A new family for Nightmare

Back to our Nightmare story...

As I mentioned before, we were only going to take care of the big black dog until we could find her a home. We also had a trip to Brasov coming up for a darts tournament and a mini holiday, so we had to get her adopted fast. Those who have rescued animals and tried to find them new homes and families will understand why "adopted fast" is a contradiction of terms... We were also still hoping that her former owners hadn't been the ones to give her the wound on her head and that they would be willing to take her back.

My husband took it upon himself to post an announcement on the lost and found pets Facebook group in our area. Our friends also helped to spread the word and we also checked all the lost black dog posts we could find on the internet. Our searches unfortunately didn't turn out any leads towards the former owners.

This is the photo on the Facebook announcement.

A few people answered the announcement and tried to give ideas or opinions or suggest other lost dog sites to check. We had almost lost hope and were wondering if we should leave the dog back on the street, but really hoping we wouldn't have to do that... My husband and I lost a lot of sleep worrying again.

But then something unexpected happened. Someone contacted my husband saying they were looking to adopt a second dog and would like to take the black dog in. We were both so happy that we wouldn't have to abandon the sweet doggie. We made arrangements with the future new owners to meet at the vet, where we would have the dog checked.

We took the dog by car (here are some car safety tips, if you are interested) and she acted like she had been in one a hundred times before. She was actually less nervous than Aschiuta in the car and wasn't even sick. It made us think she had been on such trips before.

The new owners would arrive a bit after us, so we went in with the dog to have the vet check her. She made friends with the nurses there and seemed to like sitting on the scale.

The vet first scanned her for a microchip, as it is required by law for them to contact the owner if she had had one installed. There was none though, which didn't mean much, because some people never take their pets to the vet and thus don't give them a microchip.

He then started palpating her to check for any hidden problems and also cleaned and felt the wound on her forehead. The new owners also came in, just in time to see him prodding and checking, with the doggie barely showing any reaction. She seemed very tame and never even had any intention of biting or struggling, not even whimpering.

The doctor recommended antibiotics for the infection and said that the dog looked ok otherwise. He also checked her teeth and mentioned they were very worn for her age. Apparently she was young (probably younger than Aschiuta) but had been chewing on something very tough.

The new owners, a young couple, were sitting shyly in a corner. The woman even seemed a bit scared and only touched the dog very lightly after the vet proved the dog would not harm her at all. They also commented that the dog was larger than they had thought and were skeptical about the vet's evaluation about the dog's age.

We also found out that they would be keeping the dog at their new house that was being built and wouldn't be able to go see her too much. When the vet said that someone would have to give the dog antibiotics every morning and evening (orally, of course), they were afraid that the workers at the house wouldn't want to do that.

There was also the problem of their other dog, who was apparently very energetic and they were afraid the two would fight if unsupervised.

All in all, our faith dwindled and we didn't believe they would want to take the dog in anymore. They insisted however that they wouldn't back out on their word, but asked us to meet again the next day so they can take the dog.

My husband insisted that we would pay for the check-up and the medicine the vet had given us and the couple left. The vet had been very open and encouraging about the dog, "advertising" her as much as he could to them, but afterwards admitted that he believed they would back out. We felt the same way, but decided to give those people a chance. They were pretty much our only hope. We were supposed to leave town in a couple of days...

Traumas and phobias

Continuing our Nightmare tale...

Where we last left off, we had just taken in the anonymous (back then) black dog in our home.

My husband said he would set up an inflatable mattress and sleep in the kitchen with her, while I would nap in the living room with Aschiuta.

Easier said than done, for my side at least. I kept tossing and turning, wondering what we were going to do. I was afraid the dog would be reckless or traumatised or not potty trained (actually that was the least of my concerns). I had all sorts of concerns, a new one on each side of the pillow.

In the morning, I decided to work from home and stay to take care of the dog while Scorp went to work.

First things first. The dog would need to go out and do her business, so she would get into the routine and not leave us any "presents" inside the house.

However, there was a problem that had shown up the night before when trying to bring the new dog home. The dog absolutely refused to go up the stairs. She climbed the few steps leading to the front door of the building and up to the first landing and then she simply tried to back up frantically, as if she were being hurt by the stairs. My husband had to carry her in his arms all the way to the 5th floor.

Now, I have myself been a dog carrier for a long time, carrying Aschiuta in my arms all the way to the vet when she was smaller or even lately, to pretend that I wouldn't let her make paw prints on the freshly washed floors, I would carry her up the stairs. But even that is only until the 2nd or 3rd floor.

The new dog was larger than Aschiuta, I would not be able to carry her up and down the stairs. Luckily, the elevator had been installed and working (most of the time), so we rode the elevator. She seemed almost used to this means of transportation, which makes me believe she had used it before.

She seemed to understand what the walks were for and left some "presents" for me to magically make disappear. I took her 3 or 4 times the first day, because she took so long to do anything and didn't do everything all at once.

I kept her shut in the kitchen while I worked and visited with her during breaks. I felt like a new mother and also a nurse. Because, besides the staircase phobia, our new friend also had a serious health problem... an infected wound on her forehead. But more on that later...

Bad booboo on such a sweet face...

Introducing... Nightmare

We have been having a nightmare for almost a month now. A collective nightmare? Well, sort of. Every night? Yes, with a break for a few days. What kind of nightmare? A very dark one, but also very kind and loving. Huh?

Nightmare is not a bad dream (although she does have her turbulent moments), she is a dog. I always say she looks a lot like Aschiuta, but bigger, blacker and furrier. They have similar body shapes and they both have pointy ears. They are even alike in their behaviour, friendly and always willing to give you a hug and a kiss if you let them.

I met Nightmare one night outside of the supermarket across the street, munching on a tray of sausages. I let her be, but when I went out of the shop, she came to sniff my shopping bags. I pet her a bit and tried to shake her off, but she followed me to our building.

If you are familiar with the strays that occasionally get food from people, they develop a friendly but pushy personality, along with the beggar eyes (which Aschiuta also had when we first saw her). This trick often gets them food, especially if they know where to stay. They also get a lot of meat and bones, to the point where they become picky eaters and won't eat much else. Nightmare was one of them.

I had no meat and knew she must have been full from the sausages she had eaten earlier, but thought I would try with a couple of jam cookies. Some dogs have a sweet tooth (Aschiuta sure does, but she only gets a few morsels), but the black stray would have none of my cookies. She just wanted to be pet. So I gave her some rubs and eventually went inside, leaving her in front of the door.

That same night, my husband came home from his darts match and called me from downstairs.

"Lavi, there is a very sweet black dog out here. She is so loving and I'm sure she is lost or abandoned. Please, can we take her in, at least until we find her a home? I don't want to leave her out here."

I eventually gave in, thinking that there would be a lot of trouble. How would the new dog behave? How would she get along with Aschiuta?

We also had another major problem... We had to leave for Brasov soon and stay for a few days for a darts tournament. We usually took Aschiuta with us, but what about the new dog?

Stranger in a strange house...

Our new furry neighbour... with a right hook!

For a couple of months now, a tabby cat has been living in the stairway of our block of flats.

It (I really have not checked for the gender) does not seem to belong to anyone, but is happy to nap quietly on people's doormats or on the stairs themselves. Luckily, nobody has hurt the cat and there are always two small containers full of food and water at the entrance downstairs. The cat itself is very friendly and often purrs when I pet it.

If you were wondering how Aschiuta has been getting along with our new furry friend, I will begin by telling you that we often go to Brasov, the city where my mother-in-law lives. Aschiuta always goes with us, since she is always welcome there. But my mother-in-law also has two cats, both quite shy. And, according to my experience, shy cats can be aggressive when scared, so we keep the cats and pooch in separate rooms at all times to avoid any conflicts.

Aschiuta has also had a few "close encounters" with a couple of cats, some of which have left her with a small scratch on her nose. But of course, she does not learn and is always curious about these smaller creatures that have ears similar to hers (but not of the same magnitude).

Our new tabby neighbour is no exception and Aschiuta almost always tries to catch a sniff of the cat.

The first meeting was as expected, poochie poked her nose into the kittie's business and the kitty gave her the right hook (the boxing kind). I decided that these two needed to make friends, so I always let Aschiuta get carefully closer, so as not to scare the cat. Gradually, they got used to each other, to the point where they both lean in to catch a sniff of each other, their noses almost touching. And then Aschiuta hops up in a dance of glee and the kitty readies the right hook, which is where I have to drag the crazy pooch away before she gets hurt.

Tonight I tried to get a photo, but none of them was interested in posing for me, no matter how nicely I asked them. As soon as I put the phone away, they get close for one of their sniffs. Figures... they are only being cute when they are not being photographed. But I was stubborn, so I managed to get one almost cute shot of them. Almost. Maybe next time...

Saying hello, like good little neighbours

A visit from an unexpected friend

A couple of nights ago, Scorp called me to come downstairs with some dog food. We've had a few stray dogs taking shelter at the entrance of the building, so it's not the first time I've brought a share of kibble for another dog.

But then he added "It's our former neighbour, the old black dog." Some of you might remember that last year we had an old dog stay on the hallway of the first floor and we would bring it food almost every day. There is a post about him, Our new neighbour. He disappeared a few times, but he'd be back in a couple of days. But one day, he was gone and we didn't see him again...

Until two days ago. I was a bit sad, wondering where he'd gone off to and if he'd managed to get through the winter safely. But he was back, still limping, still gentle and shy, but no longer lethargic. He was walking around with more energy, sniffing us and wagging his tail happily.

Most of our strays are mutts, grey, black or yellow, medium built and with droopy or pointy ears. If you've read my more recent post about Bobita, our doggie neighbour, you can get an idea of how these dogs look like. The old dog with a bad leg looks a lot like Bobita.

We were happy to see him again, since we had been a bit worried. He sniffed the food but didn't want to eat it from Scorp's hand, so he left it on the stairs. I'm sure he'd eat it later, they always do.

"Poor sweet dog", Scorp said, looking behind as we were going back inside, "he wouldn't know how to defend himself from bad people."

Romania's strays in danger and Romeo's Wish. Blog the Change for Animals

Today is one of the four days dedicated to Blog the Change for Animals, which is an incentive for people all over the world to talk about animal causes, hoping that more people can find out about them and lend a hand.

 
1. The stray dogs in Romania are in danger of mass killing
  

As some of you might know, I live in Romania, a small state where stray cats and dogs have found homes near dumpsters, in parking lots, wherever they were accepted. Their biggest plight is that the government has been thinking of voting for euthanising all of them. You might have heard about the 100 sleigh dogs killed in Canada. That would be nothing compared to what could happen in Romania.

I have written about this before, in the post Our strays in danger. People all over the country have organised protests and a petition has been started to prevent this massacre. I know that people from other countries might not be able to help in any way, but I can't help talking about this. I hope that, maybe, the stray dogs (some of which have become our friends, see Bobita, our doggie neighbour) will be allowed to live.

If you are interested in this and understand Romanian, you can learn more about this at the site Adoptii Caini. They are trying hard to convince people to sign the petition against this horrible governmental decision, fighting for the fate of our stray dogs.

If you are Romanian, please take a moment and sign the petition. Every helping hand matters.

2. Giving meaning to the death of Romeo the puppy: Romeo's Wish
 

I would like to talk about another animal cause. Linda has lost her puppy Romeo in a car accident and has decided to offer the gift of a better life to other rescue dogs and cats in need.

She has started a fund in Romeo's name, to help rescue dogs and also improve the conditions of shelters in South Africa, in particular the one where Romeo spent the first part of his life, Bellville Animal Anti-Cruelty League. You can read about this and about how you can help too at Animal Outreach and also the pdf Romeo's Wish, where you can also read his story.

I wanted to write about this because Desiree, Linda's mother, and after that Linda herself have become good friends of mine. Romeo reminds me of my own dog Aschiuta, with his exuberance, friendliness and intelligence. Linda has also adopted another rescue puppy from the shelter and has given her a warm loving home.

They have organised a raffle to raise money for the cause and you can read about it on this page. I invite you to buy a ticket and help those dogs live a better life.

Rest in peace, Romeo! I hope your wish will come true.

Bobita, our doggie neighbour

You might remember one of my first posts, On the streets. I talked about one of our friendliest stray dog neighbour, the dog from the other block. It's been a while and we've had time to get better acquainted with him.

Aschiuta and Bobita. The photo is a bit fuzzy.

 

A very smart doggie

He lives in front of the entrance to the block of flats next to ours. The people like him and take care of him. He has a nice little dog house and they also give him food and water. They even gave him a name, Bobita (the Romanian equivalent of Bobby), which seems to fit him quite nicely. I used to call him Don Juan, because of his advances to Aschiuta, but he has been a good boy lately.

Bobita in front of his home.

 

He has the best strategical position among the other strays: next door to the pet shop. A lot of people who buy dog food leave him some in the corner. I've even seen cat food around there, although there are almost no stray cats around.

Making friends

When we first met him, he was very curious about Aschiuta and tried to mate with her, but of course we didn't let him. For a while, he kept his distance, pretending he wasn't interested in her anymore. A few days ago, when we were out for a walk, he actually came after us all the way to the back of the parking lot. That was a very brave move, despite my "shoo"s and "go home"s. The whole pack in that area chased him away barking.

Even when we aren't with Aschiuta, he comes to greet us when we pass by. He's always sweet and lets us pet him on the head. He once came with me inside the pet shop, but the shopkeeper knew him and didn't make him leave. He was very well-mannered, sitting down and waiting for me to buy what I needed. He then followed me outside and I left some food for him in his usual spot.

The clearest photo Scorp could take for me. That is Aschiuta in the corner too.

 

Like brother and sister

Just imagine a black version of Aschiuta, with a big white patch on his chest and only the stub of the tail remaining. We always say they are like brother and sister, because they look alike (pointy ears and all), they act very much alike and get along really well. Aschiuta loves meeting him and always wants to play. Bobita will jump around her too, catching a sniff or two. I think they might even be around the same age.

This is a video Scorp took while on a walk with Aschiuta. Bobita and she are great friends and always play together.

That's the story of Bobita, our friendliest neighbourhood stray. I hope you'll get to hear more about him.

Adopt the Internet Day. Open your eyes

Today, as most of the pet bloggers out there already know, is Petfinder's Adopt the Internet Day. For their 15th birthday, they are trying to get as many people to promote pet adoption on the Internet. On Facebook, Twitter, talking about an adoptable pet in particular or adopting in general.

Pet adoption sites in Romania

I haven't used Petfinder, since it's only for pets in the USA, but Romania has its own sites, Adoptii Caini and Adoptii Pisici and I recommend people to use these sites to find a new furry friend.

The situation of strays in Romania

I have already talked about the desperate situation in Romania. Our streets are full of stray dogs and the government has decided to euthanise them. There have been protests and you can read about this in my post Our strays in danger. We only hope for the best.

We are responsible

I want to make people think about this. Our streets are full of dogs, yet I see new breeder-bought dogs being pampered by their owners. We are killing our stray dogs by doing that. Overpopulation is not just "somebody else's problem". We can't just solve it by allowing other dogs to be killed when we take such good care of our beloved purebred Fido. Dogs here are often a fashion accessory and we often discriminate between "our dogs" and "street dogs".

Why don't people want to pick a dog off the street and take it home? Because it's too much trouble, it might have diseases, parasites. Well, that's what we have vets for. Our vet helped us a lot with Aschiuta's problems, even if we didn't have a lot of money.

Oh, and of course, it's a bit embarrassing to say "my dog is a mutt", rather than "my dog is a purebred [breed], we have a certificate and all". Honestly. Why should we discriminate like that? Dogs are dogs and they are all wonderful in their own way.
 

I won't even talk about the "puppy" and "cute" craze. It's bad enough to be known worldwide.

The vet that took care of Aschiuta at the dog hotel told us that people abandon their dogs there. They give false addresses and never return for their dogs. And at least they are considerate enough to send their dogs to a nice place, but others just leave them on the streets.

If you live in a place like that, think twice before buying a "ready-made" dog or cat. Pick one up off the streets or from a shelter. It might save a life or two.

Our strays in danger

Often, too often, I feel sad about the cruelty and narrow-mindedness of my countrymen. Lately, they are planning to kill stray dogs in masses, because of the overpopulation. It has been done before and they are planning to do it again, only this time a lot of people have raised to protest against this atrocity.

A photo from one of the protests. From www.adoptiicaini.ro.

What the pro-euthanasia people have to say
 

There is a phobia (rational or not) of dogs, especially stray dogs. People mistakenly believe that these are savage beasts, intent on harming humans at any given chance. They often quote the case of a woman bitten by stray dogs who eventually died because of the wounds. They claim it should be a "survival of the fittest" and that for one person, they have to commit genocide.

Of course, stray dogs will leave a lot of dirt on the streets and it is unpleasant. Taking care of them in shelters costs quite a lot, so most of them are still out there, in packs, trying to survive. Every person who feeds these dogs is frowned upon (at least).

What the sensible minds respond to all this

I myself can say that the majority of stray dogs will not attack people unprovoked. None of the ones I've seen (and there are plenty in my neighbourhood) are violent. Most are frightful, which is understandable, and some are even friendly. The only problems we've had were a menacing bark at Aschiuta from dogs protecting their territory. They rarely get close and try to bite her and if I'm alone, they don't even flinch.

If we can accept having dogs on our streets, population control can be done through spaying and neutering stray dogs. It is actually cheaper than euthanising the dogs (sterilising costs 15 euros, euthanasia 62 euros). I'm sure readers from more civilised countries agree that is the best solution.

Moreover, the whole action is illegal, contradicting the animal rights here in Romania.

What can be done?

There have been two protests against the euthanasia law the past couple of weeks. There is also a petition addressed to the Parliament, asking for the law not to be passed. The petition can be signed online here.

Adoption is always a great solution. I cannot stress it enough. Our streets are full of stray dogs needing homes, still I see almost only breeder-bought dogs being walked by their owners. Aschiuta was once on the street too and if we had the means to, we'd adopt another dog too. What we did, others can do too.

I have heard about a lot of programs for free or low cost spaying/neutering. We talked to one of the shelters here about trying to get our neighbourhood dogs sterilised this spring. I do hope we'll still have what to spay and neuter...

Our new neighbour

There is a new neighbour in the block of flats. He's quiet and doesn't disturb anyone. Even if he's very shy, he easily warms up to nice people and he has a sweet personality. He's not a person though.

Doorstep dogs

I've told you before in the post On the streets that there are a lot of stray dogs where I live but that some people take care of some of them. They are allowed to sit in the entrance of buildings and you might even see a little rug or piece of cardboard put there for them. The pet store is close and you often see dog food in a corner, left by a nice person.

The old black dog

A few weeks ago, we've seen a big black dog sitting outside of the building we live in. It was night and a bit cold, so Scorp opened the door for him to get inside. We've seen that dog a couple of times there again, brought him some food on occasion. He didn't seem too attached to the place though and he came and went.

He's been inside a bit more often when it got very cold, sitting under the letter boxes. Once there were some fries in front of him from someone, but I don't think he ever ate them. He gulped down the kibble I brought him though.

The injury

Some people are simply stupid or mean or both... I'm sad to say that we suspect someone hurt the poor dog when he was inside one time. He has been limping ever since, unable to put his hind paw down. He never barked at anyone, let alone try to bite people. He was like a little old beggar, rolled into a ball, trying to get shelter and warmth and looking at people with sad eyes, hoping to get some food.

I don't know who or how carried him up the stairs to the first floor, but we found him there and he's been there almost every night. I think that when he isn't around, someone living on that floor might have taken him inside.

I was walking up the stairs with Aschiuta one evening after going for a walk. The power was out, so we couldn't take the elevator and it was pitch black. We ran into the old dog and Aschiuta and him started sniffing and wagging tails, because they knew each other. I was trying to walk further in the dark with one crazy dog on a leash and another limping one following us, stumbling and talking to them. A door opened, but nobody came out and they closed it back when I started climbing up to the second floor. Maybe they were worried about the dog... I hope they were taking care of him.

Scorp and I went and left him food a bit more often, but he was hurt and very skinny. We were very sad we couldn't take him in, but my mother can hardly accept Aschiuta, let alone another dog...

I do believe people are also taking care of him, because the floor is clean and they are letting him sleep in front of their doors. And I'm almost sure he can't climb up or down with that leg... So I hope they take him inside sometimes.

It's really sad to see such a lovely dog in that situation, but I'm happy someone is taking care of him and maybe his story will turn into a happier one.

Happy holidays everyone... Don't forget about the less happy among us.

Mommy's little girl?

We've all heard about the Oedipus complex and how children seem to get  more attached to the parent of the opposite sex. It's a simple way of saying that opposites attract and that we admire the people that have what we could never get.

But enough philosophy. I know that I was always closer to my dad, but that's simply because I preferred his personality and attitude to mom's. He was always patient and he didn't treat me like I was a stupid kid. Dad was the fun parent, he read me stories, we played computer games and he forgave my little mischiefs. Mom ,on the other hand, was the one that had to make me do the boring stuff, like eating, baths and homework. So we were arguing a lot back then.

A panicking mommy

Aschiuta was my very first "indoor pampered dog". Before that, the most interaction I got with dogs was feeding and giving water to grandma's guard dogs. The only "making friends" with those dogs was not getting barked at when visiting my grandma.

They kept saying that getting a puppy would be like having to take care of a little kid. I didn't expect it would really be that way, but I was in for a surprise.

When we got her, she was about one or two months old and she probably ate anything she could find. She was sick, nervous and too curious. I was extremely nervous, not knowing how to take care of her and she wasn't potty trained and still not even over the "eat anything that looks edible" stage. I don't think she'll ever be over that one!

She kept me up at night, because whenever she rustled around, I would wake up, worried that she had made a puddle or that she was eating something she shouldn't. Needless to say, I was extremely frustrated and was thinking of giving her away to my grandpa, who lives in a house. But Scorpio convinced me to keep her and I'm glad he did.

The rebel Aschiuta

Since I'd been unemployed and now work from home, Aschiuta had to spend almost all the time with me. Scorpio has to go to work, so they don't get to spend a lot of time together. In a nutshell, I feed her (often make food for her), clean up after her, take her out sometimes and wash her up. Oh, yes, and I play with her too.

But despite all that, I also have to tell her off when she's doing a bad thing, which infuriates her and she bites me, which also leads to more "bad girl, don't do that!". She really has no respect for me and that makes me a bit sad. She's cute and soft and licks everyone else's face, but I get all the bites.
 

Cheeky little dog.

Now, do you see a resemblance here? I also act that way towards my mom. Well, used to at least. We've become better friends lately. But Aschiuta is exactly like me. Doesn't want to listen to what I say and hates it when I tell her off. But all that rebellious attitude won't stop me from being very fond of her.

Daddy's little girl

And, since she has to be so much like me, she will of course be all over Scorp when he comes home or when he plays with her. He's the leader of the pack and we're both aware of that. He's the fun guy who likes to play with the doggie a lot and get lots of doggie kisses.
 

Unbelievably good...

But when he gets angry at her doing something bad, she really stops what bad thing she was doing and makes the "sorry, I won't do it again" face. But of course we don't believe her. She's a rebel doggie after all... She's only a good girl when she sleeps.

On the streets

If you live in a "wilder" neighbourhood, where stray dogs are left alone to roam the garbage and sleep under cars, you must be familiar with the image I'm about to describe.

Taxi - "Comunitaru' ( = The Stray)": this video is actually a satire directed at Romanian politicians and their obsession (at the time the video was made) with stray dogs, when the country has more pressing problems... But don't look too deep beneath the surface, enjoy the video.

I live in a neighbourhood with an especially bad reputation for being dirty and full of pick-pockets and stray dogs. Also, there is a huge parking lot between the buildings, so the local dogs have claimed the place as their own. Their favourite spots: under the cars, next to a small playground, in one of the small gardens around the blocks. One of them has been accepted at the entrance of a block Literally, they have gathered in packs and conquered the place.

Life of a stray dog

The "local dogs" are dirty and full of fleas, some of them have a hurt paw or missing a part of their tail.

Food can be hard to come by, especially with no garbage bins around, but there is enough garbage all around the place to rummage in. For the luckier ones, there is somebody who comes and feeds them and leaves them water.

A stray puppy my parents met on a trip to the mountains

Shelter from the rain isn't hard to find, there are cars to crawl under and roofed entrances to sit on. But the summer heat and the cold and the wind aren't as easy to avoid.

Surprisingly enough, they survive and some of them look almost well-fed.

The pack

As I've said before, the dogs around here gather in packs and are very territorial. People passing by are usually no problem (unless they smell suspicious) and if they have food, they are more than welcome. However, other dogs outside the pack are treated with hostility. They bark at the new dogs, warning that they are getting too close to the pack's territory. They can even get aggressive and try to chase away or bite the intruders.

We sometimes have problems like that, especially from big packs. Groups of two or three will rarely get out of their area, but sit put and bark at Aschiuta. The larger groups however often tend to be very hostile. To avoid any problems, we pick Aschiuta up for protection and maybe even chase the strays away. They have nothing against humans and if you show them some authority, they will back off.

The warning barking can be a bit annoying. Once a dog starts barking, the others that hear it will follow suit. It ends up as a loud concert that will most likely disturb the neighbours...

A little bit of "awww..."

When walking around the parking lot with Aschiuta, we sometimes meet a stray dog alone and then the two dogs can socialise and sniff each other and maybe even play. Aschiuta loves to play. She even tries to go and get friendly with dogs that would most likely bite her if she got too close.

This is how we met some of the local friendly dogs. First, there were the black dog at the other block and a small puppy (maybe related to the big dog). I think the pup got adopted by a child and his family, because I haven't seen it in a long while. The big dog is very friendly and played quite a bit with Aschiuta. He even tried to make advances, but we wouldn't let him, so he hasn't tried again.

Another adorable puppy strayed into the mini pack at the playground. We called her Codita ( = Little tail) because her tail had been cut off. She still wagged her little butt every time we met and acted a lot like Aschiuta. They always played together and became friends. One time, another bigger dog from the pack came and let the little ones sniff and jump around. I had some treats to train Aschiuta and divided them among the three of them. The older dog didn't even touch his share. Later on, Scorp told me that maybe he was leaving it for the puppy. Dogs can really care for their own. After a while, though, we couldn't find Codita at her old spot anymore... I hope she is still ok, maybe someone took her in their home.

Yesterday, as Aschiuta and I were going out for a walk, we had a little puppy following us. Of course, Aschiuta tried to make friends and the puppy was sniffing her happily too. Some passers-by were afraid that, being a bigger dog, Aschiuta would hurt the little one, so I left, to avoid an argument. Soon enough, I could see a man pick up the pup and try to convince people to adopt it.

I'm glad to see that a lot of the people living here are fond of dogs and look out for the strays. Some people though comment that feeding the stray dogs will only encourage them to stay around and make a mess...

Mihai Constantinescu - Iubiti si cainii vagabonzi ( = Love stray dogs too): I couldn't help posting this video... I'm sure a lot of the Romanians reading this will find the song nostalgic. I'm sorry for the audio quality, but this is the only video with actual pictures of stray dogs.

And finally, we couldn't forget our most personal stray story, because before the lively, happy and well-fed doggie that she is now, she once was a hungry puppy on the streets.

This is why I say to everyone, don't invest into "cute slavery"; a dog is not just a pedigree, it's a little soul with a lot of love to give. So if you want to get a dog and are ready to be responsible for it, look on the streets first. There must be one to warm your heart.

This is the story of our neighbourhood strays... They survive how they can and stick together no matter what.

---------------------------

Disclaimer: The videos shown here are the property of their respective owners.