Together Again and Forever

Once there were two strays on the streets in Southern Spain – a tan mixed breed (Alonso) and his canine companion (Nison).

The pair was captured in 2012 and brought to rescue agencу, Spanish Straу Dogs.  They were both emaciated and in poor health.

At the rescue centre, Alonso and Nison depended on each other for emotional support.  They had been together, sharing a kennel while the recuperated and had over time built an incredibly close bond.

Then one day, Nison was adopted bу a British family.

It was during a family holiday when Jo Warburton and her family had witnessed the plight of stray dogs in Spain.  They made the decision to adopt Nison, who had since been renamed Jack and brought him back to the U.K.

But, Alonso, left behind, felt lost without his companion. He languished in loneliness and despair. He laid pining for his best friend, cowering in the corner, too distraught to go out for walks and barely eating. He was deteriorating so badly, the staff thought he wouldn’t survive.

Back in the U.K. Jo was so impressed by the work the Spanish Stray Dogs charity was doing that she began to raise money for its UK arm and kept a close eye on its website.  That was how she learned about the state of Alonso.

She had read about Alonso’s heartbreak, and his deep depression. She was looking at the pictures and then realised that the dog she had adopted months earlier was Alonso’s best friend.

She and her husband Richard knew they could not turn their backs on Alonso even though their hands were full with two children, two busy careers and two cats.

In August, they completed the vaccinations and paperwork required for him to travel to the UK and the dogs were reunited in Medstead, Hampshire.

“We were concerned at how theу’d respond to each other but what we witnessed was both heartbreaking and uplifting,” stated Jo.

“There were a few minutes of uncertainty and shyness, then they just exploded with excitement and joy. That night they slept on top of each other and have been inseparable since.“

She said: “It has been an education in the working of a dog’s heart.”

A very happy family. And thank you for a lovely story.

May’s comment:  Spanish Stray Dogs and Spanish Stray Dogs UK are registered charities which work hard to raise funds to help feed and care for over 300 stray dogs in Southern Spain. They also look for forever homes for the dogs in Spain, the UK , Finland, Sweden, Holland and Belgium.

Spanish Straу Dogs are in urgent need of donations to continue their support for more than 300 straу dogs in Southern Spain. Please look at their website www.spanishstraydogs.org.uk

Article as appeared in Sunday Express – Dogs’ joy as rescued pair are reunited