LOTTERY FOR HOMER Update

Congratulations Andrea S. who won a Pet Pawtrait of her cat, generously donated by English artist Sylvia Cleverley in the lottery to pay for Homer's surgery.

The great news is that all of the numbers were bought by kind supporters and Homer's vet bill has now been paid. Even better news is that Homer has recovered well after the surgery on his back leg, and he says an enormous GRAZIE to everybody who participated.

Congratulations TEDDY!

Meet Teddy. He is a beacon of hope for all rescue dogs, and his story is a reminder for us all to never give up on our dreams!

Teddy has been living at Rifugio Fata for SEVEN YEARS. He was abandoned by his owners when he was six years old. After seven years at the shelter, at the grand old age of thirteen, his hopes of finding a forever home were seriously dwindling.

And then along came a lovely Italian lady who saw another dog, Toffee, on the Rifugio Fata facebook page, and she contacted Francesca to ask if she could make a donation towards Toffee's medical bills. In their communication, the lady revealed that she had a West Highland Terrier. "Oh, we have one of those!" Francesca said. "His name is Teddy." 

When the lady heard about Teddy, and how long he had been looking for a home, she immediately offered to adopt him. As you can imagine, when Teddy heard the news, he was over the moon!

"Hey Teddy! A lovely lady heard about you."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. She said she wants to take you home with her."

"What? Are you serious? Little old me?"

"Yes, Teddy. You've been adopted!"

"OMG. That is AWESOME!"

"It's time to say goodbye to your friends, Teddy."

"Well... Ok guys. I guess I'm finally outta here. I'll miss you, friends. Take care of yourselves and promise me one thing... Never, and I mean NEVER, give up on your dreams, ok?

And with that, Teddy scampered off to his new life.

The lovely lady gave him a bath...

And a summer cut...

And introduced Teddy to his new friend.

"West Highland Terriers are the best, don't you think...?"  "Totally!"

Congratulations Teddy! 

Enjoy your new life and your soft bed, little one. You deserve it!

Bake Sale!

Community outreach is a huge part of Rifugio Fata's mission. Francesca and Rossana and their team know that they can only rescue so many dogs, and that, ultimately, change has to come from a fundamental shift in local (and global) attitudes towards dogs and dog ownership. So, when they are not tending to their 160 plus rescue dogs at the shelter and working on their adoption programs and social media outlets, the Rifugio Fata team are out in their local community - raising awareness and raising money. And what better way to do that than a bake sale!

Last month, a group of volunteers rolled up their sleeves and got their bake on. They produced trays and trays of beautiful homemade Calabrese pastries. Then they hit the streets in order to raise some much-needed funds and talk to the local people about their work at the shelter. 

And, of course, they brought along a couple of Rifugio Fata residents with them to boost PR, making their stall the sweetest stall around!

A Dog is for Life

Words of wisdom from Rifugio Fata's facebook page:

"If you want this... But you don't want to take care of this... And you could end up doing this... Then the dog for you is this!"

Hear, hear!

Check out Rifugio Fata on facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Francesca-Scerbo-Rifugio-Fata-la-pagina/223244014434430

Teach the Children Well

...As Whitney put it, "And let them lead the way."

This photo was taken on the day Francesca introduced her daughter, Martina, to the Rifugio Fata community. This beautiful little girl is going to grow up to be a wonderful advocate for our four-legged friends.

The cartoon below, was posted on the Rifugio Fata facebook page. It says it all... 

"Teach your children to love animals... They will be better adults."