Little Joe

Perhaps we're crazy... or maybe we're just realistic... who knows?

But last night my husband and I both fell in love... with Little Joe


Little Joe and Gabi, who works at the shelter

Cute little fella, isn't he? He was found, along with his Mom and 6 sisters in a cave in Turkey. The folks who found them took them to a German-sponsered animal shelter in Antalya, Turkey, which is now taking care of them. In May, the pups will be 7 months old and ready to travel to new homes in Germany.


Heres Mom with some of her pups. Supposedly she's a Jack Russell mix.

Hubby and I have been tracking online all the major web sites and newspaper sites with ads for animals. It is possible that we could spot Kaya there, either listed as "found" or even "for sale". But after more than three weeks, hope is starting to fade. Our Kaya is either dead or else whoever found/took her has no intention of giving her back. We're still looking.... but meanwhile the place is empty and feels hollow.

We'd already started talking about providing foster care for a dog from an animal shelter. With puppy season here, the shelters will soon be overwhelmed and are already begging for folks to take in dogs even if just on a temporary basis. If the dog got along well with the kids and other animals on the farm, then we could end up keeping it, even if Kaya returns.

But then we found Little Joe.

Last night, Hubby sent an email to the Animal Rescue group. We figured it couldn't hurt to ask and get more info. A reply came back almost immediately by email with more pics and asking if a representative could call us the next day sometime in the early evening. The call came tonight, just as promised.

The organization doesn't sell the rescued dogs. Donations are gladly accepted, of course. New owners are screened for suitability, and a contract is signed stating that if for any reason you're unable to take care of the dog, then the dog goes back to the animal rescue group. There is a fee involved of approx 200 euro to cover vet care. All animals come fully immunized with an EU pet pass (an official record of all shots and immunizations, like a passport, required to cross borders) and are microchipped and sterilized (unless too young).

So now we're left wondering if we've done the right thing in making contact with the Shelter. They seem very enthusiastic, and are already planning to come and look us and our place over. They have a person in Stuttgart who will be calling us soon to make an appointment.

Guess I better get caught up with my housework!

[It's Just Eric]

Awwwwww.....He is a cutie...
If he gets along with any of the other pets, go for it
my sister got her new puppy peggy from the kennel she works at.Theres a reason she's named peggy... The pup's mom was sick and needed medication during her pregnancy, and they werer advised there might be birth defenct. Peggy was born without her front right leg. The kennel was going to put her under, but my sister saved her. Its a good thing she did. apperently peggy is the largest pup of the litter, and she is in perfect health.
The best part about saving a dog that way is knowign you did something good...every time you look at the dog
In any case, good luck with your dog(s)
-Eric

[Electrophil]

Hide the booze, cover the guns up, and for goodness sakes, don't let them see the meth lab.

Originally Posted by Electrophil

Hide the booze, cover the guns up, and for goodness sakes, don't let them see the meth lab.

Ssshhhh..... you weren't supposed to mention the meth lab!

By the way, your next shipment is on the way

[YellowBird]

At 9 weeks old, this puppy was accidentally run over by his owners. They attempted to amputate. Good sense took over and they took him to the VET on 12/1/05. Never heard from them after that.

On 2/3/06 we brought him home with us. He sat in a kennel for too long. His name is Diesel.

[YellowBird]

Go for it Bipa. Get as many as you can.

[Bobb]

Hi Bipa, I'm going to suggest going with something like the "SONY" electronic dog. The last price I saw was around $1500.00 US, but it might be a bargain in the long run. And the bragging rights are worth a lot. I have a ROOMBA vacuum which is kind of a dual purpose deal but on the brite side it won't hump your leg. Take care, BOBB

[It's Just Eric]

http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail109.html

'Lil brudda.....Awww....

Hidden funny stuff...click on "Dj solarus" on the screen before the skit, and after the skit click on "Homestar crying" and also "Li'l brudder"

Oops... I was wrong... there were two boys in the group of seven puppies

The animal shelter has put up a new web page about the puppies. So here you can see individual named photos of all of them. One of them, Princess, has already been adopted (vermittelt), awaiting only transport in May. The rest are still available.

http://www.tierhilfe-antalya.de/Verein/Paten/paten.html

Things sure are moving quickly. Got a phone call from the gal in Stuttgart just now. She received the photos that we sent her of our place and seemed even more enthusiastic, if that's at all possible. She might not even come over to check us out until after Little Joe has arrived, she's that confident. (more time to clean my windows - yeah!)

The dogs will be fully certified and ready for travel by April 26th. That's the final vet examination date. Then it's just a matter of finding "godparents" who will take the dogs to Germany with them. Many Germans take holidays in and around Antalya all the time or have holiday homes there, and so the shelter gets them to transport the dogs back with them. There's no guarantee which airport the dog comes to, but seeing as we're not too far from Frankfurt it won't be a problem. We might even luck out and have the dog come to Stuttgart, which is closer but also a much smaller airport.

Gosh, it's been less than a week, and we're already tentatively cleared. I'm reassured that this organization is legit, since they have not asked us for any money yet. The woman explained that no fee is paid until the dog is actually handed over. That's also when the contract is signed with the take-back clause. She explained that there are two reasons for that clause. They don't want people re-selling the dogs to make a profit, and they want to be able to legally take back a dog that is being abused or neglected. Thus they also do after adoption visits and like to stay in touch with the families. I've promised to send pics via email once we have the dog.

Ooohh.... I forgot to mention.... we have twin baby goats! Well, not us personally but the farmer we're renting from does. They're about 6 days old and soooooo cute! Can't wait until all the calves are born.

Yeah.... for a big city gal, I'm sure loving it out here in the country. Spring is the best time, when I get to overdose on "cuteness" with all the baby animals.

Cheers!

[msvx95]

I'll take Gabi home please

Yeehaw! Got the phone call this morning. Little Joe will be flying into Frankfurt tomorrow night at 11pm. It works out really well, since Hubby is also flying into Frankfurt a little earlier on the same day. I'm going to take the train up, then we'll drive back together.

Can't wait! Even though we haven't forgotten Kaya, we're really truly looking forward to having Little Joe with us. He already weighs 12 kilos so he'll end up a nice larger middle-sized doggie.

Gonna go recharge the camera batteries right now, including a spare set. This is definitely gonna be a Kodak moment!

P.S. Sorry msvx95 - Gabi isn't included in the deal

[SilverSpear]

Originally Posted by Bipa

P.S. Sorry msvx95 - Gabi isn't included in the deal

[Electrophil]

Congrats! What a cute "Little?" puppy!

Sorry I haven't been here in a while, but the little guy sure is keeping me busy! He isn't really well housetrained, and he doesn't give much of a signal when he has to go so I've got to keep a close eye on him all the time. He was a real timid fellow for the first few days, but after about a week he got comfortable enough to start exploring - meaning he's trying to chew anything he can get his teeth on. Typical!

The first few days he didn't get along with Leo, the neighbour's Lab mix, but after a few "supervised fights" and lots of treats and praise and training sessions together, I've got them finally playing quite nicely. They still have a tendency to get a little too rough at times, but overall I'm satisfied that they are getting along well.

Here are a few pics for anyone interested. The first is actually at the airport having just picked him up. He was so frightened, and also sedated for the trip. The second is after a week. You can see he's fully recovered from his travel ordeal and seems quite happy now, especially when he manages to get a hold of a roll of paper towels! (Let me know if you want to see more pics - I got lots! )