I’m just so excited about sharing my news with you today. As you know I’m just one dog in a big family of dogs who live at the centre in Goa. We were all rescued either as pups or as adult dogs and because we had nowhere to go or couldn’t fend for ourselves owing to injuries or other ailments the staff here in Assagao decided to take us under their wing and give us a second chance. All we have to do in return for food, shelter and lots of cuddles and treats is to protect the centre from intruders and make sure we meet and greet all our visitors with lots of enthusiasm.
Sometimes a visitor will fall in love with one of us centre dogs and offer to take us home. Although life as a centre dog is great, the prospect of going to a loving home to be someone’s pet is very special. The staff are very protective of us because we are part of the family here, so they always make sure that the new home is a good and loving one. On one hand it is a happy occasion when one of us gets selected for adoption, but on the other we are also a bit sad to see a good friend go. Recently we said goodbye to not just one but two of our centre dog buddies - Sandy and Sfinx.Sandy had been rescued by an English lady as a small puppy and she had kept her until she left to go back to England. The lady promised to come back for Sandy and she went to a temporary home in the meantime. Sadly, the former owner never returned for Sandy and she ended up back at the centre when her foster home couldn’t keep her any longer. She had survived the parvo virus twice, as well as overcome the mental trauma of being abandoned and so she became a centre dog because she deserved some happiness and peace in her life.
Sfinx was admitted at the centre as a small puppy and instantly captured the heart of Israeli volunteer Gal who spent every day at the centre making sure that all puppies received 5-star treatment. Gal was distraught to see Sfinx grow bigger and bigger with no one turning up to adopt her and she was concerned what her fate would be once she went home to Israel. She asked staff about the possibility of making Sfinx a centre dog but because she was so young it all boiled down to whether or not Sfinx could stand up to the much older and bigger centre dogs. Luckily Sfinx turned out to have the right combination of tough cookie and a gentle nature to make her able to get on with the others just fine.Sandy and Sfinx struck up an instant friendship and became virtually inseparable. The played together, slept together and stuck up for each other. Now I have to admit that I thought they were a bit too much and I didn’t particularly get on with them because their friendship got on my nerves and they never allowed me to play with them, but nevertheless it was good to see them settle in so well.
One day it looked like the perfect friendship was about to be broken: a lady in Assagao had asked if she could adopt Sandy. She was alone in a big house and wanted a dog for company and protection. Luckily staff recognised that breaking Sandy and Sfinx up would be heartless so they had a word with the lady who agreed to take both of them. So the story saw a happy ending for all parties and since Sandy’s and Sfinx’s departure the centre dog group have welcomed Boris, Stella and Stevie into the gang. There is a limit to how many dogs the centre can support so, whilst it’s always a bit sad for everyone to say goodbye to our friends, it’s great to know that with each one finding a new home a space opens to give another abandoned dog a second chance.
As for me, some one has to stay around and keep the rest in order! Must dash, bye for now...
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