A sausage-eating contest starting in the background.
We visited the Löytökoiralauantai rescue dog event in Alppila, Helsinki with Una today (http://loytokoiralauantai.yhdistysavain.fi/). It was amazing! As many different kinds of fabulous dogs you can imagine, and even more people who clearly love dogs, whatever size, shape or background! I don’t think if I have ever visited an event with such an intense, positive atmosphere 😀
Taking it all in…
It was a demanding day for Una. She is still apprehensive about strange places, noises and dogs. I decided that we will go there, and leave straight away if it is too much for her. We run into Evgenia and some other people from Elämä Koirille ry at the parking lot already 🙂 When we got to the event site, we found a quiet spot next to a wall outside, and stayed there so Una could get her bearings, feeling safe. At first, she couldn’t even eat her treats, which is a sign of considerable stress. We did our exercises as soon as Una could concentrate on them, since these alter her mood. She was very calm when she learned the exercises, and now she relaxes whenever she does them – clever, huh?! It took a while, but she did start to calm down after a while, and I decided it would be okay to stay.
I had nice discussions with several people about their dogs, and my Una. The amount of love the people have for their rescue dogs was palpable in every sentence and gesture. And everyone was admiring all the different dogs, Una included. And yes, she got a “few” comments about her expressive ears, as Anna so nicely put it some time ago 😉
We also met the person who helped Una with her first swim in Onnenkoira, and we have met her a few times after that. Una gave her an excited, happy greeting 🙂 She was attending the event with one of her rescue dogs, a sweet little thing.
There was an art exhibition, too. Beautiful paintings, skillfully capturing the very essence of dogness!
It was very nice to talk to the people from Elämä Koirille ry. And especially nice to meet someone who knew Una while she was in St Petersburg, Anna’s friend Darya! She is the vet who sterilized Una last January. Darya had two dogs with her, Krendel and April, both looking for a home. I can’t say much about the 7 month old Krendel, he was sound asleep the whole time I saw him 😉
Una with Darya
April, a 1-year old girl, was absolutely gorgeous, I would give her a full 10 for temperament! She was very calm, lying on the floor if no-one was admiring her. And when someone came to meet her, she sat to be petted, gave her paw to ask for more, and delivered discreet kisses. I could recommend April to anyone, based on what I saw 🙂 I hope she finds the best possible home there is! Here are the adverts for April and Krendel:
http://www.elamakoirille.fi/index.php?option=com_sobipro&pid=69&sid=636%3AApril&Itemid=136
http://www.elamakoirille.fi/index.php?option=com_sobipro&pid=69&sid=628%3AKrendel&Itemid=136
Una has slept the whole evening, digesting her busy day 🙂
I am so happy to have my little rescue girl with me. Grateful. That fate had a life together in store for us ❤
Unan uusi elämä - Una's new life 
I’m so upset that I couldn’t join the event…
The person with April and Krendel was Darya, our surgeon, she had sterilized Una! I was going to come together with her, but my new dog is very nerveous and I could not take him with me or leave with someone… Such a pity! I would be so happy to meet you and Una!
I’m thinking of Una every day and she is the best dog I ever meet and I meet a lot of different dogs, despite the fact that she likes to bark at obnoxious people
And I’m sure that to be the owner of a rescue dog is a very grateful thing! The attachment to them is much more than to a prosperous pedigree puppies, I think.
We are doing a very important work. And very grateful!
We would have wanted to see you so much! Una would have gone mad with happiness if she had met you!!!
The reason why you couldn’t come tells me that you love your new rescue dog as much as we both love Una. I have not had the heart to leave Una with anyone else, yet. She has lost the important people in her life many times, and I want to assure her that will never happen again. Only when I have made her very comfortable in my parents’ home, for example, so she is sure I always come back, can I imagine leaving her there overnight.
I think Una is very special, too. Not only because she is my sweetheart, but she really is a very special character. As your friend Darya put it, Una is a very soulful dog. That is beautifully said, and couldn’t be more true 🙂
My heart goes to your new little rescue boy, and I wish your love will heal him, as it did with Una! You are doing an amazing job, working to save the lives of the unfortunate and find them new homes 🙂
No, Una was my great love, there were dogs before and now, but she is the best one for me, really.
And I don’t like male-dogs ((( I just couldn’t leave him for a minute – he crushes the doors and the walls searching for me. I hope he’ll calm down soon. And I couldn’t take him with me – he feels absolutely sick in the car, I have to train him before he’ll become a finnish dog :o))
We called him Janny :o)
Well, then, let me rephrase 😉 Your devotion, with or without the love you have for Una, will definitely be the thing healing little Janny, given time! There are some very efficient techniques you can use to get a dog truly comfortable when he’s left alone (even when the situation is as bad as you describe), but it would take consistent work during which he couldn’t be left alone at all…
I’m not ready! Let new owners do this job, I’m a bad trainer/
I hope he will attract someone very quickly)))
I know, Anna, I’m teasing you 😉 But seriously, I wish there were more possibilities for rescue dogs to get some planned training in the basic skills (living in a home, being alone, walking in a leash and meeting other dogs and people calmly, and so on) before they go to their new owners. I know the resources rarely allow this, but one can dream…
Edit: I run across this today: http://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/separation-anxiety-solution-training-fido-that-calm-behavior-makes-you
I love Dr Yin’s methods, and admire her clear and practical instructions!