PAOLA: Another Roadside Rescue

Sadly, this sight is all too common in Southern Italy. A sweet little dog dumped in a lay-by, in the middle of nowhere, left to fend for herself.

Rifugio Fata received a phonecall about this abandoned dog a few days ago. In any rescue case, time is of the essence, but even more so when the dog is left by the roadside and could get hit by a car.

Rifugio Fata's walls are full to bursting at the moment. The team are dealing with a lot of medical emergencies and the location of this dog was over an hour away by car. So Francesca put out an appeal on Facebook to see if somebody in the area would go and pick her up. Unfortunately, nobody came forward.

Remember Irene? ...The superhero volunteer at Rifugio Fata who gave Lady a foster home after she was hit by a car and lost the use of her back legs? Well, Irene and another dog-lover called Anna couldn't stand the thought of this sweet little doggie-in-need spending another night alone, so they donned their 'animal hero' capes and set off to find her!

Knowing that this little girl would more than likely be afraid, Irene and Anna went armed with yummy treats. They found her cowering by the roadside, and they started to make friends with her.

Even though she was very nervous, she quickly realized that these lovely humans were her heroes, and there was nothing to fear. They called her Paola.

As anybody involved in dog rescue will agree, this is the moment we all live for! Seeing the pure joy on a sweet doggie's face when they are airlifted out of misery and given a second chance at life.

        

Mission accomplished! 

Irene has very kindly agreed to give Paola a foster home. She will be microchipped, spayed and vaccinated. 

As you can see, Paola is pretty happy about this new arrangement!

Another abandoned doggie's dream comes true! Congratulations Paola, and thank you Irene and Anna! You are superstars!

LUCKY Update

Whenever we donate to an organization, we want to know our money is going to good use. We want to know that our donation is making a difference...

Remember poor little Lucky who was found living amongst piles of rubbish in February?

He was reported to Francesca and scooped up by the Rifugio Fata team.

Every dog that is brought in to Rufugio Fata is treated with love, hope and respect. An undying spirit of optimism fuels the team's work with even the most serious of cases. When Lucky was brought in, Francesca wrote next to his photo on Facebook: "And you, little Lucky. There's a beautiful swan just waiting to unfold ... Your light shines over your troubled skin... And we are here, ready to see you blossom!"  

In another great turnaround for doggie-kind, I am excited to report that Lucky is now indeed blossoming! His hair is growing back, he is gaining weight and he is discovering his sense of humour!

Like Pupo, Brad, Time and so many others before him, Lucky is enjoying his Rifugio Fata transformation. He is learning to trust humans, and he is learning what it means to be "Lucky in love"!

His nervous disposition is slowly being replaced by an air of confidence and a beautiful smile.

This photo (below) was taken on 12th April. I think you'll agree, this beautiful boy has a LOT to smile about!

Lucky is getting stronger every day, and he owes his second chance at life to Rifugio Fata. 

If you compare the first photo of Lucky's story to the last, you can see the difference our donations - together with Rifugio Fata's love and hard work - are making to these sweet doggies-in-need every day.

Please consider giving a small donation to Rifugio Fata to support their work. They are operating in a part of Italy where the stray dog problem is huge and resources are thin. They are self-funded and rely entirely on donations. 

Donating is quick and easy. You can press the donate button on this page and give with a credit card or paypal, or you can donate directly to Rifugio Fata through their Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Francesca-Scerbo-Rifugio-Fata-la-pagina/223244014434430

Check back in for updates on Lucky's progress, and to read more stories from Rifugio Fata.

Thank you for your support.

A Happy Ending for LADY

Meet Lady.

Like so many of the Rifugio Fata residents, Lady knows what it means to suffer. She was hit by a car on Christmas Day, 2013, and badly injured. She was reported to Rifugio Fata because her owner left her by the roadside, and she could not move. Francesca took Lady in to Rifugio Fata where she was assessed by a vet. Sadly - unlike Buk and Homer - Lady's injuries were so serious that the vet said she would not be able to walk again.

If Rifugio Fata's first mantra is "No Doggie Left Behind", their second mantra is "Never Give Up!" Francesca and her team firmly believe that, wherever possible, every dog at Rifugio Fata should be given the same treatment that a loving owner would give them. That is an impressive level of commitment, especially when you consider the number of dogs they rescue, the seriousness of the health issues they take on, and the limitations of their budget. 

Owing to her lack of mobility, Lady was not able to stay at the shelter. So one of Rifugio Fata's superhero volunteers, Irene, agreed to foster Lady while she received treatment to stabilize her. 

The next, and biggest, challenge was to find somebody to adopt Lady. Finding a home for any dog in Calabria is difficult, and Francesca knew that rehoming a handicapped dog in the South would be virtually impossible. So, she got to work and raised the funds to send Lady to Northern Italy. Once Lady was well enough to be transported, Francesca relocated her to Turin and organized for her to go to a special clinic to receive physical therapy. And it was there that Lady learned how to use her wheels!

Not only that, a local dog-lover heard about Lady's long and difficult journey from the roadside in Calabria to the clinic in Turin and kindly offered to give her a loving home. 

And the rest, as we say, is history...!

Congratulations Lady! What a great turnaround. 

Enjoy your new life, beautiful girl. You deserve it!

HOMER update

Poor Homer was in a lot of pain with his back leg. I just got the update that the vet very kindly agreed to operate on him on a 'deferred payment' basis, to allow Homer to begin his healing. The good news is that Homer's surgery went well, and he is now recovering! But his bill still needs to be paid.

Please help Rifugio Fata pay Homer's bill! Enter the lottery (see below) to win a 'pet pawtrait'!

Pick a number from the list below to help pay Homer's vet bill, and you could win a portrait of your dog!

Win a Pet Pawtrait! And help Homer!

I am excited to announce that the English artist, Sylvia Cleverley, has very kindly offered to donate a doggie portrait in order to help raise funds for Rifugio Fata resident, Homer, who needs surgery for a torn ligament in his back leg. So, Francesca has organized a lottery! The team at Rifugio Fata have been dealing with a lot of expensive medical emergencies at the shelter this past month, and this is a great way to help them out.

Here is Homer, on his way to the vet:

It's easy to enter the lottery. Just choose a number and send 3 Euros! If your number is picked, Sylvia Cleverley will send you a beautiful portrait of your dog, based on a photograph, in ether black and white pencil or multimedia pastel color. Your choice! (Size 30x40cm) The tickets are 3 Euros each and the winning number will be drawn on 25th April, 2014. (Lottery Roma - first number) 

It's a win-win situation! By entering the lottery, you will be helping Homer and supporting our wonderful friends at Rifugio Fata. And if you win, you will receive a beautiful portrait of your beloved four-legged friend! What could be better than that?

This could be your doggie! Samples of Sylvia Cleverley's work:

So, hurry! The numbers are going fast! Send your chosen number (or numbers! Increase the odds!) together with your payment of 3 Euros per number to Rifugio Fata:

-Rifugio Fata PAY PAL rifugiofata@libero.it

-Postepay 4023 6006 1576 8779 intestata ad ARDITO ANTONIO RDTNTN63CO4C352M

-RIFUGIO FATA Banca iban: Ass FATA BNL Lamezia Terme IT03P0100542840000000000271-SWIFT BIC BNL II TRR 

-CONTO CORRENTE POSTALE INTESTATO A

LEGA NAZIONALE DIFESA DEL CANE sez. di LameziaC.C.3256513LOTTERIA

If you have any questions, or want to check on the latest numbers avaiable, contact Sarah D'Elia through Rifugio Fata's Facebook page:

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

LOTTERY FOR HOMER! See below for available numbers (1-90):

1 Piera Gonzales

-2

-3 Valentina Marino

-4 Sarah D'Elia

-5 Dottssa Esposito

-6

-7 Patrizia Severese

-8 Eva Herzog

-9 Sarah D'Elia

-10

-11 Piera Gonzales

-12

-13

-14 Bernhard Pils

-15 Martina Costanzo

-16 Eva Herzog 

-17 Sarah D'Elia

-18

-19

-20 Piera Gonzales

-21 Piera Gonzales

-22

-23 Maria Aster

-24

-25

-26

-27 Patrizia Severese

-28

-29 Raffaele Aiello

-30

-31

-32 scerbo Salvatore

-33

-34 Maria Aster 

-35

-36 Renda Franca

-37

-38 Maria Aster

-39

-40 Sandra Gigliotti

-41 Vescovo Scarlett

-42

-43 Maria Aster

-44

-45

-46 Vescovo Scarlett

-47

-48

-49 Bernhard Pils

-50

-51

-52 Vescovo Scarlett

-53

-54

-55 Maria Aster

-56

-57

-58

-59 Vescovo Scarlett

-60

-61 Maria Aster

-62

-63 Maria Aster

-64 Vescovo Scarlett

-65

-66 Sandra Gigliotti

-67

-68 Maria Aster

-69

-70 Roberto Iannotti

-71

-72 

-73 Maria Aster

-74

-75 Patrizia Severese

-76

-77 Bernhard Pils

-78 francesca 

-79 

-80

-81

-82 Vescovo Scarlett 

-83

-84 Maria Aster

-85

-86 Vescovo Scarlett

-87

-88 Eva Herzog 

-89

-90 Piera Gonzales

BUK Update

One of the things I love about Rifugio Fata is how they get things done!

Remember poor little Buk?

He was found by the roadside last month, hopping along with a serious leg injury. At the time of his rescue, the shelter was full to capacity with more than 160 dogs. But Francesca and her team refused to turn their backs on this little boy. Instead, they launched a campaign and managed to raise the funds for him to be transported to Northern Italy and operated on by a very kind vet who gave her services at a discounted rate. The great news is that the three hour surgery saved Buk's leg, and he is now recovering happily in a foster home, awaiting adoption. 

What an amazing turnaround for an abandoned dog who was otherwise doomed.

Because Buk had lost the use of his front leg, it had been dragging along the ground, causing a painful lesion.

"I'm not quite sure what she's doing with this magic wand, 

but I'm hoping it will make my leg feel better!"

Thank you Rifugio Fata, from the bottom of Buk's little heart!

The team at Rifugio Fata are operating in a part of the world where the stray dog problem is overwhelming, and proactive organizations are few and far between. The team work every day to save as many abandoned dogs as they can and give them a second chance. It is hard to hear about the suffering of animals, but it is always inspiring to hear about people who are out there making a difference. 

Every day, dogs and puppies are brought in to Rifugio Fata or left at their gates, or they receive calls about urgent cases spotted on the streets. Often, like Buk, these new arrivals need expensive medical procedures. The walls of the shelter are bursting, and their food and vet's bills are endless. In order to keep doing what they are doing, they need our help. Please consider giving a donation, however small, to help support this wonderful organization. 

Our contributions and their efforts, together, make stray doggies' dreams come true every single day!

You can donate via this blog by pressing the donate button at the top or bottom of this page, and use paypal or a credit card. Or you can donate directly to Rifugio Fata:

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

Banc iban: Ass FATA BNL Lamezia Terme IT03P0100542840000000000271-
SWIFT BIC BNL II TRR postepay postepay 4023 6006 1576 8779
intestata ad ARDITO ANTONIO RDTNTN63CO4C352M

PAY PAL rifugiofata@libero.it
CONTO CORRENTE POSTALE INTESTATO A
LEGA NAZIONALE DIFESA DEL CANE sez. di Lamezia Terme C.C.3256513

Thank you!

Sweet dreams

"What do you mean it's not a bed? It fits me perfectly and it is full of food... Trust me, this is the best bed EVER!"

"Er... hey... is there room for two in there?"