Freddy now named Lupe
Freddie was rescued having been found all alone in a field in a really bad state. He received loads of love and good care in his foster home and his condition improved quickly and he started to enjoy life. It didn't take very long to find his golden basket and he has become something of a celebrity locally and everywhere he goes having recently won the hearts of everyone on his trip back to England for his holiday. The photos show lupe on the left when he was first found and on the right recently enjoying a run.
Shoarma
"When I was on the verge of exchanging my dorm room for a house, a friend asked me if I would adopt a dog now that I would finally have a garden. Since I am an absolute dog person, I felt stupid that I had not come up with the idea myself. My sister had just spent her summer in Granada, helping the good people of ASAP, so I directly called upon her knowledge. She was not exactly thrilled with this idea, knowing I have quite an irregular way of living, a lot of people running in and out of my home and a history of irresponsible behaviour. She wanted to be sure I could care for a dog. However, when I expressed my desire to own a dog nobody would want, for example one with three legs or some other disability, she remembered a certain member of the ASAP pack that matched this description. A pup formerly known as Candela, one of the favourites of pack leader Els, was struggling to find a home because of some motor and neurological limitations she suffered from birth. Still very doubtful, she called Els. My sister’s initial reluctance vanished completely when she heard Els’ enthusiastic reaction: however dogs generally require the structure and regularity my impulsive lifestyle could not offer, Els thought this particular dog with Special Needs might just be the exception. And it was. Currently named Shoarma, she has not only become my loyal companion in all of my adventures, she also has taught me the sense of responsibility that I was lacking before." - Benoit Vermaele
Obi
“I’m the biggest dog lover ever. After losing my dog last year, I was left with a void I couldn’t describe. Once you’ve owned a dog you can’t live without, or maybe that’s just me. I wanted to get a dog from the pound or something like that, since I find animals like them offer more gratefulness and affection than a dog born in a safe nest without ever having to have gotten out of his/her comfort zone. They look at you as their savior, trust you through thick and thin and are tremendously faithful. When I came in touch with ASAP it seemed like a perfect match to find the dog I was looking for. I’m the kind of person that is always up for a challenge and I was looking for a special someone that needed some extra attention, motivation and especially love. When I came across the photos of “The Coyotes”, I was immediately sold. A nest of small, frightened dogs had just arrived at Els’ place and I picked Obi. When he arrived at his new home, he was anxious and every attempt to pamper him made him uncomfortable. At that moment, I knew it wouldn’t be easy. Step by step I let him come to me and gradually he opened up to me, turning into “my Obi”. It hasn’t always been simple dealing with a coward dog, but patience is the answer! Little by little, Obi got attached to me and came loose, playing with me. I don’t regret my decision for a bit. Obi trusts me, sees me as his protector and I am convinced he would protect me if it were necessary. He got from an extremely frightened dog to a fearful dog, this in six months’ time. Every week I notice him feeling better and getting more comfortable so I can’t wait until he can be his full self without his fears. Our path hasn’t been without obstacles but my Obi’s loyalty and affection is enough to compensate. ASAPs people have taken great care of him and took him under their wings until he found his forever home with me. Now, he is always with me which makes helped habituate him. I sometimes see some things are still a bit scary for him but I can put his mind at ease. I would do it over again in a heartbeat. Obi is a magnificent friend and I see him open up every week again.” - Celine Dhont
Henry
ASAP has a double mission: rescue adoptable dogs with the goal to get them into a forever home and spay dogs that are hard to get adopted, after which they are taken care of. Henry is a success story of the second mission.
He is a strong stray dog, roaming the streets of Fornes. He is still happy with his street life, even after we got him spayed. He is fed regularly by an English couple, Ken and Rosemary, at their front door. He is friendly and gentle. The couple who care for him are very fond of him and would love to take him in but they already have two dogs and no garden. Make Henry’s day, give him a place to stay and get him one step closer to his forever home. Ken and Rosemary say the following about Henry: “Henry is a lovely, loving dog who reminds us of a sheepdog by his black and white shaggy coat. We think he may be between 1 – 2 years old – still very playful, but gaining a new noble status in his character. He is clever and knows his timings for food etc. He gets on well with anyone at all, but of course he is a big dog and is likely to ‘jump up’. He will not normally chase after cats and as we have two ourselves he knows the difference between cats that belong to ‘his’ people. Our cats treat him with the disdain that they deliver to all dogs. He really is a delight and we would love to see him get a forever home."
Bruce
Bruce was homed with Sue Murrow, one of the ASAP team. He is very happy with his new sister, Meg in the beautiful Spanish countryside. Many thanks to Sue and Jan for making Bruce’s life complete.
This is Bruce’s story in Sue’s words:
"Bruce’s mum lives in a small hamlet. I think she has no proper owner, but is fed and has somewhere dry and safe to sleep. However, she has not been spayed and has had several litters which disappear.Someone had wanted a male puppy from her last litter, but when he was weaned, they changed their minds, so that would have been another unwanted puppy on the streets. He was a very frightened little pup, who would rather run behind a straw bale than say hello. We took him home when he was a few months old, at the same time as Meg, who was quite a brave little dog for her small size and only a week older than him. She was one of Pipkin’s 8 puppies and think she adopted the role of second mum! She and Bruce are great buddies – most of the time – and have shared the delights and traumas of swimming in Bermajales and wearing lampshades after being sterilised on the same day. They bring us so much joy and am looking forward to sharing so much more with them.
Betty
Betty was reported by a lady in Arenas del Rey because she was wounded and had been walking around the village for about a week getting progressively worse. ASAP took her in as an emergency and she was sterilised, chipped vaccinated etc.
She was fostered by two ASAP members and then adopted. She now lives happily with Sharon and Derek Gargan and their other dog Alfie. ASAP would like to thank Sharon and Derek for giving Betty (now Elsie) the life she deserves.
Tigre
Tigre was found at the agricultural fayre in Alhama de Granada and we thought we’d have to have him put to sleep as he was in such bad shape. However we looked after him for a few days and he recuperated incredibly quickly transforming from nearly dead to a bouncing machine. A few more days of nurturing, bathing and training and he became better behaved, sitting quietly and listening for instructions. Then one of the ASAP team agreed to take him as a temporary foster.
When Tigre was taken to the vet to be chipped, vaccinated etc, the vet checked him one more time for a chip (he’d already been checked twice) and found a chip underneath his neck! The owner was phoned and it turns out that Tigre has been missing for 3 years. They registered him as lost and believed that he’d been stolen for breeding. We suppose he was turfed out when they no longer needed him. So, on 8th July 2014, one lost pup was finally reunited with his very joyful owners.
Johny
ASAP was called to check on a dog roaming the streets of Alhama that was "not looking well" on the 8th of November 2017. When some of the ASAP team arrived, they could not believe their eyes.
This poor dog looked as though he had had a collar on for some time and had grown too big for it. It was clearly digging into the flesh on his neck and they couldn't imagine the state of his skin underneath. He must have been in awful pain. Several people had already tried to catch him, but he was scared and always ran away. Calixto, our Alhama based vet, was aware of the situation and had promised ASAP he would remove the collar and treat him if he was brought there.
A week and some unsuccessful attempts later, the ASAP team finally captured him. Their success was based on cat food, 6 tablets of calmavet, blankets, leads and decent walking shoes. It took them two hours of chasing him until they could corner and catch him. He was brought to Calixto immediately and his wound was cleaned up. It would take some time, but it was hoped that it would heal well. Els took him into her pack where he’ll have some time to rest and process what had happened to him.
He stayed with Els for over a year, after which he came in the foster care of KWSPL with Margaux. After only three months there, he found his perfect forever home in Belgium.
Prada & Nike: a love story
These lovely dogs used to live together on the street with their pups. Some lovely spanish people who lived nearby gave them a shelter and food. Their five pups are now adopted and one is still in foster.
Mom and dad are now reunited at Elses place. They stick together, wherever you see one, the other one is never far away.
Prada (mom, right) is really soft and gentle. She was got off the streets with a wound on her front leg which was presumably caused by a car accident. Fortunately, her wound has healed nicely.
They have both found a perfect home now, Prada in the UK and Nike in the Netherlands.
Jeffrey, the blind dog that chases butterfies
Jeffrey is a very special needs dog, because he is completely blind! The vet estimates him to be around 18 months old of mixed breed - some Podenco with Pointer and possibly Ridgeback as well. He has also been seen by a Specialist Eye Vet who confirms that his eyes are perfectly formed so the blindness is due to trauma to the head - possibly hit by a car (or worse).
He was incredibly thin and scared when we found him but is now the most amazing dog. Within a week he knew his way around the kennels and knew which was his pen when I said ‘time for bed’! He doesn’t bump into things and just seems to have a sixth sense when it comes to fences and gates although he does sometimes trip over a ball or toy! He plays well with all of the other dogs and is sociable with people - he loves a cuddle and he loves his food! He manages so well using smell and hearing. Not that I’m one to doubt the expertise of the vets, but I’ve got a videos of him chasing butterflies!!!! The only time his blindness is a problem is if we try to walk him on a lead - this he just can’t do yet but research shows this is possible with an owner he trusts and who has the time and patience to help him with this.
He is a gorgeous boy who would make a fabulous pet for somebody who has the patience required to help him adjust to new surroundings.
Wonderfull update: he has found the perfect forever home - where he has a big brother to help him around the house and on big walks!
