AUGUST 2021
NEW ARRIVALS PUPPY ALERT! This month things got pretty hectic at Finca Noah. The reason: our new puppies and young dogs. Seven little dogs running around the farm, lying about, playing wildly, and needing constant supervision. It takes time, patience, nerves, and lots of tolerance. Together they're like an earthquake – but each one individually is absolutely lovable.
NEW ARRIVALS
PUPPY ALERT!
This month things got pretty hectic at Finca Noah. The reason: our new puppies and young dogs. Seven little dogs running around the farm, lying about, playing wildly, and needing constant supervision. It takes time, patience, nerves, and lots of tolerance. Together they're like an earthquake – but each one individually is absolutely lovable.
All these dogs come from the same mass breeding operation I've reported on before (see May 2021 newsletter: Macho, the Sweet Spitz). The breeder lives with over 60 dogs of various breeds in a single apartment.
Our Chihuahuas Armani (male), Diva, Gucci, Baileys, and the lively Spitz boy (left to right).
Ca, a Dachshund-Ratterrier mix female (left), and Valli, a rough-haired Dachshund male.
Txuly (pronounced "Chuli," which is Majorcan and means Cool – pretty cool for Txuly), a long-haired Dachshund, is the father of our Johnboy, whom I told you about last month. Just like his son, Txuly also had to live in the filthy hoarding apartment.
Here's a video of the rambunctious bunch:
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THE STREET PUPPIES ON SANTORINI (Greece)
In early August, Farah received a disturbing call from the Greek family on Santorini who had temporarily taken in the puppies (see June newsletter ((Link /juni-2021/))). The woman told Farah that the dogs had to be picked up that same week, otherwise the family would put all four back on the street. Apparently the family's other dogs had started to "bully" each other, and it seemed the puppies were the trigger.
But since Farah was about to fly to Switzerland to work, it was impossible for her to also pick up the puppies in Greece. Still, she spent one whole night moving heaven and earth to try to make both things work. The main problem was that flight connections to Santorini aren't exactly optimal. Most flights require one or even two stopovers, with flight times of up to 17 hours or more. So that route wasn't an option at the moment. Farah tried everything that night. She sent countless emails, made phone calls, and spent hours online searching for "the" flight connection. In the end she was so frustrated that she even looked at prices for private jets. The cheapest was 17,000 euros, so that wasn't an option either. Farah would have paid for the flight herself of course, but that was just over her budget (ha ha).
The thought that these four rescued puppies would end up back on the street made her crazy. But then I had a lifesaving idea: search through Facebook groups.
Luckily, we actually found several animal welfare organizations on Facebook that are active in Greece. One of them is a German organization that operates a rescue station directly in Santorini. Farah got in touch with them, and it had a happy ending: two days later, the four puppies were picked up by the animal welfare organization and can now stay in their care until Farah can pick them up permanently. Hooray!
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AND MORE...
OUR KITTEN BABIES (and their mothers)
Our kitten babies and their mothers are all looking for a loving home.
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UPDATE: KING AND QUEENI
We've made a step forward. Mike, our farm manager, has started going into the pen and giving the two of them treats.
For all of us, it was an absolutely beautiful, touching, and liberating moment to see how naturally both dogs let Mike feed them. Here's the video:
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Volunteer at Finca Noah
The topic of volunteers and voluntary helpers is a perennial issue in most animal welfare organizations. They're extremely rare, and those who want to help often underestimate the demanding work. We see this again and again when volunteers come to book the "Animal Vacation" at Finca Noah. They stay on the farm for at least a week. We've experienced everything – including people who left after just one day because the work was too exhausting.
The thing is, Farah speaks several times with all interested volunteers beforehand and explains exactly what it means to help at Finca Noah. She always emphasizes that it's not a vacation on a farm and not a petting zoo, but rather demanding physical work.
Our experience has shown that it's not enough for Farah to tell people what it means to come to us as a volunteer. For this reason, we've decided to put experience reports on our website – reports from volunteer helpers who have been with us, who have worked, who have sweated, who have experienced the "daily business."
Experience Report from Patrizia
Our Animal Police Shop
Have you seen our new web shop yet? We're starting with t-shirts, hoodies, shorts, and jackets and more. Of course, everything comes with the Animal Police logo (carefully embroidered or printed, depending on the product) and is available in countless colors and different sizes. The items are made and shipped by PRINTFUL. By making a purchase, you directly support our association. Check out our new shop:
Impressions from Finca Noah
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Text: Nadia Bach
Editing: Roger Bataillard