And we're off!!

As of last Sunday, this project was officially given the go-ahead, and the first task was to name it. We came up with the idea of 'Operation Perrito', because 'perrito' means 'little dog' or 'doggy' in Spanish. Obviously, as the dogs are coming from Spain, it seemed like a natural choice!

So, what have the working party been up to this week? Well, we have kicked off a social media campaign on FB and Twitter, which is ticking along nicely. In fact, not only did we get a retweet for our cause from Marc Abraham, but we also got not only a retweet, but a follower too in the form of the lovely Kay Burley. Yes, THE Kay Burley from SKY NEWS!! Thank you to both Marc and Kay - your support means a great deal to a wee rescue like ours!

We have also put the word out about the project with our friends on our forum, and we have had a really positive response as a result. Over the next week, we will be looking at various fostering applications, telephoning potential foster homes, and seeing if they can meet the needs of any of the 'Spanish 11'.

I am pleased to announce though that we do already have a confirmed foster home for Svety and Sahir, a very bonded pair. This came about after a lovely couple very narrowly missed out on adopting another pair we recently had on our books, Millie and Lady (who have been successfully rehomed). However, Clare, the head honcho of this project, had the ingenuity to ensure that this lovely couple did not come away empty-handed. And so, Wigan awaits these two little darlings!

We have also confirmed the order in which the dogs will be arriving; the first group of four will be arriving on the 22nd/23rd December, the second group of four will be arriving sometime in January, and the last three will come over here in February.  And guess what? They will all be stopping over at my house!!! However, there is a good reason, aside from my wanting to meet them all!! Quite simply, the company that is shipping the dogs over needed a confirmed arrival point for the dogs. The working party of this project; Clare, Jayne, and myself decided that trying to hand over four dogs at a car park would be awkward and risky.  In addition, as the dogs are going from Seville to Malaga, and then to the UK, we felt that they would need a rest before moving on to their respective foster homes. So, I will be lucky enough to have a pre-Christmas cuddle with them!!

We hope that you enjoyed getting a little insight into 'Operation Perrito'. We will keep you up-to-date each week with its ongoing progress.

Besos,

Vicki xxx

So, who are the dogs? Meet the first arrivals!!

Would you like to meet the dogs themselves? Okay, let me introduce you to the first arrivals!

SVETY AND SAHIR (foster home in place)

A very bonded pair who we will be ensuring stay together.

Sahir is a 2-year-old female. She is very sociable in her pack and is described as an 'energy ball'! She enjoys the company of humans and is calm when left alone, sleeping soundly with her siblings. Like all of the dogs, she is fine with cats (they all live, and sleep with six!!). It is unknown how Sahir is with small children and car travel. 

The delightful duo!

Svety is also a 2 year-old female, and is the tiniest of the group. Like Sahir, she is an 'energy ball'. She is a sociable girl within the pack and loves to play. She is fond of her human counterparts too. She is not really used to going out, so will need help exploring the big, wide world. She is calm when left home alone, spending the time sleeping with Svety and Haru. She is fine with cats. It is unknown how Svety is with car travel and young children. 

HARU (foster home needed)

Haru is a 2-year-old male.  He loves to play with the other dogs, especially his sisters, Svety and Sahir.  He likes a lot of fuss from his human friends.  He is not used to street-walking, but he loves to explore.  He is not opposed to having a trip in the car!  He is calm when left at home, and as with the other dogs, he is fine with cats.  It is unknown how Haru is with young children. 

Haru was born with his eyes open, and is therefore blind.  To prevent repeated infections, his eyes were removed. Having been born with no sight, this is normality to Haru, and he behaves like a normal dog. He maps out his surroundings quickly, adapts to changes reasonably easily, and plays with other friendly dogs and enjoys their company.

GROMIT (foster home needed)

Gromit is an 11-year-old female who wants a quiet life. She keeps to herself at home, but goes out in the pack. She does not show so much interest in people these days, although in her youth, she liked the boys!! She is calm during car trips and is fine with cats.

It is unknown how Gromit is with young children. However, as she prefers peaceful surroundings, we will only consider potential foster homes with older/sensible children who will respect her need for peace and quiet.

If you are interested in fostering any of the 'Spanish 11', please contact us at operationperrito@littledogrescue.co.uk

Welcome to our blog!

Hello, and welcome to the blog charting the progress of The Little Dog Rescue's ambitious rehoming project, 'Operation Perrito'.

If you are not already familiar with the origins of this project via our FB page, Twitter account, or even our forum, allow me to bring you up to speed!

TLDR recently received a call from a British gentleman living in Spain, who is returning to the UK to begin to rebuild his life after losing his wife to illness. They shared a love of dogs, and their adopted dogs moved to Spain with them eleven years ago, where they added to their pack whilst living there. Sadly, he is now faced with having to rehome 11 of these, in order to find accommodation and work back in the UK.

Having attempted to find help through Spanish rescues, and most of the UK's well-known larger rescue centres, he was at his wits' end and feared for the safety of his little family, until he came across the details of The Little Dog Rescue. Whilst 11 dogs from one family was daunting, we heard his story and felt we could work together to help Matt ensure a great life for each and every one of them, and so, 'Operation Perrito' was born.

Click on this picture to see just how adorable we really are!

We invite you to follow this page, charting the journey of these little dogs from their old lives in Spain, to their new forever homes in the UK.