Elizabeth's Journey with TAG. Part 5 - Frodo

This is the last post  of Elizabeth's journey with TAG, and one which shows such patience and love for these dogs.  I hope you have enjoyed these stories as much as I have.  Thankyou so much Elizabeth for all you do and for taking the time to share with us.



Frodo with Robert at the TAG shelter

Frodo was found with his mother and siblings at a few weeks old. Karen was feeding the mother but when she returned some of the pups had been removed. She decided to take the remaining pups with their mother to the shelter. We met Mum and pups when we visited in February of that year. Mum is a pointer ( and now adopted by Karen's Mum) and there were 3 pups. They were safe now and healthy looking pups.

However that Spring a terrible illness came to the shelter carried by bugs and it attacked the most vulnerable - the puppies. I don't want to dwell on this as it was hard for Karen and supporters. By then we had named Frodo but Karen was losing her pups ( although she had them at home and was caring for them day and night) and the last puppy hanging on was Frodo. When the pups began to pass blood Karen knew the worst was happening and this was happening to him. Mustafa took him to the vet to end his suffering. Karen was exhausted and distraught; we were all in tears and so far away and helpless.

Two days later Karen went to pay the vet and walked in and who should be sitting in a cage but Frodo! Joy of joys. The vet and Mustafa had tried , without Karen's knowledge, to save his life although his heart stopped- he had a cardiac arrest- and not wanting to build up Karen's hopes fruitlessly, decided to keep quiet about him to see what would happen. He was injected into his heart to get it going again. It worked and Karen and all the supporters were overjoyed. I was in tears at home, but now we all felt this was the  turning point - the worst was over.

Frodo became shy , introverted and timid after his ordeal  and lost a lot of trust in men. He loved Karen and Mustafa but he held back from others , skirting round the edge of the shelter when visitors came. He, above all of them, needed one on one now. He did seem to have a sense of humour and would run up to Karen and Mustafa and give them a nip on the bottom and run away or smile- raising his lips to them.

After much discussion with Karen we decided to try to bring him home the following year. We didn't know how it would go but NOW was the time he needed attention before he grew much older.If ever a dog needed his own family , this was the one.

  So at 18 months Karen got him into the van and he arrived in the UK in November 2012 with Zorro and Milas. He was a worry as he was so scared he would not come out of the cage all the way across Europe  and Karen hand fed him to keep his strength up. He was the last one to come out of the van and I man-handled him- not a pretty sight- into our jeep with Zorro and took off quickly so Karen - who was now tired from the journey and very worried about him having a heart attack ( after what he'd been through) could rest. She was in tears leaving her very precious bundle.

We drove up the road and the dogs slept but by Aberdeen Frodo was peeping at cars in the traffic and at one set of traffic lights he had the people behind waving at him as his head would rise and peep then disappear. Unusual , I thought!

 

Robert lifted him into the chalet with Zorro and we let them eat and sleep in peace. If you have read about Zorro he soon left Frodo behind in the chalet and after Frodo came out to the house to look in and Toorki barked at him that was the last we saw of Frodo outside all winter.  He was isolated and I spent as much time as I could with him  but felt I needed more help. Lorna, a neighbour and dog  behaviourist had helped me with Toorki so I asked her over. Frodo was in the chalet's  main room but hiding under a table , leaning against the far wall and as far from us as possible. Lorna told me to go in as much as possible and sit with him but NO eye contact whatsoever. I trusted her and so continued with my time with Frodo but time was passing and he seemed no happier or friendlier.

 

Lorna kept saying IT WILL HAPPEN  and when it does he will be amazing. I asked friends in to visit and we'd bring our coffee with us and chat - never looking at him. Milas arrived in February and went in with him. She is nosey so would jump on the table to look out of the window. One morning the table was knocked over so I took the chance to remove it. No roof now on his cave. He toileted on paper and always ate his food heartily but when I took Milas out he began to try to follow but only as far as the room door. He had now been 3 months inside and I worried about his muscles wasting but what could I do? Some people said Just make him! But I couldn't - it had to be done with love and patience.

 

Willie- our young lab, had always been a friend to him. Totally confident he had charged in , Hi Frodo , want to play ? And gradually he got him playing. I thought this could be a wonderful opportunity so when Willie was beside him I sat at the other side and patted Willie and gradually my hand touched Frodo and he thought it was Willie. More and more I did this daily until I could touch him and he began to like it. He then wanted to move and follow Willie and one day when I left he came and peeped out of the door. This is now March.  Every time he came to the door I'd turn my back on him and gradually he came out. By April he would come out for  20 seconds then run in. We called it recharging his bravery batteries.

 

Then , quite unexpectedly he began to look for me and come to me - and just as Lorna said- love me. I was totally unprepared for the avalanche of love when he saw me - throwing himself on me and wiggling and wriggling under my hands. He SO wanted contact with me and I would rub and rub his back , grooming him with my hands. From May on he has improved so much. With the better weather his door is open and he has trained himself to be clean, runs out if he hears me and sometimes even comes out if I'm sitting outside with someone else.

 

Now he is out with me all the time, still playing with Willie and running as if his life depends on it. He is SO happy - I have never seen such a happy dog. I feel I should wear armour in the morning as he meets me and putting on his collar takes ages while I try to hold him still enough to get it over his head. He laughs - teeth bared in a smile- while the body is twisted and turned and he bangs himself on his sides with his tail. As I walk his head is in my hand, nudging and pushing. He always has a road clear so he can , at any time, run for shelter to his cave. If people are around he still needs his bravery batteries recharged but Willie and he run and play and wrestle.

 

His whole demeanour has changed. He was a tiny bundle , cowering in a corner and all legs but now he sits upright, leaps over everything in his way, his head is held high and he has muscled up beautifully.

 

We have a long way to go but he has added such joy to our lives. Yes, I say us as he has gradually accepted Robert is part of the family too - but will never be like Mum!  I'll see Lorna again and see about clicker training as it worked so well with Toorki. He makes me laugh- he can be SO daft and silly and loveable. I want everyone to see the Frodo I see and I want him to be brave and know humans are friends.

..........................................

If you feel you are someone who can give a  loving home to one of the dogs rescued from the streets of Turkey, please contact us.   Thankyou

Elizabeth's Journey with TAG...Part 3 - Morse, Lazy Hound and Zorro.

You will notice in the BLOG that there are many council dog pounds in Turkey. They are cold, frightening places with no outlook or love for the animals.

The dogs are hungry most of the time or are fed stale leftovers or bread, have no toys or chews and have no beds or blankets to lie on. They sleep on concrete- roasting in summer and freezing in winter in small , cramped pens. They exist in  an unloving atmosphere. Many are heart-breaking places with desperation etched into the dogs' faces- desperation for food, desperation for  love and desperation for  a gentle touch.

Morse, Lazy Hound and Zorro came from such a place in Turgutreis.



What keeps these dogs' souls alive? In a word VOLUNTEERS- wonderful people who choose to go along to care for the cats and dogs.

They pet them, hug them, walk them and fight for a better life for them. I call them the Turgutreis Angels.

One such person asked Karen if they could advertise a 3 legged dog on the TAG site. Karen , of course, said yes, go ahead and I saw Morse. I knew EXACTLY who would love him and give him a better life. Morse's crime? - to have 3 legs and he had been 5 years in Turgutreis.  He now lives in Aberdeenshire with Norma and Corey and is SO happy.

Morse



Morse with Corey

The next dog I heard about had been 8 years in Turgutreis. His crime?- to have runny eyes.
Another dog old Lazy Hound's crime? -to have grown  stiff and sore with old age after being kept on concrete for many, many years.

 

Two Turgutreis angels ,Sharon and John, who would walk them  twice a week, had promised Morse , Zorro and old Lazy Hound  when they left Turkey that they wouldn't forget them and do everything they could to get them out and into loving homes. We made contact and  I told them we'd take Zorro home to us and Karen said she'd take Lazy Hound to the TAG shelter to have a better life.
 

Karen then helped us , when I arranged to take Zorro out of Turgutreis , to have him in the TAG shelter to build up his strength for the long journey to the UK.

 

In April 2012 we excitedly drove to Turgutreis to pick up Zorro. He had been washed and groomed and taken to the vets for injections by Jayne, Mandy, Trev and Maria (Turgutreis Angels). They were excited too for old Zorro and so happy for him. I signed the papers to release him and he jumped into the car with complete strangers like us , never looked back and set off for his new life at the TAG shelter.

Zorro leaving Turgutreis shelter after 8 years

Initially we had him in with Lazy Hound but the two old sparring mates argued and fought together so they were separated. Poor Karen lost a precious kennel to Zorro and I'll always be grateful to her for sorting out the two old grumps!! My other problem was Zorro would jump into any water and empty it- can you imagine how precious the water is?  And he's throwing it over his head!
 

I visited my boy again in September and he was one of the gang- running free in the middle of the shelter and being his busy self.

Zorro has a purple tongue - surely a throw back to a chow?-and very thick coat ( probably saved his life in Turgutreis)- and he is at least 10 years old but completely unbowed with what life had up to now thrown at him. He was fatter and his coat was thicker and his right eye was less runny. Bless his heart.

 

He left Turkey in November 2012 and came across Europe with Karen safely. She whispered to me he was the only one in the van who would not do his toilet in the van but wait and wait to go out on his leash. And this guy had had to do his toilet on a concrete pen for 8 years. Bless his heart. 

The Turgutreis Angels tried to find the papers of what had happened to him and why he landed up there but it was too long ago. He has a number tattoo in his ear- something they used to do years ago.

 

He arrived home after a long journey for us  from Folkestone up to Aberdeenshire with Frodo ( another story) and accepted his new life with ease. We had already our 2 black labs, our rescue collie and Toorki in the house, so had Frodo and Zorro in the chalet to rest and recuperate. Zorro decided otherwise and barked and barked and stood looking into the house because he was going to be a house dog for evermore. After a week he came into the conservatory but barked and barked and after another  week came into the kitchen/dining room where it was hot with the Aga. He barked and barked and after a week he came upstairs into the bedroom at my side of the bed. He has never left my side- he is my self -appointed guardian angel, but at least has let me go to the toilet on my own , at last!!!  Bless his heart.

 

Zorro , Zozzie or Zozzicle- which he answers to, has gone from strength to strength. His eyes are almost 100%- I give the left one a little clean every morning; he has a new Mum who he has to guard and he is the grumpy old man when the young dogs get out of hand. Stop that- he growls - behave yourself- and reminds me so much of Mr Badger in Wind in the Willows. A good, old soul. He is at my feet as I write and he has wound his way round our hearts with his funny tongue, his infectious , laughing face and his love of water. We thankfully have a splooshing pool for all his watery desires. 

May you live well and long with us Zozzie. Bless his heart.

Zorro...free at last



 

Elizabeth's Journey with TAG...Part 2 Toorki

Toorki's story.

 

 

Toorki arrived with Princess Ruby and was called Peanut. He was to stay with us a few weeks- a big, quiet, Anatolian cross who loved to run. Thankfully we have fencing round our croft -built a few years before to keep my Mum and her little dog safe  as she walked him as she suffered from dementia.

 

Toorki was initially aloof, didn't like anyone touching his neck/collar and stayed back from showing  emotion. He had been boarded in kennels in Bulgaria and would walk on concrete but not grass. What we initially thought was disobedience was actually him being scared of the feel of grass under his feet.

 

The adoptive couple never saw Toorki -or Peanut-as he was still called- as the whole adopting process fell through and Karen called one Saturday to ask if we'd take him for our own. We had been standing back , knowing he was to go soon, so now we could set about getting his training on course and love him. We clicker trained him with tasty morsels of chicken so that we could touch/hold his neck easily  and he'd come to us. He was highly intelligent and very easily trained. He gave me a few scares though when he jumped the fence before he trusted us completely.

 

He had been picked up by Karen as the villagers where he was, had been going to shoot him for  chasing hens. He had been tried at another home in Turkey but that lasted only 24 hours .  Toorki ( Ataturk is his Sunday name) was ours now and knowing he was going nowhere else turned this quiet , unemotional , standoffish dog into the long-legged, loving, obedient, loyal friend he is today.

 

  Everyone loves him and he has been a wonderful teacher to our young  labrador Willie, letting him climb over him, pull him and play with him- he has SO much patience and a quiet dignity and quite a regal bearing. A wonderful dog.


Toorki with Jenny

Toorki with Robert


 



Toorki, Zorro, Frodo and Milas    



 

 

Elizabeth's Journey with TAG . Part 1..Ruby

Elizabeth and her husband Robert are loyal supporters of TAG.  They have fostered and adopted from TAG.  Elizabeth's journey with TAG will be published in 5 parts and I am delighted that Elizabeth has provided me with these stories.  Here is Part 1:

Princess Ruby's story.

In 2011 Robert and I were married for 40 years and had not decided what to do to celebrate. We were in Turkey in February and as always surrounded by cats as we sat outside in the warmth. One in particular was visiting and she stayed the whole week whilst I combed and combed her matted and dirty fur. We worried about her and in April when we returned we looked for her. We were leaving on the Sunday and on the Thursday she turned up. She had kept herself clean and was SO happy to see us, bedding down in a little wicker basket. Then I knew what I wanted for my Ruby wedding present- I wanted her.

Action stations! On Saturday we had arranged to get her to the vet and Karen was going to look after her for us. As it happened Ruby needed Karen as her stitches burst and Karen - in her usual hands on way- demanded the cat was seen to immediately whilst she stood by and supervised. Ruby then went to Karen's apartment then on to  Bulgaria with another 20  cats with Karen and a friend and happily Ruby could be fast-tracked across Europe as all her injections etc were done.

 

I remember my last sighting of her frightened face when I told her, "This is the start of a long, long journey."

 

She arrived at the end of the year in a van with a big, shepherd cross called Peanut. We had decided to foster this dog for Karen as the adoptive couple weren't ready. The animals  could come as far as Yorkshire so I organised a neighbour to go and pick them up for us as we were both working. Ruby arrived and never looked back. Everyone goes with Ruby's rules- no dog will pass her on the stairs as they get a click on the leg for passing by! She sleeps most nights on my head!  She is aloof with the other 3 cats and SHE eats first. She LOVES people and purrs for most of the night.

 

....................................................

 

Look out for Part 2 ... Toorki's  (Peanut) story.