The Perfect Gift

One of the fabulous volunteers at Rifugio Fata is the very talented Fiorella Vergori. Fiorella has launched a one-of-a-kind accessory line in order to raise funds for the dogs at Rifugio Fata. Combining her artistic talents with her desire to support rescue dogs and the environment, Fiorella uses recycled can tops to create highly original jewelry pieces and accessories.

Her line is called "Linguetta re-created by Fiò."

Each item is handmade to order.

So if you are looking for a unique, environmentally friendly gift that will support a local artist and help the dogs at Rifugio Fata, then look no further! 

Irene Cimino - who also volunteers at Rifugio Fata and regularly appears on this blog as a stray dog superhero - is a talented photographer. Check out these stunning photos Irene took of Fiorella and Francesca (VP of Fata) at the shelter, wearing Fiorella's beautiful accessories. 

Artists, models, doggie superheroes... Is there no end to these ladies' talents?!

Click on Fiorella's facebook page below to see more photos of her fabulous products, and to order the perfect gift!

https://www.facebook.com/Linguetta-re-created-by-Fiò-1604348086461662/?ref=ts&fref=ts

International Rescue Mission

A few weeks ago, Rifugio Fata received a message from a German lady, Franzi, who had found a sweet little dog while she was visiting Lamezia Terme, the city in Calabria where Rifugio Fata is located. She had been feeding him while she was on holiday, and after she returned home to Germany, she found that she couldn't stop thinking about him! Franzi realized that she had fallen in love with the little fellow, and decided that she wanted to adopt him. 

Enter the Rifugio Fata Rescue Team! Franzi liaised with Rifugio Fata friend, Katharina, who helped with translations. Franzi decided to call the little black dog Rondo, and provided a photo of him and a map of the hotel, with a description of the area where he was. 

Rifugio Fata volunteers, Irene and Tina, donned their superhero capes, and set off in search of this little stray who had no idea that his life was about to take a dramatic turn. It took them less than an hour for them to find him. He jumped in the carrier box willingly. Franzi was thrilled.

The next step was to figure out how to transport Rondo to Germany. If you have ever tried to transport a dog, you will know that it is much cheaper and safer for them to make the journey with a passenger, rather than to travel alone. So Franzi made the decision to fly back to Calabria for one night to collect him.

Francesca, Irene and Tina met Franzi at the airport to wave Rondo off to his new life. What a lucky boy.

Rondo went from being dumped and begging for scraps at a hotel in Calabria to living a life of love and happiness in Germany. Congratulations to Rondo and his lovely new mum, Franzi. And a big thank you to Rifugio Fata and Katharina for making this mission possible. Excellent work team!

                       

Work hard...

One of the things that sets Rifugio Fata apart from so many of the poorly run shelters in Italy is their commitment to change. Unlike the municipal pounds who collect government money and, all too often, leave the dogs to perish in their cages, the Rifugio Fata team are constantly striving to raise their own funds and make a difference - for both their four-legged residents and for dogs in their local community.

A big part of their effort is education. The team puts a lot of energy into educating the public about their work at the shelter and about responsible dog ownership. And, even though they have been operating in a very challenging part of the world for over a decade, they continually seek to educate themselves about how they can better serve their furry friends.

As part of the ongoing education program at Rifugio Fata, the team recently invited renowned dog trainer and educator, Fausto Vighi, from Dog Evolution in Northern Italy to visit them at the shelter. He spent the weekend educating the volunteers about rehabilitating traumatized dogs and effective shelter management. 

If you would like to help Rifugio Fata continue their great work for stray dogs in Southern Italy, you can donate to them by clicking on the donate button on this blog, or via PayPal at rifugiofata@libero.it 

Or through Rifugio Fata's facebook page at:

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

Thank you for your support. 

...And play hard!

The team at Rifugio Fata know that any time spent in a shelter - no matter how good the shelter is -  is a poor substitute for family life, so they do their very best, with the resources they have, to make life as enjoyable as possible for their four-legged residents. Unlike so many shelters in Southern Italy, the dogs at Rifugio Fata are given regular access to open areas and lots of human interaction. 

A big part of a happy life for any dog is playtime. As well as working on training and rehabilitation, the dogs at Rifugio Fata are also given time to stretch their legs and let off steam. This summer, Rifugio Fata friend and fundraiser, Katharina Pils-Leimer, donated a paddling pool to help them stave off the summer heat, and give the dogs a playtime treat.

Some of the dogs leapt right in, while others took a little persuading, but everybody agreed that a paddling pool was a fantastic summertime gift! Thank you Katharina!

Rifugio Fata is entirely self-funded, and so financial support is always welcome. And if you can think of a useful or fun gift to send them, to help boost life at the shelter, that is also a lovely way to support these sweet doggies in need.

How do you save a hundred dogs? Fix ONE!

One of the most heartbreaking problems for any dog rescue organization is unwanted puppies. The team at Rifugio Fata struggle every day to keep up with the sheer numbers of dogs and puppies found on the streets and left at their gates. Spay/neuter operations are a hugely important part of their efforts to control local population numbers and prevent future suffering. The team also endeavor to sterilize all dogs entering their facility in order to create a more peaceful, harmonious environment, and to ensure that their residents do not contribute to the problem in the future.

But like everything, it costs! Each operation, with blood tests included, is €120. And they currently have 12 female dogs in need of sterilization. 

This sweet girl was recently found on the streets with her puppies near Rifugio Fata. The shelter is full, so the team have managed to find foster homes for the puppies and they are looking for somebody to adopt their lovely mamma. In the meantime, they know that the next best thing to finding a home for her is to make sure she is fixed so she is not burdened with another litter of puppies on her next cycle. 

Can you help?

Katharina Pils-leimer, one of Rifugio Fata's fundraising angels, has launched a YouCaring campaign to help the team raise money for their sterilization program. Please consider making a donation, however small, towards Rifugio Fata's spay/neuter campaign. You will be helping to prevent the suffering of litters of unwanted puppies in the future, and you will be helping the poor stray mammas who struggle to provide for them on the streets every day. 

Every penny helps! To make a donation, please click on the link below. Thank you for your support.

http://www.youcaring.com/rifugio-fata-lamezia-terme-francesca-scerbo-369670

'Bed and Breakfast' Lottery Event!

This little puppy at Rifugio Fata brings a whole new meaning to the term 'Bed and Breakfast'!

But in order to have this much fun in a food bowl, it needs to be full of food! Rifugio Fata's monthly bills are high. Food is one of their biggest and most important costs. They are entirely self-funded and rely on the support and kindness of people like you to keep their doggy bowls full. 

As well as feeding the residents at the shelter, the team also have to buy food for their dogs who are lucky enough to be living in foster homes. 

Meet Ciro.

Ciro is a lovely little bird who lives with of one of the Rifugio Fata volunteers. Ciro would like to invite you to join a lottery to raise money to buy food for his friends at Rifugio Fata. Ciro does not know the meaning of hunger, and he is determined to make sure that all of his four-legged friends at the shelter feel the same way.

Ciro wants you to know that, this time, there isn't just ONE winning number..but SEVEN! Yes, SEVEN lovely prizes... all checked out by Ciro himself. 

According to Ciro, they all are fabulous!

If Ciro's royal seal of approval isn't enough to convince you, then check out this short video to see inside Rifugio Fata and all the happy faces at feeding time! It is guaranteed to make you smile.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w01JQk90Ej8 

One ticket costs just 5 Euros. Every penny we raise will help to put more food in their bowls... and more wags in their tails! So, please, dig deep into your pockets and help us feed these beautiful dogs, and maybe even win yourself a lovely prize! Ciro will sing from the rooftops!

You can check out the prizes at the following Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1651970241691433/

Once you have chosen a number from the list below, you can send a message with your chosen numbers on Rifugio Fata's Facebook page:

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

And your donation can be sent via the following options:

Rifugio Fata: PAY PAL rifugiofata@libero.it
or:
postepay 4023 6006 1576 8779 in the name of:ARDITO ANTONIO RDTNTN63CO4C352M
and our BANKING DETAILS: 
RIFUGIO FATA: Ass FATA, BNL Lamezia Terme. Italia IBAN:IT03P0100542840000000000271-SWIFT/ BIC: BNL II TRR 

Ciro says THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

Here are the available numbers:

-1 Beatrice Dell'aversano
-2 Paola Badalucco
-3 Giusy Andreaggi
-4 Antonella Scappatura
-5 Stefania ki
-6 Serena Guidetti
-7 Annarita Martilotti
-8 Daria De Salvatore
-9 Serena Guidetti
-10 Stefania ki
-11 Beatrice Dell'aversano
-12 Serena Guidetti
-13 Stefania ki
-14 Paola Badalucco
-15 Daria De Salvatore
-16 Lorenza Cevoli
-17 Giusy Andreaggi
-18
-19
-20 Stefania ki
-21 Beatrice Dell'aversano
-22 Ylenia Perri
-23 Daria De Salvatore
-24
-25 Beatrice Dell'aversano
-26 Sara Mancini
-27 Serena Guidetti
-28 Lorenza Cevoli
-29
-30
-31 Ylenia Perri
-32 Daria De Salvatore
-33 Annarita Martilotti
-34 Lorenza Cevoli
-35
-36
-37 Giusy Andreaggi
-38
-39
-40
-41
-42
-43
-44
-45
-46
-47
-48
-49
-50 Lorenza Cevoli
-51 Sara Mancini
-52
-53
-54
-55
-56
-57
-58
-59
-60
-61
-62
-63 Serena Guidetti
-64
-65 Serena Guidetti
-66
-67 Antonella Scappatura
-68 Serena GuidettI
-69 Giovanni De Sando
-70 Giovanni De Sando
-71 Tania Varriale
-72 Maria Pia Nicoletta
-73 Giovanni De Sando
-74 Giovanni De Sando
-75 Giovanni De Sando
-76 Giovanni De Sando
-77 Giovanni De Sando
-78 Giovanni De Sando
-79 Giovanni De Sando
-80 Giovanni De Sando
-81 Giovanni De Sando
-82 Giovanni De Sando
-83 Giovanni De Sando
-84 Giovanni De Sando
-85 Giovanni De Sando
-86 Giovanni De Sando
-87 Giovanni De Sando
-88 Giovanni De Sando
-89 Giovanni De Sando
-90 Giovanni De Sando