lady to agree to help in the UK.  Spock begun his journey, and I stepped away to make sure there was no way of crazy guy ever finding him.

I always wondered what happened to Spock, but had faith that he would find a fantastic home. Through working with a Podenco group some years later, I found Spock, and boy what a home he has. He is so loved, and spoilt that he reminds me why I do this.

Igor- AKA Arsehole

After rescuing Donkey we had a new love for this animal, he was so friendly, and calm, and was never any trouble at all. So, when a friend contacted me and said that someone was looking for a home for their donkey, we agreed. The donkey was called Igor, and he had been used as a companion for a horse, the horse was going into livery, so Igor needed a new home.

The people wanted a home for Igor that he could just be with other horses, not used for anything, just live out his days. Igor is younger than Donkey, but we presumed he would be lovely, and they would be great friends.... oh how wrong were we!

Igor arrived, and he was so similar to Donkey we thought it would be a perfect match. Very quickly we discovered Igor had a sneaky side, and he loved escaping, he can get out of anything. This was amusing for the first 20 times, and then it got tedious, and pretty soon, he was christened Igor the Arsehole. 

The problem comes is when Igor lets himself out, he then tends to let everything else out, which means I have horses causing chaos, or even worse, sheep on the rampage. Igor, has this way of causing mayhem, and then calmly heading for the feed area, and hiding with his head in a bucket. So, all you can hear is "where is that fucking donkey now" 

Igor has smashed fences, destroyed gates, eaten many bags of feed, he has let out the sheep causing chaos, destroyed the ponds, and stamped on baby chicks. Igor is like a naughty teenager pushing every button and ensuring that he gets screamed at every day for something he has done. However, he is part of the family, and is here to stay.... until I can work out how to make donkey burgers! 

Trust My Gut!

Some people question how I do my adoptions, and yes the process is not normal, but to be honest, nothing we do is normal. I tend to do a lot of FB stalking have random chats with potential adopters, and gather all the information before deciding if they are worthy of one of my dogs. This process has worked for years, and I have only got it wrong three times.... when I simply just didn't trust my gut! 

We had a FBD (yes one of those) come in recently, in a bad state, she was suffering from many issues, bad skin, ear mites, ulcer in one eye, limited sight in the other, usual things really.

So we treated her, and she begun her road to recovery. Lilo was responding well to everything, she learnt to cope with having her eye removed, and in general she as doing ok. 

Lilo went up for adoption, and we had inquiries, some i ruled out straight away, and then I was recommended a lady by a rescue we work with. On paper it all seemed great, but there was something not right, and I couldn't put my finger on it. We went through the process, and she seemed to be genuinely interested in all Lilos issues, and seemed to understand her needs. 

After many conversations it was agreed that she would adopt Lilo, she was told over and over all about Lilo how she was struggling to gain weight, how her skin was still not right, she said she understood all, and that she would give her time. 

The vets and I agreed that Lilo would do better in a home, and that she could travel. Her transport was booked, and still there was a niggle about her new home, but nothing major, just a niggle. Again she was told over and over all about our special blind girl. She assured me she would love her, give her time, and that she could offer her a forever home. 

Lilo made the journey which is stressful on most dogs, but being blind she was even more stressed. At 5am she was dropped to her new home..... at 8am the rescue that had recommended the owner contacted me and said she didn't want her. The woman had not contacted us, but contacted another rescue, within THREE hours to say she didnt want Lilo. 

When I messaged the woman, as she still had not bothered to message me, she claimed that Lilo was dying, that she was being sick, that she had been beaten around the head.  None of which was true, she called Lilo "disgusting" and not what she wanted! WTF I was fuming! She wanted her gone NOW or she was dumping her, as she was going to die. 

I started making frantic calls, as stating NOW, when I'm in GC and you are in UK is insane. Thankfully we work with some amazing people and they did the 3 hour drive to go and get Lilo, who needless to say was fine, Dehydrated, hungry, tired, but certainly not dying. Times like these the people are lucky I am not in the UK or I would kill them, how dare she give up on our beautiful special Lilo in THREE hours! 

Lilo spent a few days in the care of another rescue who confirmed that there was nothing medically wrong with her. All she needed was love, time and care, which is what the original adopter had promised me she would give her. A couple messaged me who had adopted from me before, and said they had seen Lilo was back up for adoption, without hesitating they said they would love to have her, and would drive to get her. 

My faith in humans was restored, my gut had been right about this couple the first time, they are amazing people. I wish I had listened to my gut with Lilo, if it doesn't feel right then it isn't right. Who the hell gives up on an animal in THREE hours!! 

Lilo is now in the home she deserves, she has gained 1KG in a week, and loves her new family <3

The Dreaded Washing Pile!

Laundry is one of those jobs you either loathe or love, and I can honestly say I loathe it, I find it tedious, and usually forget to empty the machine. The issue comes is the amount of bedding that comes out the kennels everyday, if you don't keep on top of it then we have festering, huge piles. In fact even when we do keep on top of it we have huge piles.

There is often debates as to why I give the dogs bedding, even the vets say "why do you bother" "surely you are just giving yourself more work" Yes, is the answer, but my way of thinking is, these dogs have very little, a bit of bedding is their only comfort, therefore, they get bedding. Now the dogs love clean bedding they run in leap in the beds, roll around and have a ball.

Who am I to take this away from them, those few minutes of complete joy and innocent fun. Yes it is an arse to remove all the bedding every day, and yes it is an arse to carry it all the way to the machine, but hey the dogs are worth it.

Also due to our water pressure being so shit we cannot start running the machine until the kennels are finished, so it piles up, and up. Oh, and did I mention we only have a household machine.

Therefore, washing duty goes on all day, every day. In fact we usually do up to 20 loads a day, and then there is the drying factor. So, my stables double up as a Chinese laundry all day, with washing being hung from lines so it can dry. Yet another task that many people do not realize we do, as sadly I dont have a team of little washer woman to help!

You Never Know What You Are Going to Find!

We get calls all the time that dogs are chained up, and sadly that is just life here, at first I wanted to unchain every dog, but too be honest that is impossible. So, now we have to take every case and look at all the evidence. How tight is the chain? is it heavy? is it long? Does the dog have access to food, water and shelter? Is the dog in good condition?

Spanish people chain their dogs, it is common, is it right, nope, but it is normal, and if the dog is not being "mis treated" then there are others to save that are in worse condition. Another call we get is when people find dogs living in caves. Again very normal here, Canarians see these as free kennels, and don't expect people to stumble across their dogs.

One day we received a call that there were dogs in a cave, eating scraps, dirty water, same old story, but then the woman told me they were eating a dead dog. This was a step too far, so off we went to find this cave. Now the problem is even in my car many of these places are not accessible, so I had to walk.

If you know me, walking causes whining, and I complained over and over on our 25 mile hike.... ok it was 5 minutes, but that is not the point. When we reached the cave, the smell was what hit me first, and then I saw it, there was a dead boxer.

It appeared to be in "good" health other than being dead of course, and the two remaining dogs weren't eating him, so I presumed the woman had made it up. Then I turned and saw the remains of another dog, which was lunch for the two dogs.

No water, the remains of dead animals to eat, and being chained in a small dark cave, I didn't need anymore reasons to take these dogs.

I understand farmers feeding their dogs scraps, but come on, feeding them dead dogs was another matter.

 We will never know what killed the boxer, but all we could do was ensure that the other dogs didn't end up the same way! Dogs will eat anything, so it was not their fault they had eaten their friend, but, they could potentially die themselves if it was a serious disease. 

 So off we went, back down the mountain with two dogs that had obviously not seen sunlight for a while. Trying to breathe fresh air, and get the smell of rotting dead dog out of our noses. Yet again just goes to show you never know what you are going to find when you go to rescue dogs! 

Worms!

WARNING- This blog has gross photos... Sorry!

Worms are just another daily thing that we deal with here, and I don't mean the type in the ground, being caught by fisherman. I'm talking about the type of worms that appear out of the dogs, and some that I think how the hell were they all in there.

Thankfully not a lot grosses me out, and staring at dog poop is something that has become normal. You can tell so much from what comes out of the dogs, and the vets and I often have conversations about it.

People even send me photos of their new dogs poop, which is slightly strange, especially as the photo is usually perfectly timed with me eating. However, it doesnt worry me, and the hysterical messages of "my dog is INFESTED" makes me chuckle.

Trust me guys your dog is not infested, is it likely to have worms, hell yep, is it infested, nope. Infested is what we deal with, what we clean off the kennel floors. Street dogs, and dogs from the pound ALWAYS have worms, and when I say worms, I mean WORMS!

The amount that you stand and stare at and think OMG.... the amount that you can actually see falling out of the dog as it moves. These are infested dogs, we go through so many worming tablets we buy them in bulk.

We have designated "worming" days as it takes so many tablets, and hotdog sausages to worm everyone. We worm the dogs on entry, we worm them again two weeks later, and then the minute we see worms, we do it all again!

Sadly worms are hardy little creatures, and some dogs need worming, over, and over, and over, and then finally one day there are no more. Until a new dog comes in, and then the vicious circle starts all over.

Typically the only way we rid them entirely is when the dogs leave us, and go to homes. We tell every adopter, we have wormed the dog, but there is a chance they will have worms. They look horrified, how can we be saying that the dog MAY have worms. This is not right, this is not normal, this is the end of the world.

Worms are NORMAL, worms can be treated very easily, and by the time you get your new dog they are NOT infested. Send me a photo if you must, treat the dog which is so simple, and move on, there are far bigger things to be worried about than worms!

Keeping Sane!

Animal rescue is tough, we have opened ourselves up to the horrible world we live in through the internet, and there are pages and pages of abuse available to see and read. Something I have learnt over the years is that you have to remain focused, and not get caught up in every problem around the world.

As I know from personal experience, loosing your mind whilst rescuing animals, is far too easy. A few years ago I had a breakdown, and for several months, I lost my way, everything got too much, and I struggled to come back.

Thankfully I didnt unpack, and live there, I made the journey back, and it made me stronger, but also very careful about heading down that path again.  That experience taught me several things, and if you are going to rescue animals, and live the life we do , you need to bear these in mind.





1. Keep your circle local, you cannot afford to get upset about animals around the world. It is distracting and draining, and there are people there to help those animals.

2. Unfriend, or block the hysterical sharers, the ones on FB who want to save everything, from China, to Alaska, and every animal in between.

3. Unfriend the people that post the "death threat" posts about animals with hours to live, these posts will depress, and wear you down.

4. Have downtime, regardless of what this is, reading, watching TV, walking the dog, step away, even if it is for an hour.

5. Give yourself a pat on the bat and credit for what you have achieved, and what you are doing. Regardless of how small, if everyone worked together so much more would be achieved. Whether you volunteer, donate, foster, or support it all helps, and all makes a difference.

6. Remember you have limits, you can say NO, and no one has the right to make you feel crappy about that. Set boundaries, and be proud of what you have achieved.

Animals dont dwell on the past, or worry about the future....... maybe we could all learn from them!

Learning English

My vets are fantastic, and over the years we have helped them with their English. When I first started going to the vets they spoke limited English, and often would struggle with basic words. I like to think that we have taught them valuable words over the years, such as colors, breeds, and  vital words like "twat" and "fuck"

These two key words can be heard coming out of my mouth at least 50 times a day, and if I'm really annoyed they come out at least triple that amount.

So, it was only natural that the vets would eventually ask what "twat" meant. So, we explained, and now he uses it often, to describe other rescues, the cleaner, and even random people.

There are some words and phrases that sound odd as he has a Spanish twang, like puppies..... that always sounds like boobies. Which when you have a school playground humor like mine, always makes me laugh.... "Louise you have nice poopies"

If you ever listen to one of our conversations you would think we were insane, well more than normal.

One day I told him about the sheep, in his twang he said ship.... So there is me going no.... sheeeeeeeeeeeeeep not ship, and him repeating sheeeeeeeeeeeeep , and me explaining that a ship goes on the water, and a sheep goes baaaaa. Although he often forgets the crucial words I teach him, I do love the fact that he uses the word Twat in a sentence at least once  a day now!

Don't Like What I Write....... Feel Free to Leave

I blog for me, I choose to share it, so that people see a different side to what we do, and not just the fluffy happy tails, and nice bits. No one forces people to read the blog, its there, on the open web, for people to enjoy.

If you don't like it, or don't agree, feel free to use the virtual door, as I do not have time for your pathetic complaints.




People often message me to tell me they enjoy the blog, but then I get the messages telling me its "Crap" or made up, or boring, or pointless, and all I can say is REALLY. If you don't want to read it then fine, but why the hell are you taking the time to tell me how you are not going to read it.




I have also been told off about the language, god help you if you think this is bad!

I'm me, and this is my life, my world, and if you are interested then stick around, if not please just float away like a cloud....

I Don't Know How They Do It!

Just over a year ago, I had what I thought was a fantastic idea, I decided we needed a charity shop, to recycle all of peoples pre loved items, and raise a bit of cash. Also I wanted somewhere in resort that people could pop in and have a chat with the volunteers, and feel like they were part of what we do. The volunteers we have in the shop are amazing, and I honestly don't know how they cope with the shop, as I would have killed someone by now.

Thankfully for the people that come into the shop, I always said I had no intention of being in there, the general public did not need to see my smiley face. The shop was never opened to make a fortune, just enough to help with the ever growing vets bills, and become a place to help people. The volunteers that deal with the people that come into the shop have the patience of a saint, and I thank them for everything they do.

Now I know we say we take anything, and that we are grateful for anything, but seriously used underwear, dirty docks, and broken stuff is a step too far.

Sadly, we get all of those on a weekly basis. There is nothing worse than delving into a bin bag of donated goods, to pull out a used pair of lacy knickers. Why would you donate these to a charity shop?

Broken stuff is another one I just don't get, why would you go all the way to our shop passing numerous bins on the way to drop off your broken old crap, rather than bin it.

Then the volunteers have to deal with the arguers, and the hagglers, both of these are relentless. When we sell books for 50c and clothes for 1 euro you would think people would simply pay up, oh no, they have to argue, ffs it is for charity, and you are getting a bargain!

Then there are the "strange" people, the ones that strip in the middle of the shop to try on clothes, or want scarves for their naked scarf dances!! Again how do the volunteers do it...... I am in awe of their patience, and ability to shrug this all off. So, to everyone that helps in our shop, and I know I say it a lot..... but THANK YOU!!!

Some Kind Of Stupid!

This blog is going to offend some people, and I apologize, but are Owners of French Bull Dogs some kind of stupid. Now, before, I get a million don't tar us all with the same brush messages, I know I know, not all of you, but a HUGE majority are lacking brain cells. Some of you are amazing, have adopted from me, and I love, but others I want to hit with a shovel.

I actually do dread having FBD come in now, as the moment they hit the page I get so many messages from the FBD crowd.

Usually they mildly annoy with their attitude, and their we are better than everyone else messages. However, yesterday they reached a whole new level of stupid, one that even I could not believe.

We collected dogs from the Pound yesterday, and up on the page went the "today we welcome blah blah blah" with the photos. When we collect from the pound, all we know is age, sex, and we have the dog. No full medical history, no recent medical history.... AGE .. SEX.... and the DOG.

Therefore, every dog has got to be seen by our vet, assessed by us, and then when ready they go for adoption. No where in my blah blah post, does it say these dogs are up for adoption. it says  WELCOME...... Now, I have always thought it would be common sense that you see a photo of  dog not looking its best, see it has just been collected from a pound, you would know it wasnt up for adoption yet.

Oh, how wrong am I, people actually think this is their please adopt me post!

In there was a FBD, now this FBD is in the most awful condition, he has numerous skin issues, and needs to be assessed fully. Yet I had 45 messages doing the usual, you have a FBD for adoption, I want him, I need him, I have others, I am the best home, how can I get him.

Only ONE woman messaged and said, when the FBD has been fully assessed and is up for adoption can I apply. OMFG someone actually got it, and this lovely lady I actually thanked for being normal and sensible. She could not believe that others had not messaged the same, and as she stated, "isn't that obvious" Well apparently not.

Am I asking too much of people to look at the photos, and use their brains? Is this where the problem starts, I am thinking people have brains?

So, I send out a copied and pasted message to the 44 other people stating "as you can see from the photos, he is not up for adoption yet. When he has been fully assessed he will go up for adoption. When he does you can apply"

I got back:

3...... ok
5...... Can you message me when he is
2...... I will go else where then
6...... Will that be this week
2.......But I am the perfect home
7....... Can I reserve him though so I get him before others
5.......Didnt answer

and then 14.... Why can I not adopt him now?

I give up I really do!

They Are Not A Pair Of Shoes

I actually do despair sometimes, when people adopt a dog from us, and within 24 hours they want to give it back! Come on people they are not pairs of shoes, give it time, these dogs have been through so much. I understand that sometimes the match for the dog is not right, however, you have to give it time to see if it can be worked out.

The problem is I really do not know why some people adopt dogs, maybe for the glory, and the attention they receive on FB and from friends and family. The ones that love all the stroking, and the you are wonderful posts.

Although I am very lucky with my adoptions, as I know these dogs inside and out, I have got it wrong a few times over the years.

The problem is for that moment, I have to put my trust in people, and believe that they feel the same as I do about these dogs. Sadly, some don't, some don't actually give a fuck, and these are the ones that go wrong.

I have had calls within hours to say the dog isn't settling, has peed on the floor, is barking. The list goes on and on, and I get really annoyed, what do people think is going to happen. They have just collected a strange dog, placed it in a home that they have never been in before, with people they hardly know. God, I would pee on the floor if that was me.

We try to talk through the problems, and issues that have been brought up, but some people have simply made up their minds. They just don't want the dog, and there is nothing worse than these dogs being returned to kennels. I do actually feel like my heart is being ripped out and stamped on by these people.

When the returns procedure happens I tend to send someone else to collect the dog, as If I go I will be in prison for murder. Even when I message the people I have to keep stopping deleting and re writing, as I do loose it so many times. I should start taking photos of the dogs face as it is brought back, and put back in the kennels, but honestly the arseholes that return them like a pair of shoes, would simply shrug and move on!

It's My Home

If a stranger randomly messaged you, asking for you to send your location as they were trying to find you, and were aiming to drop by, what would you say? I get these messages a lot, and I am always quite shocked by them, as people seem to think that they can simply turn up at my gates 24/7 and have a nose.

I'm not sure if people don't realize, or don't care, but this is my home, my family and I live here, and although all the animals are here, its predominantly my safe haven. Of course I want people to see what we do, and people visiting is ok, but I have never been one to welcome random visits. Before, the haters leap on me, I have nothing to hide, and this is not the reason why I cringe when people ask to visit.

There are pockets of my busy day when I do what every normal person does, I lay on my sofa watching crap TV eating crisps. Therefore, I do not want to be disturbed, I do not want to get up and play show and tell with people.

Yet, this seems to offend people, that I may actually have a life, and that I may not want to have them visiting at that time.

The other consideration that people tend to forget is that I do also have to do everything a normal house has to do in a week, so the shopping, banking, school trips and average family issues have to be dealt with. I also work so have to fit that in to my day, to pay towards the charity as it never covers all the bills.

Maybe I am just of a different generation, or have more respect, but I would never turn up at someones house un announced, and expect a warm welcome. However, the people that message me are very offended, and often rude when I point out that now is not a good time.

I get the shocked statements of " But we are driving round in circles trying to find you" "We have been searching for hours" The fact that you cannot find me easily, and that I choose to be in the culo de mundo should give you a hint I don't want to be found. So, if you want to visit, give me plenty of notice, respect the fact that this could change at any moment depending on what I am doing, and never expect a hug and a cheery smile.

I Come With a Warning!

People who know me, know what I am like, and therefore, I don't have to explain my rudeness, sarcastic tones, or eye rolling. However, if you don't know me, I can come across as rude, unapproachable, and sarcastic! The reality is I am actually quite a nice person, I am just really busy and what I do tends to lean me towards hating people.

Recently, I have discovered that people are warned about me, before meeting, and Miss T even does the "she is an arsehole" speech. People are shocked, and think that she is slagging me off behind my back, the truth I am fully aware of the arsehole speech and think it is a good idea.

She tells people that I am rude, that I wont want to speak to them,and simply to ignore me. Other people are mortified by this, I however, I feel it is the perfect warning. Everyone reads the "dont go near the big scary animal signs, at the zoo, well she is a huge sign, warning people. If you are then too stupid to take her advise, then more fool you.

A lady had arranged for me to collect a dog yesterday, and her parting words to me were "BE NICE" in a stern school head mistress type way! I have discovered what I consider to be nice, and what others consider nice, are worlds apart.... like WORLDS.... I think if I manage a hello then that is nice, and I'm done. Sadly, others want a conversation, a whole, smiley conversation about the weather, and things.

So, if we happen to come into contact, and I look like I dont want to speak, the chances are I dont want to speak! Best advice I can give, step away slowly, and try another day, you never know you may get lucky, and one day you may catch me on a good one.

Dogs Die

Any kennel, rescue or pound that tell you that they have no deaths are liars, it is one of those subjects that no one wants to speak about, but it happens. When you are taking dogs from environments with disease, stress, and often fighting, there are so many reasons why they die. Although it is upsetting that you lost one that you had saved, it unfortunately has become part of life.

We dont get full vets history's when we save dogs, we have no idea what they may or may not have, we can have them checked, and some things are obvious, but others... who knows! Im not going to lie and claim that we do every test under the sun when they come in as we dont. There is simply not enough money for this.

In the morning as I walk through the kennels, I hold my breath, not due to the smell, but until I have checked that every dog is breathing. Sounds strange.... but true, I have walked down there on occasions to find dogs dead. Not through fighting, or anything sinister, simply because they have got into bed, and died. Some just give up, they have not adjusted, nothing medically wrong, apart from a broken heart.

That is what happened yesterday, I walked the kennels, thought it was a good morning, until I was one missing when I let the little dogs out. When you open doors, and not all dogs come running, you know there is something wrong. I've been doing this too long, not to know.... I also knew who I was missing .. Elsa..

Elsa was dropped off to the kill pound with her siblings, all were old, all scared, and all confused. We rescued two. Eskimo and Elsa, Eskimo went to the UK team quite quickly, and has since found a home. Elsa was left behind. Years of neglect were obvious with Elsa but she loved a cuddle, and would sit with me and watch the other dogs playing.

Elsa was old, and didnt want to be in the kennels, every day you could see the noise, and hustle and bustle were getting to her. The younger dogs would knock her over, and jump on her when she wanted to sleep. Slowly I saw the look that I have seen before, she begun to withdraw. No one came forward for Elsa, no one wanted her, and that is why the night I said goodnight to her, would be the last.

Elsa, got into bed, sad, lonely, and rejected and died.

Another old dog that didnt deserve to be treated this way, another life I couldn't save, RIP Little one, I am sorry I let you down <3

Operation Donkey...... oh and a Lamb!

I had a message one day asking for help with a Donkey, now I didnt know much about Donkeys, but growing up with horses, I presumed they were similar. Basically, smaller, than horses, with bigger ears. Oh how wrong can one woman be, Donkeys are completely different as I soon discovered. Again without much research, I agreed to take the donkey, and off we went on operation Donkey.

On Arrival there was no doubt why I had been asked to help, this poor animal could hardly walk, he had crippling laminitis.

Donkey was trying to navigate over rough ground, with badly overgrown feet, sores all over his body, and the look of please just shoot me now. 

 Whist negotiating with the old guy that owned the donkey, I noticed a whole field of sheep, and flippantly asked if I could have a lamb. I didnt actually think he would give me one, but he appeared around the corner, with a small lamb, which got thrust in my direction. I have to remember to be careful what you ask for!

 So with donkey loaded, and a lamb in the boot of my car off we went.... On that journey I did decide that lambs crying are actually quite annoying, and reminded me very much of a newborn child... 

With Donkey home, the vet and farrier called, we begun the task of making Donkey feel better. He was never going to sprint around, but I just wanted him to have a better quality of life. 

 Years of neglect had taken its toll, and this poor old guy needed love, and care.  I understand some people cannot cope, or simply do not have the money, but please, just ask for help. 

Mrs B and Donkey bonded straight away, and soon they would be seen everywhere together. He didnt really have any interest in Magic, but that was due to the fact he couldn't escape fast enough when magic is being an annoying twat.

Donkey went where he wanted when he wanted, I had no issue with him wandering around, and he needed to move as much as possible.

The farrier came, and hours of trimming and cutting, we had new feet, at one point the angle grinder was used, which was a first for me, but it seems common in Spain.

Donkey like so many of the animals that live here, is happy, loved, and cared for. He has no purpose, but to live out his days knowing he will get the care he needs, when he needs it, will he ever gallop nope, but he can manage a fast trot when a feed bucket appears.

 

Random Photo

I seem to be attracting the most stupid of people at the moment, or my patience really has vanished. However, I do feel that sending me a random photo of a dog is stretching even my ability to know what the hell you want. I get both photos of my dogs looking for adoption, and other peoples dogs, no words, no questions just a random photo.

My inbox is full every day,and now it seems stupid people are messaging, please, guys keep on moving, stay away or you are going to get a shitty message. I tend to ignore the random photo messages, as I dont have the time to ask what they want, as if they cannot string a sentence together
then there is no hope of them being able to adopt a dog.

Then there are the ones that send the photo, then hours later send ????? now everyone knows how I feel about the ???. I am impressed they have manged to write something, but come on not the ??? so again they get ignored. Now some of them progress one step further, and actually string some words together... usually a short " Why are you ignoring me" then ????

At this point I have two choices... these could make or break how it goes I could answer:

" Are you fucking stupid, I am not psychic, what the hell did you want to know, as sending me a random photo with no question was moronic"

or.....

I could ignore them again

I found this option to be the better one in this situation.... see the calming techniques are working!

People Really Are Stupid!

I have chickens, which means I have eggs, we sell the eggs to help pay for the feed, and usually they do very well. However, this involves me having to speak to humans, and humans are stupid. I have always considered myself to be an intelligent person, and stupidity drives me mad.  I am amazed on a daily basis just how stupid people are, and how they have no idea what they are eating.

I knew a child once that believed all chickens came shrink wrapped from birth, and had Tesco stamped on the wrapper. They simply did not understand that it was once an animal running around, which is worrying.






However, the worlds most stupid woman came into my world the other day.The conversation went like this:

"ooo how sweet you keep chickens"
" Yep"
"what do you do with them? are they pets?"
"nope they are here to lay eggs"
"oh, do chickens like that lay eggs?"
"all chickens lay eggs"
"but then what do you do with the eggs?"
"sell them, eat them"
"OMG you eat THOSE eggs"
" yep, dont you eat eggs?"
"well yes but not ones that have come from a chicken, only ones from the shop"
"ok, so where do you think your shop bought eggs have come from?"
"from the egg factory of course, I would never eat something that had come out of an animal"
"ALL eggs come from chickens, yours are simply packaged, and put on the shelf"
"dont be silly, Hiperdino doesnt have chickens in there, they come from the egg machine"

Twenty minutes of arguing, my head hurt, she was still a retard, and we were no further forward. I am seriously concerned that there are whole generations of people wandering around that should not be allowed out on their own!