Well, I have been a busy bee in the background. Some of you will already have seen some of the story through the powers of social media, and things have been changing daily. I’ve been itching to tell you all, but it’s not been the right time until now.
I have been plotting for a while to get Conchita a home. Knowing that there was no way that anyone would adopt her with it being so painfully clear she needs surgery, I hatched a plan:
- Fundraise for the cost of the surgery
- Get her treatment organised
- Put her in foster while she recuperates
- Hammer social media with her picture to find her a home
I put that plan to the president of the shelter and was told that, whilst she agreed that Conchita needed a home, the owner would never agree to her being in foster. Well, she can’t possibly recover from surgery in the kennel, so we were left feeling deflated and wondering what could be done. We have been told a few bad stories about how the rescue was run in the past, and how they have treated rescue dogs are commodities, rather than as animals that need to find a home. As much as the president is new, the stories persist and I was really worried that, if I pushed it, there would be no happy ending.
Still I kept plotting for some way to get this girl out. I knew I needed to find out the extent of the damage to her leg, so last Wednesday, before our trip to the dog park, I sneakily took her to the vet for an X-ray. Poor little lady, her elbow is a complete mess. She is obviously in constant pain and the vet believes that amputation is the only course of action. There is also a rather worrying lump on the bone, so we made another appointment for a biopsy.
We’re not rolling in money, so I put together a GoFundMe campaign, which some of you have seen, with a €1,500 target. I needed to keep it a bit quiet as I didn’t want the shelter to find out we were raising money for a dog we didn’t own, but I also needed to know we had the cost of surgery covered before we tried to find her somewhere to stay. Well, the response to the campaign was just overwhelming, and we very nearly hit our target within the space of a day. I was completely bowled over by the way people responded to her story. Friends, family and complete strangers, all putting their hands in their pockets to help a dog they've never met, and likely never will.
Now, because this was all being done on the sly without the knowledge of the shelter owner, we were a bit concerned about how to ensure nil-by-mouth over a shelter dog for the night before her biopsy. We’ve said all along that we can’t foster or adopt her because of Willow and Shadow (Luna would be over the moon!), but J and I discussed it and agreed that we certainly could have her very short-term, by popping her in our unfurnished spare room which is off our living room, and using a baby gate to keep the others away from her. It’s not an ideal solution, but it would be a huge improvement on a rescue shelter, and would give us the control we need for the biopsy. But, as the shelter wouldn't agree to us fostering, we knew we would have to legally adopt her. But, would they let us? Again, the stories reared their ugly heads, even within minutes of talking to the president, and we were almost sure we would come up against objections. I was already starting to feel aggrieved by it before we asked. Ask we did. The response? The president burst into tears, gave us both a massive hug and, because we were at a PR event in the village at the time, shouted out over the loudhailer, "Conchita is adopted!!"
That brings us to today. Well, who knew it, we now have her home
So, here we are. We are, for now, a four-dog household. Even before bringing her home, I was starting to panic a bit; what if we couldn’t find her a place to go, and we were left having to cope alone? I would be happy to be proven wrong, but I was pretty sure that W&S wouldn't welcome her with open arms. There is no way she can come to Andorra with us at the start of the ski season. But, we were given a few different potential solutions, so I could relax a little bit. Then, I received the most fabulous message from my sister: “Found Earholes a home! Mum wants her! xxx”
My word. Well, you can imagine. The incredible snotmonster hit with full force.
We still have a bit of a journey before this story comes to an end, but her Happy Ever After is almost tangible.
YAY, CONCHITA!!!
Coming out of the kennel for the last time - with a beautiful smile for J
"Hullo, aunty Fi!"
Giving me her best smile
All dressed up and ready to go.
Donde vamos?
Sitting down for a cuddle after a little mooch around her new home.
Cuddling is a very serious business!
Basic lodgings for now (our house was a wreck this time last year, and until yesterday, this room was filled with tools and building materials). For the next few weeks, it will do as a bedroom for the little lady, though, with the first soft bed she's had in years, maybe ever, and non-slip flooring because of her gammy leg
