Spain update June 2023
Friday the 2nd of June 2023
It is barely 8:00h when we leave for Talavera with on board of the van: Hortense who will be operated on her front leg, Honorine and Honoré who will be thoroughly checked for the last time and Amadeus and Loulou who come along as supporters. When we drive onto the highway it is busy on the usually calm highway. It is a typical but early Friday rush of “weekenders” fleeing Madrid Dirk says. Like about two weeks ago the menacing dark sky with heavy clouds full of sky water does not bode well. Anyway, it is needed for nature that is craving to drink and after two weeks of heavy rain it is still not saturated. Upon our arrival at Talavera, it is as busy as on the highway due to road works at the traffic roundabout where we must take the exit to Dr. De Frutos. The main reason is the Spanish who think the turn signal is superfluous… It is a national problem which makes everything even more complicated. Fortunately, we arrived on time, and we hurried to the clinic before the heaven locks opened fully and we arrived together with Teresa. Because I walk unsteadily on cobblestones Dirk runs back and forth twice. Hortense, who perfectly knows what is waiting for her, does not want to go inside without insisting and remains grumpy when Dr. De Frutos shows her operated leg to a visiting colleague with accompanying explanation When she must go on the scales, she stays unruly, and she resists when she is taken to the operation quarter for preparation. Meanwhile Dr. De Frutos thoroughly examines Honorine and Honoré and concludes that they are both perfectly healthy. This means that this afternoon we will take photos for the website. Without notice Dirk can pick up Hortense at 18:30h. We will then have driven more than 150km today… Including Monday the “Talavera Express” has driven this week 300 km. Before that time, we took photos of puppies Honoré and Honorine. Hopefully they will find a family for the last ride of this summer which is planned for the 15th of June. If not the 2 cute toddlers will have to wait for 2 months before going “home”. Anyway, Dirk leaves at 18:00h for Talavera to pick up Hortense and 10 minutes later he calls telling that he is in a traffic jam due to a flood. In the meantime, it is raining cats and dogs here and I close the conversation with “be careful”…
Saturday the 10th of June 2023
After more than a week of rain and more rain it is finally sunny this morning, light at the end of the tunnel! It is a blessing for Hortense and Henri who are still taken care of daily and who get a new bandage that is always wet when they go outside for a sanitary stop. It is also a blessing for the puppies Honoré and Honorine, who meanwhile hopefully have found a forever home in Belgium, and for our dogs who have been bad tempered for 8 days because they must stay constantly (voluntarily) inside as all galgos do not like to walk in the rain. Must it be said that it is also a blessing for us that they at last can lie down in the sun instead of arguing with ten about who is going to lie down in this donut or that sofa, sigh… Fortunately the end is near, and all have found their place. Hortense can continue to recover with regional manager Yolanda, Henri with regional manager Kevin, oldie Henriette goes to Marianne, and both the puppies have been adopted together with another 14 lucky ones. So far for the “small” adoption day that will take place on Friday the 16th of June. In fact little time is left to rest for the drivers who, after their nightly stop at Doornik and arrival at Hof Rosa Canina can only rest for a couple of hours. Then the adoption day starts and the next day we must go to Lommel in Limburg where Marie-Thérèse, Yolanda and Kevin are preparing the walk for Sunday the 18th of June in venue Den Horst where GINB is welcomed for the 15th time.
Wednesday the 28th of June 2023
In the meantime, Dirk and Martine “Buffalo” arrived on Tuesday the 13th of June. Dirk is Dirk’s co-driver and Martine is my co-traveler to fly back to Belgium. On Thursday the 14th of June the Dirks leave at 10:00h with their passengers. About 11 hours after their departure from Casa Belgica and 8 hours after our departure to Barracas, the Madrid airport, I was dropped off at 21:00h in De Pinte and the driver continued with Martine to Hof Rosa Canina. For Martine and me and for the “Dirks” after a long ride and the nightly arrival with the “elected” ones in Hof Rosa Canina, the “small” adoption day was on the agenda that would take place on Friday a few hours after their arrival… The agenda was disturbed by the fact that Amadeus choked and could not breathe anymore because his big lungs filled up. Dirk who just arrived home was called before he could go to bed and was informed that Kris Saenen was on the way to our veterinarian who is living a few minutes from our home and thus he left. To return an hour later with the message that Amadeus was hospitalized and felt much better already. At 8:00h we left for Hof Rosa Canina for the adoption day and 15 minutes later Bert, our veterinarian, was also there to check as usual all dogs before the start of the adoption day. Amadeus was recovering. It was serious, very serious, the veterinarian said but he will be fine. He will be fine, he emphasized before he left. I had a bitter feeling, but I dragged myself through the adoption day, I had photos taken with the adopters, I congratulated them with their new family member and I was sitting together with co-workers who were all convinced that Amadeus would be fine…
On Saturday, the day after, I was expected in the morning at the neurologist who in the past was present at our wedding party. Despite a 4-months’ waiting period, the doctor could see me sooner, for our friendship’s sake… Mainly because I had not progressed and by experience, he knew that I always wait too long to contact him because GINB comes first. After a pleasant reunion and a long conversation followed by a less pleasant examination of my brainstem, I was requested to return on Wednesday the 20th of June for a scan, a check-up and thereafter again a consultation. During the entire waiting time I had asked Dirk if there was news about Amadeus, not so. No news is good news I thought. When after saying goodbye to the doctor and after a hospital coffee we went back into the van Dirk unexpectedly said emotionally that Amadeus had passed away in the middle of last night. Bert stayed with him, and he was very emotional when he called Dirk. I did not hear what he said anymore because my head was pounding, and I did not want or could not believe it. I said “you do not mean it” but alas it was true … Desperately I screamed and cried from Ghent to Lommel because we must directly drive from the hospital to Limburg for the walk. No matter how deep my grief was I must go there. During the whole way I sobbed in disbelief. Amadeus my great comfort, our great comfort after the sudden loss of Leopold was gone. He was barely 7 months old and died in an equally terrible way as Leopold. Bert had insisted not to come to greet him because a dog who had suffered so much was not a pretty sight. We still could not comprehend why. To punish and make suffer a kind, sweet, affectionate, and beautiful animal while so much evil goes unpunished is unfair. After a terrible sleepless night, I put my war colors on and before we left, I asked Dirk to ask the co-workers not to talk about Amadeus. Upon our arrival in the beautiful, decorated room (thanks to the co-workers) where the first adopters were already present, the co-workers kept their promise. Dirk stood in the bar, and I did what I could. I welcomed the participants, chatted, and walked around but now and then I must hide because it did not work. My apologies, I hope for your understanding as I am just a human being, a person with a lot of sorrow. Still…
On Monday we arrived again in Spain and with your consent I stop for a while with the updates because most of our readers are on vacation and during that time, they will have better things to do than reading my updates. In case there is sensational news I will let you know.
Thank you for reading this.
Sincerely,
Mireille
