We received a heart warming story of a mother and her two sons from Telma Shaw of Oceanside, California.
Mike and Telma Shaw are parents to three rescued Greyhounds, and now two Galgos from Scooby Medina Shelter in Spain. Telma and Mike have been involved in Greyhound rescue since 1994. More recently, Telma has become involved with GRIN (Galgo Rescue International Network) as a board member, and is loving every moment of helping the needy cousins of the American Greyhounds, the Galgos of Spain.
A MOTHER AND HER TWO SONS
Three Galgos, Ramona and her two sons, Amistad and Ramone, were left locked in a warehouse with no food or water, left to die a slow agonizing death together. Rescuers at Scooby Medina Shelter in Medina del Campo (Valladolid) Spain somehow heard about them and took action just in time. It was reported that Amistad was so weak he could not walk during his first three days at Scooby.
Before their rescue, Ramona had been living near a shanty encampment. They kept her there, barely feeding her. Every year her litter was taken from her. This year the rescuers did not find her most recent litter, but her pups from the previous litter, Amistad and Ramone, miraculously, were still with her.
Ramona had a fractured leg that had been left to heal by itself causing a permanent limp, and she was covered with ticks. The boys had a close bond with her.
At Scooby, Amistad showed signs of frightened submission, rolling over and urinating on himself when anyone approached. But the good volunteers at Scooby, especially one lady from England, took time to slowly show him affection, and his confidence began to change.
Amistad was the last one chosen to come to the U.S. because he was the one who would hide in the back of the paddock with, what was described by a volunteer as "the saddest eyes” she said she had ever seen. It was his break for a new life!
Amistad was brought to the U.S. and is now living the good life in California with me, where he is now an outgoing and lovable Galgo to all. The story continues, as I constantly thought about his brother Ramone who was still at Scooby.
Emails went back and forth and it was decided to bring him with the next group GRIN was planning to rescue. Five months later Ramone landed in Denver. He was to stay with us and his brother in California until a good home could be found for him. Fate would change that also.
The day after he landed in Denver, on his way to California, a wonderful lady heard about his story from a friend, and she contacted GRIN because she had been waiting for one year for the right dog, and she had found him via the internet. It was love at first sight when she met Ramone, just as it had been for me.
Both dogs are the most loving, sweet and wonderful companions imaginable. Now, Ramona, the mom, also has a good life as she is under the protection of Scooby and has the 'privileged' position of "courtyard mama" at the shelter.
One final twist to the story is that I had " virtually adopted" Ramona through Scooby’s Virtual Adoption program two months before I actually adopted Amistad, and without even knowing that I would someday actually be adopting her son as well. It was all in the family, and meant to be!
These three wonderful dogs have made a huge impact on all who know them, and thanks to the volunteers at Scooby who cared, and GRIN (Galgo Rescue International Network) who coordinated their arrival, these three have a wonderful new beginning ..
A reunion is planned in the future for the two brothers whose fate brought them so far and so loved. Stay tuned.
If you would like to help Galgo Rescue International Network to save more galgos like Ramona, Amistad and Ramone, please visit their website at:
http://www.galgorescue.org