Chip In

The Chipin widget has gone wrong twice this week. One was no longer registering and the new one is only half visible. It works the same and mom is working on a solution. Chip in is driving her mad they also changed the language to Portuguese. As though things aren't difficult enough all ready. They are still moping around depressed, worried and broke. No news on potential house buyers and the time bomb is ticking. 

A Dog That We Can't Help

We are still in the same situation. The pain of losing everything is terrible but made worse when you here Dad's story about a dog in the Teresopolis shelter.  Had it been two years or maybe one year ago they would have helped. Dad did not take a picture, but Mom says next time she goes there she will take a video on her cell phone for you to see. We were all very upset by Dad's story. We just wish Mom and Dad could go on helping the more difficult cases like they used to do. Well here is Dad's story. Whilst doing more volunteer work there on Saturday he decided to walk and play with one very sad dog. This dog is a distemper survivor and has neurological damage. Physically he is fine. He spends his day going around and around in his cage as though he were chasing his tail. He is not chasing his tail though. Jessie did this after her brain lesion but eventually got better. When Dad went into his cage to feed him he played with him and curiously the dog stopped, played and wagged his tail. Whilst he was distracted he stopped rotating. The vet thinks that there is probably no cure. Dad decided to put him on a lead and walk him to see what happened. He walked perfectly in a straight line with Dad. Maybe we are all stupidly optimistic but had this been a while back they would have taken the dog to a neurologist and tried some extensive therapy. If he played and walked long enough they thought that perhaps he may get better. His name is 'Rodador' which means something that spins. This is so sad.

Weekend

Dad back in Teresopolis and mom here with us. It's raining outside. Everybody waiting for the sky to cave in here. Nothing else to think or do anymore. There is a storm coming!

Second Little Pup caught and safe now

Actually yesterday morning. Sorry Mom has been too busy to post.

The Removal Men found two more puppies!

Dad has had a very difficult weekend, He Dr Bruno and Anderson worked really hard all weekend. Estimacao is closing down one of the flood victim warehouses to put all the remaining animals together in just one warehouse. These two warehouses are approximatelt 6 or 7 miles apart. It was a lot of hard work for the three of them and dad is not so young anymore. They had to dismantle all the cages load them on to pickups and transport cages and dogs to the remaining warehouse. They were the only three volunteers left to do this. Bebete the director is still working hard and the little kid called  'Savio' who has been there since the flood. He has hardly missed a day. Late on Sunday as they were working they noticed a two small puppies coming out from the dense bush behind the warehouse. They were able to catch one of them a female, but the young male got away. Here is Anderson with the little female. 

The three guys then crawled through dense bamboo and foilage looking for the little male. They found the puppies nest, but could not find the male.  Food was left for the male and he is within hearing distance of his sister, so he will hear her barking and maybe he will come out of the bush to get the food. If, he does then he will be caught and put with his sister until homes can be found for them. So, one or maybe two more for adoption. The puppy is a real cutie so she has very good chances of finding a furever home.



Here in our house we are hoping poor Guga get's better. He is taking anti biotics and Prostem Plus again. He will have his second Ultra sound on Tuesday or Wednesday, which his Auntie Chandra paid for him. He is a lucky boy to have her.

Mean while the old fellow is comfy and warm awaiting his surgery and ultra sound. He probably won't have to have his belly shaved again because the fur has not grown back after the last one.  Mom is still desperately seeking a solution after a depressing weekend with no firm offers on the house and a freezer that hasn't sold. So, the problem's continue until our miracle occurs! Today the bank will be calling again to find out if we have a buyer. Sadly not yet. Keep praying folks! The crisis is upon us and time is short. We are running all sorts of campaigns but still not getting anywhere. 





Moms desperate

mom is desperate she says she has to save us 

Live a Life That Matters

Ready or not, someday it will all come to an end.
There will be no more sunrises,
no minutes,
hours or days.
All the things you collected,
whether treasured or forgotten,
will pass to someone else.
Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance.

It will not matter what you owned,
or what you were owed.

Your grudges,
resentments,
frustrations,
and jealousies
will finally disappear.
So, too, your hopes,
ambitions,
plans,
and to-do lists will expire.

The wins and losses that once seemed so important
will fade away.
It won't matter where you came from,
or on what side of the tracks you lived, at the end.
It won't matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant.

Even your gender and skin colour will be irrelevant.

So what will matter?
How will the value of your days be measured?

What will matter is not what you bought,
but what you built;
not what you got,
but what you gave.

What will matter is not your success,
but your significance.

What will matter is not what you learned,
but what you taught.

What will matter...
is every act of integrity,
compassion,
courage
or sacrifice..
..that enriched,
empowered
or encouraged, others to emulate your example.

What will matter is not your competence,
but your character.

What will matter is not how many people you knew,
but how many will feel a lasting loss when you're gone.

What will matter is not your memories,
but the memories that live in those who loved you.

What will matter is how long you will be remembered,
by whom
and for what.

Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident.

It's not a matter of circumstance,
but of choice.

Choose to live a life that matters.

I did not write this myself I wish I had! I don't know who wrote it but somebody sent it to me on face book and i thought how beautiful and profound the sentiment is

Bank

Well the worst occured yesterday. Mom did not want to think about it but the bank want $6000 in the next six days before another loan payment is due. This all but confirms the fact that we are finished here. It is just too much to find and only six days. mom is sat quietly with her head in her hands and dad is dishing up our food. Dogs in Brazil well who knows what will become of us

Situation Financially for a stay of execution or resolution

Okay! mom told me today that a few people want to know our financial situation as it is now. I am so glad us dogs don't depend on money. Well here it is they have a loan on the house for $57,000.00 or £34.000.00 this loan they have paid for over a year at a rate of $1,170.00 or £700.00 per month. They still owe the same amount because the interest rates here are rising and very high normally.

Now for a stay of execution they need to pay off their credit card debt. They owe $4700.00 or £2800.00 the debt never diminishes because they are paying interest only and are more than three months behind right now.

Bank overdraft is around $7,300.00 or £4,400 if these two debts were eliminated then we would not need as much as we do right now to constantly pay the bill and it would give us breathing space to sell the house

In conclusion to pay credit cards off and pay off overdraft we need $12,000.00 or £7000.00

This would leave us with just the loan on the house to pay. We know it is almost impossible to raise this kind of money. We paid for dog food, medication, vet bills, and the loan with our credit cards. We live simply in a small house and drive a ten year old car. This is the depressing situation that has built up since January. If we could somehow get a stay of execution it would buy us time to sell our house .

Of course if we could eliminate the bank loan on the house then our cost of living would be cut in half. We intend to sell our property even if the loan was paid off because we need to move nearer to a big city where there would be business opportunities. We would buy a smaller house and start a business too. We have all the equipment for a restaurant including an English baked potatoe oven, crepe machine etc etc.

The end is nigh

Well as one of the last comments said there is no joy in life. The bank are now phoning us and have just told us the worst. All our possessions are at risk too due to the credit card debt. mom feels like lying down and dying she can't take any more. The people supposed to be coming back for a second look well mom hasn't heard yet from them. It looks like the end is looming near and certainly no miracles in sight. Mom is really upset and to top it all Guga is bleeding from his penis again and it's all too much. Life sucks for humans who depend on money. They don't even have money to eat with next week and they have cut everything back to a minimum. They are hardly eating and we are hoping mom's not gonna have a heart attack if they are left homeless with all of us. It's unthinkable to most normal people to be homeless but with 17 dogs its a suicidal thought. We are very worried what will happen to us. Mom is numb with fear. Nobody has laughed or relaxed here for months and months mom became obseessed with saving us and cannot accept failure even though it's not her fault. Why doesn't someone buy our house quickly we don't care if we only get tiny kennels we want to be with our humans who saved us.
Please God don't let this happen to Mom and Dad and us 

An Embarrassing Emergency Ouch

A Painful and embarrassing problem for this little fellow.

This poor dog was brought to the |Tersopolis shelter during the removal process. Thankfully our friend Dr Bruno was helping with the removal so a cure was found. The dog came in with a lady who had travelled considerable distance she was poor and has 15 street dogs. She found this poor guy on Sunday dumped near to her home. He was shaking with pain because his penis would not retract into his foreskin. Dr Bruno knew what to do. This is caused by him being amorous with a female who is not quite ready. He risks necrosis if he isn't cured quickly as the blood flow to the organ has been compromised. I showed the picture to Guga and his eyes started to water! The poor old lady who was helping him is another unseen hero working with the many street dogs who are ignored by most. Dr Bruno stopped everything and treated him without any equipment available. As everything had already been moved to the other warehouse 10 kilometers away.

He used ice cold water to shrink the blood vessels

It was a freezing cold day in Teresopolis and for the dog this must have been a shocking cure.

Well after some time all was resolved and the little fellow was left to warm up a bit.

He finally stopped shaking and the lady was able to take him home. Then Dad. Dr Bruno and Anderson continued with the removal process setting up the warehouse to take in the rest of the dogs.

They dismounted cages and rebuilt them again all day for two days. it was a lot of work and it has not finished yet.

This dog lives in the pharmacy and has a bunk bed. all the pharmacy equipment was moved as well as this beauty.

The other warehouse has a closed in yard where they can get some sun!

This dog is very aggressive and will be very difficult to resolve.

As Dennis, the disaster volunteer, said during the filming of  'Abrigo' when you look into the eyes of a dog during a disaster you see God!
Poor Danilo who was adopted yesterday was returned during the day. He is back to waiting because the family did not like him. What they really mean is they did not have the patience to let him settle in.

People adopt them and expect them to behave like perfect pets but after all they have been through they need love, time and patience. People just don't understand dogs. Danilo to all of us volunteers is such a loving boy. Wish we could take him. He will make an excellent companion one day if someone gives him the chance. 



I forgot to tell you I am mellowing out with age and have decided to share



If you didn't see the photo you wouldn't beleive it! I am trying too be a better dog to help Mom and Dad so I am pretending to be an Angel! Pebbles can't believe it either she got so share my sofa!

Gustavo Lucky to be Alive!

We all remember Gustavo so well from the shelter Teresopolis. He was rescued six months ago from the disaster and is still awaiting a home. Gustavo doesn't like strangers and bites them if he can. He did have a fairly good excuse because he was very stressed and has spent six months in a small cage waiting for his luck to change. Once Gustavo gets to know and trust he is an adorable little fellow. He has a colorful history and has escaped death twice this year alone. He was rescued from the floods that was good luck for him. Then he was singled out as aggressive by the Chillean Vets who volunteered during the disaster for euthanasia. Lucky for him the Brazilian director of the shelter returned and put a stop to this. She explained that the sheleter was to save dogs not to kill dogs and Gustavo survived again. He was already on the table 5 minutes more and no more Gustavo. The next antic of his was escaping from the shelter, but he got caught not far off. Then for his grand finale he bit Dr Bruno who luckily has a heart of gold and forgave him. They are now friends too. Gustavo just needs time and patience. He was supposed to go to a sanctuary in Sao Paulo, but for some reason this has fallen through. So poor little Gustavo still sits waiting. Mom and Dad love him and would keep him but they no longer can offer a stable future to any dog even the 17 in their home. Here is Gustavo with Dad.

Here he is playing

There are still many flood victims waiting three more got adopted yesterday. They have all been living in small cages within a warehouse for six months.

This one is called  Danilo and he found himself adopted by the family of this boy. Looks like he got lucky yesterday. All weekend Dad has been helping them to close down one warehouse and put all the remaining dogs in the last open warehouse. This will then close when all the dogs have been found suitable homes. They will not kill any. The more difficult ones will go to the directors home where kennels will be built for them.

This is Marron, which means brown. I guess when you have to name 1200 dogs because thats what they started with you lose your imagination when choosing names. There are less than 100 left and the numbers are reducing little by little daily. He is a very calm sweet dog too. Thank God he has found a home too.

This is Cabecao meaning big head in Portuguese he had a bad case of maggots in his neck when rescued and is very pleased to have found a home after a long six months in conditions like these. Mom Dad and the others humans did their best, but we dogs need to play outside, see the sun, and to receive love from humans thats what we like.  Anderson the Guy in the photo has been helping nearly every weekend since the disaster occurred too. Another forgotten hero. He will be part of our non profit too if Mom and Dad ever get there.

 Some have spent six months crammed into small cages no wonder they get stressed. Thank God this will soon be ending. I guess the world thought it was over a long time ago. Dad drove the dogs to their new waiting room. he and the others moved around fifty dogs ten kilometres to the other warehouse.

A few of them are going to an adoption fair on Sunday in Rio. So we wish them luck. One day this disaster will end for us with reference to financial damage and for the homeless humans and the poor animals. It takes a longtime to get over a major disaster mentally and materially. A long journey ahead. We just hope we make this journey all together. The film will come out in October showing everything we went through and dad and Nicki are both in it. Mom and Dad are going to Rio with all their animal friends to vote for it. Let's hope it wins the Rio film festival. Warning it's a real tear jerker. Mom can't watch the trailer without crying it brings it all back to her. She and her friends cry when they start to talk about it. We will never forget it.  

No News

The people who were supposed to look at our house yesterday never turned up. We have some more apparently coming to view the property mid week. So the panic is still going and taking its toll on all of us. Next weekend we are helping our friends in Tersopolis close down one of the warehouses because they no longer need the two. The number of dogs has reduced further after several more adoption events. Face book is getting easier for Mom now she is getting the hang of it. We just need to get more people to go there and cross post. Still have not given up will fight on to the end wherever that may be!