About Addy
I remember when we first met Adira (who we call Addy for short) like yesterday. My husband and I were off to see one of the many beautiful sights of Sicily, the Valley of the Temples. Little did we know we would actually see one of the saddest sights I have personally witnessed. That trip would change our family forever, creating a space in our hearts for a sweetheart of a dog, that we just knew we were meant to help.
Near the beginning of our journey, my husband was driving on a new road (to us) near the town of Paternò. Like most Sicilian roads, it was full of turns and narrow ways with beautiful views of Sicily’s natural beauty. After marveling at the natural beauty of Sicily’s rolling hills and orange groves we spotted the skinniest, mangiest, most pathetic creature, I have ever seen in person.
The animal looked like a dog skeleton, that someone put a ratty sweater on. My husband and I looked at one another and knew there was no way, we could just drive by. Soon we doubled back, slowed down, and decided we would give her some of our road snacks, quesadillas. Now I don’t know if it was the extra butter, and ample helping of cheese that I put on the tortilla, or the fact that it was likely the first edible thing this poor creature had seen in days, but regardless the quesadilla vanished. After we went on our way, the image of her was burned in my brain, and I discussed with my husband the fact that we would need to come back the same way. We needed to see, if she was still there, to give her any additional food, we may have or pick her up something on our way home.
The decision to foster
After spotting and feeding her on our way home, I decided to take her in, but we needed to make sure, she was friendly and approachable first. Beginning the next day, my husband and I took turns driving down to the area we first spotted her and leaving food and water. A couple days in, my husband got out of his car and was placing the food bowl in, when she started trotting towards us – it was the moment of truth, would she be friendly?
She was so excited to see him with food, that she made a feeble attempt at jump up in excitement, only to barely make it off the ground and fall over. After determining she was friendly, I set out on acquiring a kennel on Siglist. Thankfully there was an outpouring of support, particularly from Jessica and Lucy from SAWS.
The next day Jessica and Lucy met me in the area, and we looked for this sweet pup that would come home with me. After a bit of searching, we found her. Then we worked on coaxing her into a crate, which she was generally reluctant to enter. Upon loading her into Lucy’s car, we made our way to my house.
Little did I know at the time, the importance of the SAWS-team and their undertaking to ensure that Addy would not only survive, but also thrive. After getting to the house and putting Hector, our other dog inside the house, we slowly got Addy out to clean her up.
Lucy and I gave her a bath, which she hated, we cleaned her sores and then clothed her to help her try and maintain some body heat. It must be one of the most heartbreaking and difficult things I have ever done. We could feel her whole skeleton and see her eyes retract as she tried to move the clothes again. She simply had so little muscle mass. After an exhausting washing session, our poor girl curled up in blankets and pillows to get her first good night’s rest in ages, possibly the first time in her life.
The beginning of Addy’s new life
Prior to the short few days with Addy’s first vet appointment, we were thankful to have Lucy and the SAWS group at our back, helping us every step of the way. Thankfully, Lucy had a wealth of knowledge (and speaks Italian) and was able to teach me about how to prepare Addy’s food, her medication, how to clean her sores, and much more useful knowledge on how to improve her condition.
Upon the day of our vet appointment, Lucy helped me load Addy and make our way to Motta. When the vet saw Addy, he was shocked she was even still alive, commenting on how frail she was. She weighed in at 22 pounds, less than half of what her healthy weight should have been. Additionally, she had leishnamasis, mange, and a multitude of parasites. From here, Addy started a regiment of medications daily, including a shot. She took them like a champ.
Our first week with her was full of plenty of sweet and funny moments. While on a walk with my husband she resorted to her instincts and snatched up a dead bird. I walked up to them only to find a bird foot hanging out. While it was raining one night, after I took her out to go to the bathroom, she tried to crawl into the bushes for cover, reminding me of how she must have lived life before. It broke my heart. Once guiding her back to her dogrun and house, she settled back into her little bed of pillows and blankets.
The first couple of weeks consisted mostly of eating, sleeping, taking medications, sleeping, some sunbathing, and then more sleeping. The poor girl was simply exhausted from all of life’s trials and finally had a chance to get some much-needed rest for her body to rebuild.
The best thing ever!
In May, during one of Sicily’s epic rainstorms, I was worried her little kennel/doghouse area would become flooded, so my husband and I moved her into our sunroom. There was no going back. We now had her set up with a dog bed and blankets where she could see outside, and she loved it.
When taking her in, my husband and I knew, that we wanted to keep her, but that also depended upon her interactions and response with our other dog Hector. Addy had been in quarantine for almost a month, regaining some strength, before we decided we should introduce them. Hector, a big boy of over 100lbs, is an excitable and curious guy, who, despite his age still acts like a puppy. Their initial interaction went well. Neither of them was aggressive, Addy just growled a little, when Hector got close to her food, which was understandable given her previous state. Hector, unfazed, thought he had just found his new best friend.
Thankfully, over the course of multiple interactions (and gaining 25 pounds in thirty days!), they now act as brother and sister, antagonizing one another, while being each other’s biggest defender. As Addy’s condition improved, Hector also helped teach her certain things, such as how to play. Addy simply had no concept of tug of war or fetch, but quickly caught on. Now you see her chasing after her brother or playing with squeaky toys, although, snuggled up next to dad is still her favourite spot in the whole world.
If you met Addy today, you would never know that she was not always like she is now, that she struggled to survive against all odds, or that she had multiple ailments that should have taken her life. When you look at her now, all you see is the sweetest girl who loves to be loved, adores sunbathing, watching tv, belly rubs, playing with her brother, and eating all the treats in the world. She’s a bit overweight, but we say she’s earned that! She is, simply put, one of the best things that has happened to our family.
This is Addy, when she was found 😔💔👇🏼
Addy, when we took her in 😔💔👇🏼
The first weeks 😧❤️🩹👇🏼
This is Addy today 😍❤️👇🏼
