Monty’s story......
Lydia Bank’s account:
"From start to finish Monty's rescue took one month.
When we first found Monty he was so frightened he was almost climbing up the walls of the pen where he was being held. Although the pen was supposed to be managed by the Town Hall it had not been cleaned out for months and there was no fresh water. He was with 8 other dogs all waiting to go to Granada to be destroyed.
While a friend and I were at the pen, feeding the dogs, two young gypsy boys appeared and said they looked after the dogs but they didn't clean them out. They said that they came twice a week and tipped food into a shute that filtered down into a feeding trough. They wanted Monty, I think they wanted to use him for fighting, and asked me to catch him for them as they couldn't get near him. I refused.
Each day for the next few days we fed the dogs and gave them fresh water.
We found shelters to take most of the dogs, leaving just the two, Monty and Charlie which we couldn't get near. For their own safety, we opened the gates of the pen and let them loose as we feared the boys would finally catch Monty. Because they were so pleased to see us each day Monty's companion very quickly allowed us to catch him and we also took him to a shelter.
The day after we rescued Charlie, Monty let me touch his nose. The following day I stroked him and on day three I put my arms around him, picked him up and drove him to safety."
After that GPAR stepped in.
JENNY, GPAR Fundraising co-ordinator writes....
Lydia called me about this little Podenco and how worried she was and asked if GPAR could help. I knew that the refuge was at full capacity and a lot of dogs were being fostered in the homes of some of the volunteers until space became available, so I didn't think they could, but I couldn't turn my back.
I contacted Loli who is in charge of the adoption and re-homing and asked her that if we could find a temporary foster home for him, would GPAR be prepared to pay for him to be castrated and for him to have all his injections, and be checked over by the vet- kindly she agreed to this
Our first port of call for a foster home was Doreen - who I knew was at full capacity too, but I called her and she so very kindly said she would take him, as long as GPAR still put him on the adoption website, and he had had all his injections and had been castrated before he came to her.
So 'Mission Monty' began - the timing was critical - catching him, and booking him in for his op, it all had to fit in and Lydia was going back to the UK for a week too. .
It was made a lot easier by the fact that I had suddenly thought of somewhere he could go in between being caught and going to the vet as neither Lydia or myself could take him.
I have some neighbours who now live in the UK and used to run kennels. The house is empty and the kennels perfect so Lydia caught him which was by then quite easy and brought him to the house where he stayed for 3 nights.
My memory of Monty which will always stay with me, was how happy he was with his bed which Lydia had made out of an old box with some blankets in. We popped him in the kennel with this and he just loved jumping in and out of it all the time - surely the first thing he had ever had of his own.
On the day of his op we bundled him into the car (in his bed!) and set off to Rute. He was very scared but we petted him all the way over and talked to him. We left him with the vet and came away and felt very bad - but had to remind ourselves that this was for his own good and after this hurdle, his new life would begin.
When we went back to pick him up - as soon as he saw us he wagged his tail but that soon stopped when the 'lampshade was put on!!! Would he ever forgive us???
Back in the car and then over to Doreen who had kindly offered to take him in straight after, so he could recuperate with her and be settled in one place until such time he might find his forever home!
We all wish him well and a happy life, as his start was not great and no little dog deserves that!
On a happier final note - we have now been assured that the holding pen will be demolished and some friends of mine who were staying at the time and got involved with his rescue, have now become an Amigo de GPAR and have sponsored Monty!
If you would like to adopt Monty and give him his forever home then please contact us on gpar.refuge@gmail.com
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