A Happy Rescue Story

I've mentioned before that I volunteer to walk dogs at a local (local to me) rescue.  I love spending time with these dogs and it's so great when we get to see one of them get adopted (it's also a little bittersweet because we get so used to spending time with them and we miss them when they go).  One of the ones that has been there since I started volunteering was adopted over the weekend.  I had no idea that he has never been in a house before. He's spent almost his whole life in a cage.  Hard to imagine that such a happy dog had such a rough start to life.

Brolin (along with another dog that was with us, Zephyr) came into the Floyd Animal Control in Georgia, as a neglect case over 18 months  ago. They were driven in a transport to a rescue western Pa, where that rescuer had them brought to the facility where we board rescue dogs around June of 2013. However, the PA rescue group never made a payment for them at the facility, and so their future looked bleak. Rather than allowed the two dogs to be taken to Baltimore County Animal Control, AAHA (Adopt a Homeless Animal rescue) took them in, and paid to board them, as well as paid all of the costs of Brolin's Lyme disease and heart worm treatment.   Below is a  photo of Brolin  when he was taken into the Floyd Animal Control.

Poor neglected little fella

Zephyr was adopted a couple months ago.  Brolin, who absolutely loves people, loves to cuddle and give kisses, LOVES going for walks and is great on a leash...for some reason we just couldn't find a home for him.  I sent out word to people I know and asked my brother (who works for a vet and knows lots of dog lovers) to do the same. One of his colleagues picked up Brolin the other day and is already in love with him (no surprise there as he's a fantastic dog)!  He's now living large on a 8-acre farm and adjusting to the new experience of being in a house.  No more cage-life for this awesome dog!!

Brolin with his adopters when they picked him up.

I can't wait to go visit this sweet boy at his new HOME!

Rescue Dogs - Sundays in My City

I've posted about my dogs plenty of times.  They're rescue mutts and I couldn't love them more!! They've been with my parents being thoroughly spoiled while I've been getting settled down here.

My buddy had to have a cancerous lump removed from his leg; thus the bandage.

They both had their teeth cleaned and my sweet baby found the patch they shaved on her leg for the IV to be very irritating.  Therefore they both had to wear the cone of shame.

While they've been living it up at my parents' I've been volunteering to walk some rescue dogs. These poor things only get out a few times a week when volunteers go to walk them so they have lots of energy!  Each dog goes 2 miles and I have to take a nice, long nap when I get home :)  Regardless of your feelings on breeds like pit bulls, I think Dante has a special ring of hell for people who abuse animals!

Dancer is a sweet girl who was left with a cleft in her lip from fighting.

Vixin is an absolute sweetheart who had been used as a "bait dog" in a fighting operation. I can only imagine the horrors she's been through. She has scars all over her face but she's very friendly and playful.

 

Zora was rescued from a breeder who was going to put her down because she was the runt of the litter.

I'm a firm believer in rescuing animals as opposed to buying them from breeders or pet stores.  If I had a place with tons of room I'd probably have more dogs...and cats. Please, if you want a pet, rescue!

Linking up with Unknown Mami for the always-interesting SIMC.  Check it out!

Deep Down Dark - A Book Review

I don't often read books on my Kindle unless I'm traveling.  I have lots of old-fashioned paper books waiting to be read.  But, sometimes there's a book I hear about that I want to read and I find it available through my local library as an e-book so I put my name on the waiting list.  When I get the notification, I download it and then put aside whatever else I was reading.

I recently received notification that Deep Down Dark: The Untold Stories of 33 Men Buried in a Chilean Mine, and the Miracle That Set Them Free  by Hector Tobar was available so I downloaded it...and then didn't exactly get around to reading it right away.

[Source]



When I got the 3-days-till-your-loan-expires email from the library I tried to renew it but since there's a waiting list I was not able to do so.  That left me with only one option...to spend 3 days (good thing it was a weekend and brutally cold out) staying inside reading this book!  It's been a long time since I dedicated so much time to reading a book.  I realized how much I miss long stretches of getting lost in a story.

I remember when this tragedy took place and thinking, as the days and weeks passed, that there was no way they were going to rescue these men.  Spoiler Alert: the men are rescued after 69 days trapped miles underground with almost-no food and only marginally-drinkable water.

I found Deep Down Dark to be well-written and I had no trouble reading it for hours on end.  The individual stories of them men were interesting enough and were presented from before the accident to their 69-day ordeal through to their lives after being rescued (not surprisingly, many suffered long-term effects of the trauma they endured). I couldn't help but imagine how I would have dealt with such circumstances and whether or not I would have made it out alive or sane. 

However, what I found most intriguing were the incredible feats of engineering (Engineering...not a miracle) that went into getting the men out of their subterranean tomb.  That and the dedication of the drilling teams that pushed beyond hope and plausibility to reach the open space where the men were clinging to life. Necessity truly is the mother of invention and engineering marvels never-before-seen  took place on the side of that mountain.  As an engineer, it was fascinating to read about that aspect of the rescue operation.

I don't root for tragedy but I do not-so-secretly enjoy it when mother nature reminds us all that there's only so much she's willing to take. When Eyjafjallajökull, the Icelandic volcano that erupted a few years ago, grounded European air traffic, I cheered.  I loved the fact that there wasn't a damn thing humans could do when faced with the power of nature.  They could do nothing but sit and whine about how inconvenient it all was.

Mining is an inherently very unsafe occupation. There's no excuse for mining companies cutting corners to save money and, thereby, making it even more dangerous than it already is.  However, to think that raping and pillaging the Earth (via mining, drilling, fracking, etc.) for minerals and metals and natural resources, regardless of how safely it is done, can go on indefinitely is to invite the wrath of the very being we depend on for life.  We are at the mercy of this planet and just when we think we're in control, we're reminded that we most definitely are not. 

Sadly, had these 33 men not been rescued it wouldn't have had much of an impact on anything beyond the loss their families would have suffered.  Mining practices would not have changed (I'm sure they still haven't).  No lessons would have been learned.  I was honestly somewhat surprised that so much effort and money went into getting these men out.  Of course, most of the cost of the rescue was not borne by the negligent mining company. Do a Google search for "33 dead" and the number of different incidents where just that specific number were involved is eye-opening ("VA Tech shooting", "plane crash on Namibia-Angola border", "were killed by a knife-wielding attacker", "northeast Nigeria bomb attack", "clashes in Yemen"...).  33 men in a mining accident is a pretty small number yet, for some reason, a nation and far beyond rallied to overcome seemingly-insurmountable odds to make sure this "33" was not followed by "dead." 

I'm not sure what the Earth has to do to convince humankind that it needs to show respect to this living, breathing being that, so far, is allowing our species to inhabit it.  At some point I feel like we're going to be tossed off or snuffed out when the Earth decides it has had enough of our disrespectful shenanigans.  And we'll deserve whatever fate we're dealt.

Have you read Deep Down Dark?  DO you think you would have survived? Do you have thoughts about how we go about extracting what we want/think we need from the planet?

Where Have I Been?

Home...mostly. 

This blog started as a way to share my travels with friends and family back home.  It evolved a little when I made a bigger move overseas and grew to incorporate posts about the dogs, exercise, books, food, etc.  That wasn't my original intent but it's what happened.

Last year I didn't really go anywhere.  I had plans but then Tex got sick and shortly thereafter we lost him.  It was a huge emotional blow and I'm still not over it.  On the same day my car engine blew up.  Seriously!  I lived a bad country song for a little while.  In addition to the emotional trauma of it there was also a big hit to my bank account.  So my travel plans were put on hold. 

I wasn't the only one to be hit very hard by Tex's parting.  My other (much older) dog also lost her best friend and she was clearly very depressed. I felt like I had to do something or I was going to lose her, too. So after a month I brought home two foster dogs from the rescue where I volunteer.  They came to the rescue together from the same house and I didn't want to separate them.

Bella (I nicknamed her the Little Monster)- a miniature poodle who was in terrible shape when we got her. After getting her healthy and recovered from her recent abandonment and neglect she was adopted by a wonderful woman and is thriving in her new home.

Jack - a black lab/pit mix who is about the sweetest dog you'll ever meet.

I wish I could say that these dogs were the balm my old dog needed to get over her sadness but they weren't.  However, she does seem less depressed although I doubt she'll ever fully get over the loss of Tex.  She really didn't like Bella (Bella had some aggression issues even though she was a tiny little thing and at her age, Chey is just not as understanding and adaptable as she used to be).  No dog will ever replace Tex but Jack has a great sense of when something is wrong and he checks on her (and me) often (sometimes knocking her over in his haste to see if she is okay).  It's not perfect but it's better than what it was. I no longer worry that Chey is going to commit suicide while I'm at work (I'm not making light of suicide...I cried every morning when I left just because of the look on her face).

Chey and Jack the day he came to live with us. I think this might be the only picture I have where Chey is smiling.

So we've just been here, doing out thing...recovering emotionally and figuring out a new normal. 

However, I do have travel plans for this year!  And I have travels about which I have not yet posted.  So I hope to get back to this blog and tell you about some trips I've taken in the past and what my plans are for this year.  I'm excited!

Do you have travel plans for this year?  What are they?

Can Dogs Learn Italian?

Two years ago on this day I was getting ready to leave for Italy with my Mom and Gran. 

Now I'm preparing to move to Italy with 2 dogs. 

I've done an overseas move with 2 dogs before but this time there's a new dog and the old dog is...well, much older.  Not to mention the new dog has a blocky head which some people think makes him look like a pit bull.  It shouldn't come as any surprise that that makes getting him on a plane a potential nightmare...even to go as cargo...your luggage must be kept safe from such a dangerous monster (or, as my tiny 82-year old Gran says, a big love bug).  So throw in an anxiety attack and probable nervous breakdown with the rest of the usual stress over a big move.  I would never leave a dog behind so I will find a way. It's a good thing I have done the whole flying dogs overseas thing before because I already know how far in advance you need to start getting everything in order (in case you're wondering, it takes approximately 2 weeks longer than you have :p) and although I don't have my departure date yet I've already started with all their paperwork.  Because dogs can't fly if the ground temperature is below 45F I am shooting for an earlier departure date than I would like because I don't want to take my chances with mother nature.  So I'll have less time to get everything ready.

These past almost-3 years have been the closest (distance) to my family I've ever lived since I stopped living with them.  That has been great. I've never been able to go there and back in a day and it's awesome to be able to see them so often.

The work I've done and the people I've me through Adopt a Homeless Animal Rescue has been amazing.  They are such wonderful people and I love every one of those dogs.  You can read all about my rescue work here.



At an adoption event -Showing people how wonderfully easy-going this dog is.

I will miss all of that. The rest of this location, however, has been less than happy. The cost of living here is ridiculous and the work hasn't been my favorite. 

Aside from the distance from family I love living overseas.  I won't say I was born into the wrong family because those are definitely my people but I really feel like I should have been born Dutch.  That (the Netherlands) is the place (again, aside from the town where I grew up) that truly fits me...even if all the people are WAY taller. I have no doubt that I will love living in Italy and am super excited to explore more of Europe with those wonderful cheap air fares!  I'm hoping family and friends will visit me just like they did during my last stint overseas. 

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go sit in a corner and rock like Rain Man for a while.

Have you done an overseas move? Have you flown dogs overseas?  Do you have any advice for me?

Clean Clothes

Two summers ago I spent two weeks of vacation doing laundry. And I loved it. This was one of the hardest and best vacations I've ever had. I liked it so much I went back last summer and did it for 3 weeks. I've found it difficult to explain to people why spending 8 hours a day doing laundry was so incredible.

Ever since I found out I was moving to Italy I knew I wanted to go to Greece and volunteer with the asylum seekers arriving on boats.  But life happens and it took me a long time to do it. 

The first time I went was right after almost 600 people died when the boat they were on sank in the Mediterranean. No country provided aid to the distressed vessel and no attempt was made to salvage their bodies. Since Greece has made it a crime for civil organizations to provide aid in Greek waters, there are no longer any civil aid groups operating to assist the migrants who require assistance prior to reaching land. And at the same time, rescue crews from 5 countries were searching for the wealthy tourists who died in the submarine in the Atlantic ocean. 

The currently raging fires in Southern California reminded me that anyone, at any time, might need to flee their home. There are over a hundred thousand people under mandatory evacuation orders. Those are now internally displaced persons (and there are 63.3 million IDPs worldwide). That's not just a term reserved for war-torn countries or areas experiencing famine. Climate change is causing more and more people to flee.

If you haven't had to leave your home due to a hurricane or tornado or fire or war or domestic violence and if you don't know anyone who has had to leave or who has lost their home, chances are you will. If you can't even contemplate making the decision to get on a clearly unsafe overcrowded boat with your infant and without a life vest in hopes of reaching Greece or Italy or if you haven't walked hundreds or thousands of miles to reach a border because the dangers you are facing are less than what you are leaving, you are among the very fortunate. Let's remember, first and foremost these are human beings.

There are many horrors facing people who end up in asylum seeker camps. And that's after the horrors they faced en route. I specifically went to Lesvos island in Greece. You might remember (although probably not because the news probably barely covered it) that the camp there burned in 2020. A new camp was built that, while better, is still not somewhere you want to be. One of the many things it lacks is a way for residents to do their laundry.  

Most of us probably think of laundry as a chore that needs to be done, not as a luxury. How many of the evacuated Southern Californians left with only the clothes they were wearing and now don't have a way to wash them? Remember the scenes from the Superdome in New Orleans when it was filled with Katrina evacuees? They all needed to do laundry. I'm sure you've had a flight delayed or canceled and didn't have a change or clothes, right? Now imagine having no facilities whatsoever to do any laundry.

Clean clothes are not just a matter of appearance.  Keeping clothing and bedding clean helps reduce the spread infections like scabies which can rapidly spread in camps. Also, basic hygiene is essential to maintaining human dignity and mental health which are already hugely at risk in these populations. 

There are many NGOs (non-governmental organizations) operating on Lesvos. Most provide either some sort of medical care or legal aid to asylum seekers. I am not a medical professional or a lawyer. Also, almost all of the NGOs that provide services to the asylum seeker communities require a minimum commitment of 4 weeks from volunteers. But I found one that allowed volunteers to come for 2 weeks which is what I could do. However, due to Greek rules and the amount of paperwork required, if you were only going for 2 weeks you could not enter the camp. 

This NGO provides laundry services to the camp residents. The laundry stations was located outside the camp which is why it was possible to volunteer without entering the camp. Some volunteers (who were there for at least 4 weeks and could access the camp) would pick up laundry in the mornings while also returning laundry that was done the previous afternoon. Then in the afternoon they would return laundry done in the morning and pick up more laundry. We would do between 90 and 100 bags of laundry per day. Fridays were for unaccompanied minors (whose laundry might only consist of a few things making the loads very small) and medical laundry (scabies cases, incontinence bedding...) and for doing a complete clean of the laundry station.

It was hard work. Laundry is heavy. It's hot on Lesvos in the summer. Even hotter with 14 washing machines running on hot and 15 dryers (3 of which run on a gas flame) going constantly. 

And then there are little heart breaking reminders of the actual humans who you are helping. A newborn cap. A teeny tiny lone. A stuffed toy. The heavy, rough, wool UNHCR blankets.

I was so exhausted at the end of the day that all I could do was make it back to my little AirBnB and collapse. Granted, it did have this view

and the lady downstairs would sometimes have either left me food by the door or knock on the door with homemade goodies

The 2nd year wasn't quite as hard because the Greek government had moved a lot of people to other camps so there wasn't as much laundry to do each day. 

We were free on weekends so I got to explore the island but I think this post is long enough and I'll save that for another time. Will I go again this summer? If they will have me! 

When you hear stories about asylum seekers or migrants or refugees please take a minute to stop and remember that these are people and there is every chance you could be one of those people one day. 

NOTES: I used the term "asylum seeker" instead of "refugee" because the term "refugee" has different a legal meaning depending and a colloquial meaning.

According to the UNHCR, a refugee is someone who has been given legal protection based on a refugee status determination. Prior to that determination, they are an asylum seeker. 

However, many use the term "refugee" to describe anyone forced to flee their own country and seek safety in another country.

Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) have been forced to flee their homes but have not crossed an international border.

Word of the Day: TORSCHLUSSPANIK

TORSCHLUSSPANIK (German) - The feeling that time is passing and the chance to do things is slipping away. Literally 'gate-closing panic'. 

I've known this feeling a number of times but didn't know that there was a word for it. I should have known.  The Germans have a word for everything.


Living abroad but knowing it's for a limited time invokes this feeling a lot.  I've written before about finding a balance between normal, daily life and the desire to see and do as much as possible while I'm here. As I approach the end of my 2nd year (of a 3-year assignment) I start to panic! There are still SO many places I want to go and things I want to do.


My first year here was rough and I didn't do as much travel as I would have but the time with the dogs is irreplaceable.  The second year...


I took three trips to the US for training classes.  I got to see my family, visit my sister, see some friends I haven't seen for 5 and 10 years, visit my favorite rescue...


I went to Athens

I met up with Mom and Gran in Lisbon

I stopped in Seville for a few days and fell in love with the city!

I took a last-minute whirlwind trip to London to see Hamilton (I'm going to see it again in 2 weeks but that trip has been planned since the spring). It was the first time I've visited London when it didn't pour rain :D  And no one stole my wallet and passport so it still isn't my favorite place but I might consider releasing my great dislike of the city.

Yes, it's as good as you've heard it is!!!

I went to nearby Lake Garda...it's hard to believe it took so long to visit something so close

I finally made it to Dubrovnik and Montenegro

Montenegro (Spanish for Black Mountains)...interesting because Montenegro does not border Spain and was never under Spanish occupation or rule...is stunningly beautiful!

My brother and his friend just visited and we went to several places in the south of Italy

First we climbed Vesuvius (there in the background) and then checked out the ruins of Herculaneum.

I realize that sounds like a lot of travel but with so many options so close by it doesn't' feel like much. I am fully aware of how elite/entitled/spoiled that sounds.


I just signed a two-year extension so now I have three years remaining.  But the list of places I want to go is looooooong!  So I'm sure I won't be able to shake the feeling of TORSCHLUSSPANIK.


How about you? Do you suffer from torschlusspanik?

So. Much. Cuteness!!

There's a PUPPY at the rescue where I volunteer (I've been walking dogs on Sundays for almost a year now. I've said it before and I'll say it until I die...If you want a dog PLEASE adopt!!). 

I'm seriously on cuteness overload right now!!!  I give you Blake.

How can you not love this?!?

Fighting sleep

Asleep on my lap

You're welcome :D

There's sure to be more cuteness and other fun things to see at Unknown Mami's link-up Sundays In My City.  Check it out.