JULY 2021

It was hot in July, also at Finca Noah. That's when you like to take a siesta. 

NEW ARRIVALS

JOHNBOY

Johnboy is a small dachshund mix (according to our Manuela Rapp there could still be Papillon in him), about two years old, 30 cm tall and weighing about five kilos.

Johnboy was rescued from his dreary surroundings by a Spanish woman in a pitiful condition and brought to us after he had to spend a night at the vet before. His little body was completely covered in fleas and flea poop. A glued pile of misery. Johnboy was living, rather vegetating, in a messy apartment among garbage, dog poop, newspapers, boxes, spoiled food, rats and cockroaches.

When Johnboy was brought to us he was scared and unsure. The little guy had hardly seen daylight, was never outdoors. People, other dogs and cats were foreign to him. But Johnboy immediately fell in love with Farah at first contact. She gave him the necessary support, he could trust her. Johnboy has been following Farah ever since. Where Farah is, he is. And when he foolishly loses sight of her, he starts looking for her. Johnboy wormed his way into Farah's heart from the first time he made eye contact. He was also the one who made Farah become unfaithful to her "no dog in bed" principle (hihi).

Johnboy has been with us for about two weeks now. In the meantime he has joined the dog pack more and more and has become a happy, curious and open-minded dog. Farah is still his main caregiver, but when she's not in the yard, Johnboy can now wait without looking for her and howling. He gets along great with the other dogs and with cats. He also seems to be able to trust people more and more.

MURTA

Murta is a Pastor Mallorquin bitch, about ten years old, 66 cm tall and weighing about 32 kilos.

Murta was abused her whole life as a chain and guard dog and as a birth machine. The Swiss woman who brought Murta to Finca Noah told us that a Mallorcan sold his finca with various animals, but the new owners did not want to take over these animals. Murta would have been taken to the killing station for sure, if it hadn't been for this brave animal welfare activist who didn't want to stand by and do nothing. On the occasion of the handover she brought it to the point:

"I am speechless! The story of Murta clearly shows what kind of relationship certain Mallorcans have with animals, which many still consider a commodity. First they give them a life that is not one and when there is no more need and no more profit can be made, nobody cares what happens to the animal. It's so typical!"

Murta is a really great, cuddly, sweet dog. She is very balanced, calm, likes people (also children) and gets along super well with other dogs. Murta loves to be petted and pampered. Going for a walk is a highlight for her. We have yet to see exactly how she feels about cats, but she ignores feathered and hoofed animals. Murta is very attentive and obeys well, but she can't stand bicyclists and motorcyclists.
For this lovely bitch we are looking for a quiet place to live. Murta should live the years she has left in a family that loves her, cares for her, gives her security and a nice home.

ANNIE

Kangal mongrel lady Annie, from Swiss origin, was born in 2015 and currently lives at a private foster home. She is extremely friendly, people-oriented and outgoing. Annie gets on well with people of her own kind, likes most cats and thinks children are great too. She loves to ride in the car, but can also be left alone sometimes. The lovely dog lady is smart, likes to learn quickly and knows the dog ABC well.

For Annie we are looking for a home in Switzerland, where she can start a new phase of her life as a full member of the family. Annie wants caring people who will give her a nice and active life and where she can return the love that is given to her as a family dog. She needs a home with a garden.

Annie is already in Switzerland and is looking forward to your visit if you are interested.

Please contact Nadja Wüthrich under Mobile 0041 76 342 78 63 or e-mail help@animalpolice.ch

THE STREET PUPPIES ON SANTORINI (Greece)

Update: In the next few days, Farah will fly to Santorini to bring the Labrador mix puppies to Mallorca.

Animal Police knows no boundaries when it comes to animal rescue. They even fly halfway around the world for the poor souls.

ALSO...

LUZ

Luz, our Pastor-Mallorquin- Smoochball-mix-bitch, is about ten years old, 67 cm tall and weighs about 28 kilos.

Luz is especially close to our hearts because she has been with us at Finca Noah for over four months now. Unfortunately, she also had to spend her whole life on a short chain. Alone, forgotten on a property without any contact.

But one day her life seemed to take a turn. A Spaniard who drove past the property every day took such pity on the "cuddly" dog that he took her without thinking twice. The problem at that moment was that he couldn't take the dog home with him. Well, there he was, with a bitch in the car, who desperately needed a place to sleep. I don't remember exactly how he got Farah's phone number. In any case, one day a desperate, crying man called asking for quick help. At that time the stay with us was supposed to be temporary, about three to four weeks. The man told about an aunt in Barcelona who runs an animal welfare organization there. He wanted to bring Luz there personally. The first days the man came regularly to the Finca Noah and visited "his" Luz. He brought her treats and toys and often he just sat with her in the kennel. But then the visits became more and more rare and now the man doesn't come at all anymore. When Farah asked what was going on with Luz now, there was no clear answer.

Luz has been with us for over four months now. From the chain to the kennel, so to speak. Is this supposed to be her new life? Doesn't Luz deserve a life in dignity? A life like other family dogs? Should her life begin on a chain and end in a kennel?

We wish for Luz that she can spend the time she has left in a family. A family where she gets love, security, trust, attention and caresses. There must be such a thing!

Luz is a cuddly dog who loves to be with people, but she does not like dogs and cats. Instead she is indifferent to chickens and horses. She loves to look for treats or just sniff. A family with a garden where Luz can go in and out as she pleases would be ideal. Luz is older, but when she gets her mind set on something, wants to follow a trail, or has had enough of a walk, she can be really stubborn - and use up a lot of energy to follow the trail, or get home as quickly as possible. Otherwise, she is more of a slow, leisurely walker who likes to sniff around.

OUR CAT YEARLINGS

Like every year, Mallorca is flooded with countless kittens in spring and autumn (we don't want to talk about the lack of neutering here). So at the moment we have many, many kittens in all sizes, colors and ages at Finca Noah. Baby cats are usually reserved in no time and are gladly adopted. But this month we would like to draw attention to our "yearlings", cats that are more or less one year old now. Because these cute kittens were once babies, but because we couldn't place them a year ago, they are now uninteresting for most cat seekers.

The problem with "no longer baby cats" is that the longer they are in a shelter, the harder it is for them to gain trust with people again. We see this every day with us. We currently have over 100 animals on the farm and unfortunately are always short on volunteers. By the time we have fed all the four-legged and two-legged animals, cleaned the enclosures, done other everyday things and taken the dogs for a walk, it is almost time for the evening round again... Someone who spends hours every day in the cat enclosure and can build up trust with the cats is something we unfortunately have - like all other animal welfare organisations. This is exactly the fate of most "older" cats: their new families want trusting kittens who are cuddly, play and always show up when you come home.

Of the nine cats we have from last year, at least half are "tame" so to speak. Does that now mean that the others will never find a family? Just because we humans, who are around them every day, don't have time for each one?

For our cats we are looking for families who have patience. For whom it does not matter if the cat spends the first weeks somewhere under the bed, because it is afraid, insecure, must first get used to the new situation. Families who don't care that their cat doesn't approach every visitor happily.

Trust with our cats can be built, but it takes time!

UPDATE: KING AND QUEENI

Joy reigns: The two have made good progress! Mike can now give out treats through the kennel gate and I (Nadia) can go into the kennel without both of them immediately fleeing into their wooden box. They are also now more likely to wait anxiously for food at mealtimes, just like all the other dogs. In the past they immediately ran back into their box and only came out again when the kennel was empty again. (Except for Farah. With her it started a few weeks ago that they stopped when she entered the kennel).

Because they were progressing so well, one day we decided to move them into the 300 square metre outdoor kennel so they could get some real exercise. Farah wants to take them for a walk someday, so this would be a small step into the big, wide world. On the day in question, the wolf expert Anne was visiting us with her husband (a dog trainer) and the children. But before we could move the two dogs into the outside kennel, we had to put a safety harness on them. And that's when the problems started. The two had never worn a harness in their lives! Since both dogs were in their wooden crate and we couldn't move them outside, we had to put the harnesses on them in the crate. This was "fun." Farah and I pulled, pushed, lifted, put on - and eventually they both actually had the harnesses on. I should add that - before we put the harnesses on them - we had muzzled them. King let it happen to him, but Queeni didn't find it funny at all. She went wild and tried to take off the muzzle, which she succeeded in doing again and again.

Now we "only" had to bring her out of the box, out of the kennel, across the yard and into the outside kennel (hihi). All this turned out to be not so easy after all. Farah and I were ready, the dogs had harnesses, muzzles (King) and leashes on - we were ready to go. I will never forget that. Both dogs locked up and really locked up. Queeni then started spinning too and the more we pulled, the more the dogs fought back. But Farah and I could not give up. I don't know how it looked with Farah, because I had to concentrate completely on my task. In any case, I pulled King with all my strength on the leash across the yard. And you can believe me, I had to really pull. Farah probably did the same and eventually we did it, we had both dogs in the new kennel. Farah and I were overjoyed. Finally the two of them could exercise, romp around, sniff, mark and - even if only for a short time - live a normal dog life. We let them off the leash. Queeni was the first to lie down in a corner of the kennel, very close to the fence, and stay there. King followed her and lay down next to her. The dogs stayed in the same corner the whole time. King eventually started lifting his head and looking around, Queeni did not. King then also drank, Queeni did not. Had we made a mistake?

Farah and I took turns staying in the kennel with the two dogs for about two hours. When we finally wanted to leash them up again to rein them back in, they were both still lying there exactly as they had been lying down hours before. Bringing them back to "their" kennel was exactly the same as bringing them out: they locked up and resisted and Farah and I had to pull like crazy and couldn't let go. But all of a sudden, halfway through, both of them understood - especially Queeni did - that they were allowed back into their home. Both dogs stopped blocking and ran as fast as they could into "their" kennel. As soon as they were inside, they were King and Queeni again, just like we see them every day.

The whole action actually didn't go our way at all for Farah and me. Everything in us resisted this method. But our wolf specialist and her husband, as mentioned dog trainer, found that this move should be once throughexerziert, so that the dogs realize that it went out of the usual, in a new kennel and back again.
Without the "animation" by our wolf and dog experts, Farah and I probably wouldn't have done it. But it worked and the two animal experts are convinced that the dogs get used to it with regular moving into the outside kennel and back again, and it always goes better. We will see and report about it.

Introducing...

NADJA WÜTHRICH

Nadja Wüthrich is a passionate animal welfare activist and dog lover. She has been volunteering at the Basel regional animal welfare association for 15 years, has been its president for ten years and is in charge of the dogs and animal welfare cases department. Farah and Nadja met and got to know each other three years ago. Animal Police is the only organisation with dogs that Nadja Wüthrich works with. Nadja describes them as friendly, familiar, passionate but not amateurish, honest and open.

We are looking forward to further good cooperation!

Impressions of the Finca Noah