Barking Mad

Be warned this is a long post!

No, I didn't mean I was barking mad although that's definitely debatable. Barking Mad Dog Rescue is the name of the charity that gave us Flora. John and I had a lot of calm and reasonable discussions while our last dog Rueben was still alive about whether or not we would have another dog but we soon discovered that dealing with his actual loss at the end of September was a whole different ball game. We tried to hide it from each other but I think the truth is that we both knew we would have another dog within days. I was the one who started to investigate the various rescue options and I remembered that someone local had adopted a dog from Romania. I'm not even sure if Barking Mad was the charity in question but it was what came up when I googled it. Once I visited their website and realized just how much these dogs need a home I knew we could give it to one (or maybe two, but we are going to wait and see how Flora gets on). Be warned though that the pictures and videos on their website are heart rending and tear inducing and to date I still haven't been able to watch the video that shows Flora being rescued from one of Romania's public shelters, to the end.
I starting by donating money (using the Just Giving button on their website) and then looked at the dogs available for adoption. That means the dogs have been spayed or neutered, treated by a vet for whatever ails them, given their first injections (including against rabies) and been issued with a pet passport. That means that in the future Flora will be the only one in this house with a European passport! Once they are chosen the adopter i.e. us  in Flora's case, are responsible for the costs of the above as well as transporting the dogs to the UK. The dogs have to spend 48 hours in quarantine once they arrive and then a driver with a van full of dogs (in separate cages) brings them to where they need to go. In our case we collected her from Abingdon Services on the M74 about 40 minutes away, last night at 7pm.  Flora had been travelling all day and was exhausted. However she ate her food, went outside and did a biggie and a widdle.

Then we settled down by the stove and it became clear very quickly that my lap was where she wanted to be and later on that the bed would do her very well to sleep in. She is very tiny and won't take up much space, at least not as much as Rueben used to do who was probably 3 times her size and also like the bed. So she has made her arrangements. It's hard to tell if she knows about living in house but she has slept through the night and did her business first thing this morning when we let her out so maybe she has been house trained at some stage.

She already follows me around and tomorrow is a day for bonding with her dad as I will be away teaching for the day (as a favour for a friend and arranged way back in April). He has been instructed to sit on the settee and watch TV for the day (which will be a challenge!). After that there is nothing on our programme apart from looking after her, and teaching her all about life in Macbiehill. Already I am amazed at how she is adapting. We had a little wander in the garden with her new harness and a long lead so she could investigate and sniffle around.

I have somehow managed to reach a stage in my quilting where I'm making fabric flowers and hand stitching small quilts so that she could even sit on my lap while I'm working. She has also found the old cat basket under my desk! Definitely a clever girl and I hope she will develop more as time goes on.

Think about these poor dogs if you are wondering about getting a dog or alternatively donate some money towards their food and vet bills.

I will be scaling down my online presence for the time being (that was part of the plan for next year in any case) and most of my time and energy will go to Flora (together with all my love). These first months in a new home are so important and set the tone for her future life (and ours!). I just have to look at her sleeping peacefully under my worktable and it makes me cry. Wish I could give homes to all those poor dogs on the website.