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Adoption Stories - Dogs
SPARE checks on every adopted animal once they are in their new homes to ensure that the situation is good for the animal and the adopter. Their stories are wonderful testaments to the relationships that form between animals and humans.
Many thanks to Margarete Salem, Tina Frei and Marieluie Duda
who have placed more than 170 SPARE animals to new and loving
homes..without them these animals would have never gotten a second
chance in life.
Fifi
Fifi (aka Sahara) was found in a litter of puppies after being stoned by a bunch of wretched children. The children managed to find the largest rocks to throw at the puppies small tender heads. A traumatic and fatal experience for any pup! We just cannot fathom why anyone would do such a thing to helpless animals- something we just cannot get used to!
Luckily, Fifi's angel is a woman named Carol Holden who rescued her from the shelter and gave her a loving and warm home. Not only is she Fifi's angel, but she is an angel to the many animals at SPARE; spending thousands of dollars on food, medicine, toys and such for them. Our sincerest thanks go out to Carol and her amazing contributions to SPARE. We wish her and Fifi the best of luck in everything they do!
Phoebe
Phoebe was a stray dog living a tough life on the streets of Cairo until she was rescued by SPARE. The difference betwee Phoebe's life before and after is like night and day! She has been adopted by a new mom in Germany who gives her plenty of the love she has so severely lacked in the past. Not only that, but Phoebe is attending a German school for dogs called Findeklee dogs' school! She has made plenty of progress although she remains cautious and shy towards strange dogs. She exercises everyday and has made plenty of friends at the school, notably a yorkshire terrier has become one of her bestfriends.
Phoebe is one lucky dog we think!
Scout
This is Scout. Scout (previously name Saieed) was living on the streets with a poor and homeless man, scavenging for food and shelter. The homeless man decided to give Scout to SPARE in hopes of finding a better life for him. Which is exactly what happened...Scout now lives with his new family in Germany! Another happy ending...
Bedoor
Lovely Bedoor, another stray saved by SPARE that now lives with her new family in Germany. Bedoor is having a relaxing afternoon with her brother it seems...a massive improvement from her previous life on the streets we would say!
Badr
This is gorgeous Badr with his new family in Austria. Look at how happy and loved he is!
Fency
This is beautiful Fency, living the good life with her wonderful family in Germany. Only her life wasn't so peachy before that. Fency was a stray dog, scavenging the streets of Cairo for food and trying to survive the harsh life. She sought refuge in a school right next to the SPARE shelter, when it suddenly caught fire and she was at risk of burning alive! Luckily we saved her when we heard about a dog caught in the flames and brought her to the shelter. She was given the appropriate name "Fiery" at the time.
She has since been adopted by an incredible family who have renamed her "Fency" and now lives in the loving environment she has always deserved. We love happy endings at SPARE!
Fulla
A Story by Petra Poorter & Frank Bouwens
In March we went on holiday to Egypt and as a volunteer of the Animal Association International (AAI), a Dutch organisation which searches for good homes in the Netherlands for discarded/disowned dogs from Southern Europe, I was curious to know if there would be any animal protection organisations in Egypt. I learnt about 3 organisations, one of them was SPARE in Cairo. Because we were to fly back from Cairo, I asked if AAI wanted to rehome a dog from the SPARE shelter. I contacted SPARE and got some pictures of dogs who were ready to travel. AAI chose Fulla, a female who had been in the shelter for 3 years. Of course, we also visited the shelter when we were in Cairo and we were impressed by the dedication and love of the staff for the dogs.
Fulla would be transported AMC airlines, the Egyptian charter company; they had informed SPARE that they would not charge extra costs for the transport of Fulla.
At a quarter past one the bus picked us up to take us to the airport we checked the health papers and shepherded Fulla around the X-ray machine.
Finally it was our turn to check in. Behind the desk sat an older man. He wanted to know the dog´s name. “Fulla” I answered (what means “gardenia flower” in Arabic). “What a beautiful name, but you should call her “Lucky”, because she is lucky that she can leave with you. Mrs Khalil spoke to me.” I thanked him because AMC airlines wanted to transport Fulla for free. “You don´t need to thank me” smiled Mr Sayed “It is not a favour.”
Well, everything seemed to have gone well. Yes, we succeeded! Little did we know what was going to happen.....
Half an hour later a bus transported us to the plane. I saw Fulla in her cage. She just lay down, what a good dog! Immediately after entering the plane I asked one of the stewards if he would inform the pilot that there was a dog in the hold and therefore heating and oxygen were required. “Well, we are still looking if there is space.” He told me to my horror. “What is your seat number? Please, sit down. If necessary, I will come to you.” Gee, would there be so much luggage? With an anxious feeling I looked for my seat. A few minutes later the same steward walked towards us. “Please, come with me.” Oh no, this was going wrong. With a beating heart I went with him to the front. There stood an Egyptian man who spoke Dutch fluently and who was apparently responsible for the luggage. “We have a problem” he told me immediately, ”that cage is much too big, it won’t fit through the door.” I had not reckoned on this. “Can´t it go in on its side?” I asked. No, that was not possible either.... Would Fulla´s journey end at the airport of Cairo? “Can´t she come aboard?” I asked, a bit panicky. “No, unfortunately that is not possible”. “But she is very quiet, she has had a tranquiliser and we are seated by the emergency exit.” I beseeched. “No” the Egyptian repeated “I cannot do that, because other people may complain about it. “ I looked at him desperately “But what should we do then?” “Ìs she healthy?” he asked. “Of course she is healthy, I have all the papers, I will show you.” I ran to my seat to get the health certificates. The man from AMC airlines looked at everything carefully and finally said “Put her in the back, in the toilet. However, if there is any damage, you are responsible.” WOW, I could have kissed him! I ran down the stairs of the plane again, took Fulla by her collar out of the cage and trotted with her inside. She was as quiet as a lamb in my arms and did not utter a sound. I put Fulla into the toilet and closed the door. The cabin crew locked the door and sweating I flopped down in my seat, next to the toilet. What a situation! I hoped Fulla would not bark, gnaw the toilet or jump into the toilet. I heard some scratching at the door, but for the rest Fulla kept quiet. Finally the airplane taxied away and took off. Hurrah, we were on our way!
In Luxor our plane had a stopover. As soon as it stopped, I opened the toilet door. Would Fulla still be alive? Fulla was lying down, curled up. She jumped up and wanted to slip outside, but I stopped her. Fortunately, everything was alright, what an ideal dog! The majority of passengers came on board in Luxor and then we finally started flying to the Netherlands.
We landed at Schiphol airport at around 11.00 a.m. and I waited until all passengers left and then I opened the toilet door again. Fortunately, Fulla was still alive and kicking. We did not have a leash, so Frank had to carry her all the way. At the passport control we put her on the ground and pulled her by her collar. The man of the passport control did not notice anything. At the luggage belt somebody from our group took the belt off her bag, so now we had at least a leash. “Fulla, yallah” I told Fulla and yes, Fulla walked, with her tail down, but she walked! There was no custom officer around and we passed the customs control. There we were met by Linda, another AAI volunteer, who would foster Fulla. Well, finally, our mission was completed!
Wolfi
This is Wolfi sleeping amongst the teddy bears at his home in Germany...look how cute he is!
Little Mona
A little story by Christi Manbeck...
Hello!
This is just a little update on the best little puppy in the world. I adopted her from a tierheim in Viernheim, Germany, but just a week earlier she had been living with S.P.A.R.E in Cairo. Her name was Rimmy, but it has since been changed to Mona. I read that this is an Arabic name meaning wish or desire. I thought it suited her and I preferred it to the name "April," which is what the tierheim initally told me was her name.
It has been 6 months since her adoption (Mona was 10 months old) and we are happier than I could have ever imagined us to be. When I got Mona she was very shy and seemed to have very little zest for life. She slept (or pretended to sleep) most of the day. She wasn't even very interested in eating. A month later she people didn't recognize her as the same dog. Six months later I barely remember the shy little puppy I picked up from the pound. She is so spunky, energetic, loving, smart, and curious. We have become so close (best friends) and I couldn't imagine life without her. She goes everywhere with me and makes friends everywhere we are. She is still cautious toward strangers, but if I am around she is very curious and interested. I am so proud of how trusting she has become and am so grateful for the beautiful soul that she is.
Thank you so much for everything you do. You have made such a difference in my life and so many other people's and animal's. S.P.A.R.E is a wonderful organization and the world is blessed to have it.
Thank you,
Christi Manbeck and Mona
Bascotti
Hello there, I'm Bascotti. I was born in a TV station's garage and was rescued by one of the wonderful SPARE people. I was taken to the shelter where I grew up with all my SPARE buddies. It was great playing with all the dogs there and being very well taken care...but my life became even better when I was adopted by my beautiful mom Jennifer, and flown to live with her in Germany. What a change!!
Now I have I live an incredible life with my mom and my new siblings and I am extremely grateful. I shudder to think where I would be if I was never rescued!
Shaasha2
Hi, I'm Shaasha2. I'm a female German Shepherd. I came to SPARE when I was abandoned by my owners because of my old age and blindness. I guess they didn't love me anymore when i got old, even though I gave my life to them.
I was depressed for the longest time because I felt so rejected.
Now my life has been rejuvenated since I was adopted by my new parents in Germany...they have given me a new lease on life and I'm happier than ever!
Semsem
Hi, I'm Semsem, I was dumped by my owner and was attacked by some big dogs...so I was just terrified of them when I was brought to SPARE. I'm really little and fragile and needed some serious attention...I was so depressed from being neglected until Rachel Dodd, my new mom, took me to my new wonderful life. Now I'm the happiest pup! Thanks SPARE!
Beany
Hi, I'm Beany. I was rescued by SPARE from the harsh life of Cairo's streets. They called me Queeny at the time because of my regal nature I guess...they were so caring! But anyways, I was sent to AGT (Society For the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) in Essen, Germany for a few months until they found my adoptive parents who took to my new life in October 2006.
Now I have a wonderful new life and an amazing family in Düsseldorf! They take me for long hikes in the beautiful forests and love me unconditionally...a far cry from my life in Cairo I must say!
I have to say "thank you", because SPARE saved my life.
You also can find a little story (in German) and some pictures about me (Beany) at AGT Europa's website http://www.agtiere.de/index.php?id=88
(to find "Beany", you have to scroll down to the end of the site)
Tina
Hi I'm Tina , believe it or not, I'm a pure Egyptian Baladi dog adopted in Germany! For some reason baladi dogs are not considered "adoptable" in Egypt because we're not pure bred. We're beaten, starved and poisoned to death.
I don't really like to remember my previous life in Egypt because it was so horrible and tough. I was brought into the SPARE shelter, shivering from the freezing cold and completely emaciated because I hadn't eaten in weeks. So I was treated by one of the top vets in Cairo and finally nursed back to health.
Anyways, that's all behing me now, as I have an amazing life after being adopted by my loving parents...just look at me, I'm skiing in Germany! Woo hoo!
Selima
Hello I am Selima aka Dog of International Adventure! I remember very little about my former life and maybe that's because I was tied to a tree so tightly that I could hardly breathe anymore and I was starved almost to death; nothing but skin and bones; I didn't feel good at all.
But then this really nice lady found me and brought me to SPARE. Her name is Mrs. Walker and she is the wife of ex-american ambassador Walker! WOW! I was happy getting so much attention from the Men-In-White at SPARE, because they made me feel great and I was a Diva again in no time. Did I mention that I LOVE food???
Yes, I gained (almost too much) weight :)
After 3 years of playing with my many new friends at SPARE, I went on a long plane ride to Germany. I wasn’t scared at all; everyone took such good care of me!
And then I found paradise… My new parents are Uwe & Susanne and (wow!) are they fun!!! I get to run around in my new garden, go on long walks every day and the food is yummy!! They have these big sausages here that they call “Bratwurst”– Arf!!!!
But it doesn't stop there: I have been to France!!! Now tell THAT to my friends back at SPARE--I know they will be jealous! :) My parents took me to Burgundy on a vacation and there are sooooo many trees (they call it a forest) and I ran around not knowing where to “pee” first!!
All this fresh air made me really tired and napping in the shade became one of my favorite things to do.
Anyway, back in Germany with Uwe & Susanne I am SO happy. Thank you SPARE for everything and send a big “woof” and slobber kisses to my old friends.
Many tail-waggings from Selima
Yuri
Hello dear dog owners and those who would like to become one.
I would like to tell you about Yuri. Yuri is a 4 year old mix from the shelter in Bettikum (Germany). Yuri has been in my home since February but let’s start from the beginning:
Mom & I wanted to have another dog and decided to get him/her from the shelter. In the beginning Yuri was very scared and could not be touched. Since he was to make friends with my other dog first, we went to the shelter twice a week for three months and took both on long walks together.
During this time I could not touch him, as I mentioned, but I thought that he would eventually come to me on his own. Yuri came to me on February 15! We had to put him on a long leash to even have the chance to take him outside. Of course he was not housebroken, but that’s not surprising after having been in the kennel for most of the time. Puppies are not housebroken either but at least playful and affectionate, which Yuri was not. But is that a reason to bring him back to the shelter after only 3 days in my home?
NO!!!!
Everything takes time and patience. Starting in March, Yuri came to us all on his own wanting affection and to play. Yuri was also very scared of other dogs but since he’s been playing with our Rocky and taking rides to the barn (where 8 other dogs are present), all that is over. He can even be left running around without the leash, which he enjoys much more than being on it. Yuri is blossoming and we are having so much fun with him. I think that every dog deserves a chance. We have so many dogs here in Germany’s shelters, and they would be so grateful for a new home.
Ok dear people, it doesn’t always have to be that small or cute doggie. Go and visit the shelter and give a pooch a chance. He or she will appreciate it and thank you for it. Trust me, I know what I am talking about.
Yours,
Jessica
Note: This is a translation of his original story in German on the website of the German shelter that helped SPARE find Yuri his new home. Visit the shelter's website at http://www.tierheim-bettikum.de/frame-1.htm and look at their adoption stories under Tiere im neuen Zuhause.
