The King and Queen of Hearts in Goa

Hello my friends!

I'm not usually one to speak in negative tones about any of my fellow centre dogs and I hope my friends Tina and Boris won't take offence about this little piece for my blog. I just thought that you all might enjoy learning a little more about them and the way they think they rule the roost around Animal Tracks.

Tina has been around for years. She's always been the madam at the centre and not particularly friendly towards the new and the small members of our pack. She takes no nonsense from anyone and if you catch her on a bad day you'd better keep yourself to yourself. That goes whether you're human, canine, feline or any other species for that matter.

Having said that she does enjoy the feel of a scratch behind the ear or on the tummy from time to time and any other dogs that are looking for the same pleasure had better wait their turn.

Tina is the perfect guard dog. Scary looking, loud, and strong enough to pull a tank: intruders definitely think twice before crossing swords with her. Having said this, when Tina decides to take a day off she doesn't bother with anything or anyone and you could march in and out of the centre at your leisure and she wouldn't even bother to raise her head.

Boris joined the centre gang more recently and straight away he was convinced that he was going to be the leader of all, big and small. He even decided to go a bit too far in his eagerness to protect the centre and managed to scare off a few visitors. Needless to say this didn't please Tina very much and they had it out with each other on more than a few occasions. When the fur started flying the rest of us just cleared off!

After a few months of snarling and growling at each other Tina and Boris decided that if they joined paws they could become the King and Queen of Animal Tracks. This was quite an admission of defeat on Tina's part since she has never succumbed to anyone's efforts to steal her place as Top Dog.

Soon the pair became inseparable and today their relationship is well and truly cemented. We never thought we'd see Tina make a very best friend and it's a pleasure to see how she goes all girly and flirty around Boris. Initially the rest of us were a bit concerned that the two of them were going to be a scary duo but love mellows even the toughest of souls and I can honestly say that both Tina and Boris have become so engrossed in each other that they tend to forget to boss the rest of us around. Let's hope they both live happily ever after!

Olive x

IAR saves Boxer from callous owners

Dear friends,

You wouldn't believe how much it is raining here at the moment. It's like someone turned a tap on in the sky. It's not much fun for us dogs because although we don't mind getting a bit wet we obviously don't spend very much time outside. On the upside it's much cooler now so we can actually breathe again!

A few days ago Animal Tracks received a call from a family in the village of Saipem. They wanted to have someone come out and put their 10 year old dog Boxer to sleep because he was suffering from bad mange and had a severe ear infection brought on by all the scratching. They were advised to bring the dog to the centre and that an assessment would be made based on Boxer's condition. Meanwhile Boxer's owners called a private vet to come to their house and he told them that with time and treatment Boxer could return to good health. However the family obviously felt Boxer didn't warrant this kind of commitment on their part because they kept insisting that they wanted him put to sleep.

In the end the only option was to pick Boxer up and bring him to Animal Tracks, as otherwise he was going to be left to suffer. When he arrived at the centre it was obvious that he was in a very bad state and in a lot of pain. Remarkably however he was in good spirits and wagging his tail at everyone. When the vets realised that Boxer's spirit had not been broken by his condition they decided to try to help him get well. First he needed surgery to clear up the ear infection. Then he'd need prolonged treatment for his mange and antibiotics.

The ear surgery has now been successfully completed and Boxer is recovering in the kennels. When he gets better he's going to become a member of our gang and I can't wait to welcome him into our group. I'm sure Tina and Boris will give him a bit of a hard time at first but hopefully he'll settle in ok. All that's left to say is shame on his owners for turning their backs on their faithful companion when he needed their love and care the most.

Love from me!