Month 10 of ex-pat living in Spain - a new addition to the family

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Now we’re quite settled in Spain and after the intensity of working so much over the summer period, we feel we are in a good space to start thinking about adopting a wee doggy. It’s been hard to see the adverts in the local newspapers and online and not run out and get one straight away. We finally arrange to go and see a man about a dog on the Wednesday afternoon, as we are both off work and so it seems the best time to do it. We’ve already bought a lead and a collar so are definitely hoping we can take our newest member of the family home with us today J

We have absolutely no idea what to expect when we arrive, or even an idea of what we are looking for. We just hope we know when we see the one. As a dog lover the rescue centre is a pretty tough place to be as there are so many dogs everywhere, and they are all howling and whining looking for your attention in the hope of being taken out of this forbidden place. Some look like they have already given up and then there are the puppies who look so helpless and sad. Sure enough, within the first minute I am already crying my eyes out. We take our time and have a good look around all the different cages, observing who the dominant ones are and which ones bark a lot. We spot a few that could be potentials but without actually meeting them we won’t know how they react to us. Trying to organise this though is quite difficult based on the fact there is a language barrier there, and also because the volunteers and staff look so busy trying to look after all the dogs. We spot a cute, chocolate coloured medium-sized dog in one of the cages which looks like a lab cross and it has these deep eyes that make you just melt. We go over and immediately he puts his paw up to touch us. We think this could be the one, but then the next minute another dog comes over and he growls and barks at it to get lost and it really puts us off! So we wander round some more and see a sandy coloured smaller sized dog which looks like a beagle cross. It’s sitting with its head on the side of the cage just waiting patiently in the hope of being rescued. He has a red scarf round his neck and it turns out he is actually a runaway and they are hoping the owner will contact them to come and pick it up. We don’t want to take a dog that could then be found and taken away from us and we are confident that even if the owners don’t come back, someone else will adopt him quickly, so we rule him out too.

We eventually track down and manage to get talking to one of the volunteers who is currently sorting out some of the bigger dogs in a cage which are quite scary and dominant looking. She points to a really timid but beautiful dog at the back of the cage standing away from all the others. He looks terrified and not sure what to do and it seems the other dogs bully and intimidate him. I feel so sorry for him, especially as when the volunteer takes him out of the cage the other dogs all start jumping on him and he looks like he just wants to disappear. He is much more comfortable when we get him out of the cage and he lets us take him for a walk around the complex without a peep. We ask his name and when she says he doesn’t have one, my heart breaks and then Greg suddenly pops out with the name Nacho (a name we’d said a few days ago was quite cute, and of course a tribute to my favourite rangers player who happens to be Spanish). And that’s it set in stone. The volunteer starts calling him Nacho and we know we just have to take him. He looks like a dog who truly needs to be rescued, loved and cared for.

After doing the paperwork we are free to take him and he sits in the car good as gold. Although at one point he lets out the smelliest fart ever, but that seals the deal that he belongs in the McWhinnie household! Once home we need to go and buy a dog bowl and bed for him as of course we haven’t already prepared for that! He’s ok in the house, although understandably a bit nervous and unsure of where to go and what to do with himself. We try our hardest to get him to lay on his bed, but he has no interest in it whatsoever and opts to lie on the hard floor instead. It’s so sad to see but I guess we have to be patient. He’s also unsure of the food we give him and doesn’t eat it straight away. But eventually his hunger gets the better of him and he eats it all up.

Going to bed is nerve-wracking as we have opted to keep him in the living room with the door shut as we think it’s important to establish boundaries and rules from the beginning (and the last thing we need is him disturbing us in the bedroom every 2 minutes pacing up and down or trying to sneak in with us!). We leave the light on for him and then sneak through to the bedroom, and he whines for about 15 minutes but then stops and starts to settle down. It’s hard not to go through and comfort him but I know the best thing to do is leave him as otherwise he’ll know if he whines he’ll get attention from us. I get a stilted sleep as I’m up checking he is ok every hour. He sleeps behind the living room door which is made of misted glass, so I can at least see his outline and know he’s ok which is a comfort. We half expect when we get up that he’ll have done the toilet in the house, but the clever boy hasn’t. We take him out and he drags us over to do one of the longest pees ever. Unfortunately he can’t seem to lift his leg and manages to pee all over his front paw! He’s still a bit anxious around the house but getting a bit more used to us and has even started to learn commands like sit, wait and lie down (in Spanish I may add, although we praise him in English, so he is a bi-lingual dog haha).

On the Friday we have to take him back to get his vaccinations and worming tablets and the vet informs us that he is actually still a pup of about 8 months old! So that’s why he can’t lift his leg when peeing, and it also explains why he is quite small for his breed (which is a german shepherd/collie cross). So basically with that combination he is going to be one super intelligent but restless and energetic dog- great! Apparantly he will gain another 5 – 10kg!!! He’s rather sluggish for the rest of the day (unsurprisingly) but he still wants to play with the other dogs when we take him out and eats his food first time (we’ve started adding a little bit of water to it to make it easier to digest), which is a good sign.

On Saturday morning we wake up to a very different picture and not a good one. Nacho has done about five number 2’s all over the living room, mostly diarrhoea. You can see he feels guilty about it and looks for reassurance from us which we give him as it’s not his fault, it’s obviously a reaction to the tablets he had yesterday. It’s slightly worrying there seems to be a little blood in one of the poos, so we vow to keep an eye on the situation. He eats his food normally, but when I take him to the toilet later, all that comes out is runny water which is mainly red blood which is rather worrying. This continues for the rest of the day, but he seems fine apart from the diarrhoea. We both have to work Saturday night which is the most tense and anxious shift of my life. Greg finishes early so goes back to check on him and informs me he has had diarrhoea in the house again, poor wee soul.

By Sunday afternoon Nacho still has his diarrhoea and is also starting to look sluggish and when I try to take him for a walk he just lies down and won’t move L we know something isn’t right so decide we’ll take him to the vet the next day. However, when I’m at work that afternoon, I notice I have 5 missed calls from Greg so I know something is terribly wrong. When I speak to him he explains Nacho has taken a turn for the worse and has vomited and now seems unable and unwilling to move. He has no focus and doesn’t even want dog biscuits when offered. So we rush him to the vets at the rescue centre who decide to keep him in overnight for observation. That Sunday night is one of the most stressful we’ve had. All I keep thinking is he must think we have abandoned him back at this awful place again and will be so sad and lonely. Once again I can’t stop crying and feel we have failed as foster parents after only a few days. We thought having a dog was meant to lower stress and make you feel happier! We pray he is ok through the night and it’s nothing serious.

Greg phones the vet the next morning who tells us he is doing ok and we can go and collect him that afternoon which is such a relief. It’s along few hours before we can go and get him, but I am so excited to be getting our baby back. When we get to the rescue centre we hunt down the manager to ask about nacho and she tells us the vet is currently putting the dog down. I don’t actually know this is what she has said, but the look on Greg’s face tells me something is seriously wrong. She shrugs her shoulder and tells us that’s sometimes the only option when a dog is really not well. Now Greg is panicking and tells her only a few hours ago we were told he was doing fine. The penny drops and she then reassures us it isn’t our dog being put down! The vet is just busy with someone else’s dog at the moment. I am hugely relieved although feel heartbroken for the poor woman who leaves in floods of tears. Dogs touch your heart so strongly and I can feel her sorrow. Eventually we get to see our wee Nacho and although looking much better, he is still a bit tired looking and also not too happy with us it seems for leaving him.

Over the next few days, with the help of antibiotics and diarrhoea relief tablets, he gets better and better and our bond is growing stronger and stronger. He has started sleeping on his bed and actively coming over to look for hugs and attention. He seems comfortable in our presence and a lot happier. The best feeling is when we leave the house and then when we return later he is so excited to see us, and it makes it all worthwhile. He is definitely my dog as we soon realise he has a lack of spatial awareness, always bumping his head and he evens manages to walk into a glass door, twice!

Unfortunately after a week of getting better, he starts to get diarrhoea again and then the blood reappears. We head back to the vet who informs us it may well be a strong resistant type of worm he has in his intestines. So back to more worming tablets, antibiotics and probiotics, and all for the bargain price of 67 euros! Well there goes any social life and treats for us then. It’s hard to see him in pain even though I know in the long term it will make him better. All we can do is hope the problem solves itself and he is a happy and healthy boy.

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[Andra]

My dream in Spain
Spain will always be special and will remain in my heart, I really worked and lived intensely in Barcelona for 14 years , was one of the most extraordinary experiences of my, today my travel experience is here http://www.plumtravel.ro/category/destinatii-europa/