Through airbnb.com, we rented a room in a Spanish villa in the mountains north of Malaga. The pictures of the place made us look forward to our stay there but we had no idea what was in store for us. We left Sevilla later than we'd planned so called the host, Susie, to let her know. No problem, she said. She had emailed us great directions which was a good thing because Jill (our GPS) didn't always like those little country lanes and villages. We arrived about 10:00 pm, tired after a short night the night before, a long day of sightseeing and a two-hour drive along those narrow and winding country roads. Susie met us at the gate to their long driveway, greeted us warmly and welcomed us into her home. When she showed us to the room we'd be staying in, Val and I looked at each other and both did a silent fist pump. What luxury! To fully understand our delight, keep in mind we'd slept on a slim mattress on the floor, in an airport, on bunk beds, in the heat and humidity, in drafty rooms - when you're couchsurfing or trying to keep costs down, you find yourself in interesting places. But here! Ah, here we had a nice double bed with soft white sheets and a cozy comforter. A private bath all to ourselves! Heaven!
But that wasn't the best part of the stay. Susie and Stu were so friendly and welcoming that we immediately felt at home. They're an English couple who'd had a holiday home in the area for seven years and then last year they bought the villa as their permanent home. They've worked these past 11 months to clear the overgrown yard and hillside and update the inside of the house. One topic we soon found we had in common was the concern for the stray dogs in Spain. But Susie and Stu do more than just say "isn't that a shame," they DO something about it. They told us about the dog they noticed in a nearby village, skinny and skittish, who they gave food to when they'd see him (Susie carries a bag of dog food in her car). But over the weeks, they saw the dog grow weaker and weaker. Like he was losing his will to live. They took him home and put him in the garage, tried to feed him and see if he would respond. Finally, as a last ditch effort to save him, they took him to the vet. It turns out the dog wasn't a stray, he had a microchip embedded! So, they were able to contact the owner who couldn't believe the dog they'd lost nine months before, almost two hours away, had been found. When the owner drove up to the gate, the dog lifted his head. When the family got out of the car and called his name, the dog who could hardly summon the will to eat, ran down the driveway and into the arms of the family, so grateful to be back together.
But that wasn't the only time Susie and Stu saved lives. They found Ollie and two of his siblings, in an old feed bag, just abandoned at the dumpster at the end of their lane. One of puppies had been killed inside the bag, maybe run over, Susie wasn't sure. She took the other two dogs to the vet for treatment and eventually they were taken to the pound. Susie couldn't bear to leave them there so she and Stu adopted Ollie and one of their friends adopted Ollie's brother. Ollie was still sick and needed more treatment and Susie remembers staying up nights with him when he wasn't feeling good.
Just a few months after Ollie joined their family, Susie found Tillie tied up outside the facility where stray dogs are put to death. Every so often, workers from the facility - which the locals call the "killing station" - will gather up all the strays they can capture and take them back to thid facility to kill them. Susie found Tillie abandoned there, abused and ill. Stu and Susie took her to the vet and then home with them. Susie said she spent hours holding Tillie, night and day, encouraging her to keep fighting.
Now, thank God, Ollie is an exuberant six-month old goofy puppy who as likely to lick you as look at you and doesn't seem to remember what he's been through. But Susie believes Tillie remembers the abuse and what must have been the horror of her first few months. Both Ollie and Tillie are loved and cared for now, though, along with Woody. Woody is an eight-year old Springer Spaniel who ruled the roost before these younguns came along. He and Tillie don't interact a whole lot and Ollie wants so badly to be his best friend but Woody just isn't having any part of it. He growls and fusses until either Ollie goes away or Stu reprimands them.
Our stay with Stu and Susie was so fun, because of their warm and funny personalities, because of their beautiful and comfortable home - and because of Woody, Ollie and sweet Tillie.
But that wasn't the best part of the stay. Susie and Stu were so friendly and welcoming that we immediately felt at home. They're an English couple who'd had a holiday home in the area for seven years and then last year they bought the villa as their permanent home. They've worked these past 11 months to clear the overgrown yard and hillside and update the inside of the house. One topic we soon found we had in common was the concern for the stray dogs in Spain. But Susie and Stu do more than just say "isn't that a shame," they DO something about it. They told us about the dog they noticed in a nearby village, skinny and skittish, who they gave food to when they'd see him (Susie carries a bag of dog food in her car). But over the weeks, they saw the dog grow weaker and weaker. Like he was losing his will to live. They took him home and put him in the garage, tried to feed him and see if he would respond. Finally, as a last ditch effort to save him, they took him to the vet. It turns out the dog wasn't a stray, he had a microchip embedded! So, they were able to contact the owner who couldn't believe the dog they'd lost nine months before, almost two hours away, had been found. When the owner drove up to the gate, the dog lifted his head. When the family got out of the car and called his name, the dog who could hardly summon the will to eat, ran down the driveway and into the arms of the family, so grateful to be back together.
But that wasn't the only time Susie and Stu saved lives. They found Ollie and two of his siblings, in an old feed bag, just abandoned at the dumpster at the end of their lane. One of puppies had been killed inside the bag, maybe run over, Susie wasn't sure. She took the other two dogs to the vet for treatment and eventually they were taken to the pound. Susie couldn't bear to leave them there so she and Stu adopted Ollie and one of their friends adopted Ollie's brother. Ollie was still sick and needed more treatment and Susie remembers staying up nights with him when he wasn't feeling good.
Just a few months after Ollie joined their family, Susie found Tillie tied up outside the facility where stray dogs are put to death. Every so often, workers from the facility - which the locals call the "killing station" - will gather up all the strays they can capture and take them back to thid facility to kill them. Susie found Tillie abandoned there, abused and ill. Stu and Susie took her to the vet and then home with them. Susie said she spent hours holding Tillie, night and day, encouraging her to keep fighting.
Now, thank God, Ollie is an exuberant six-month old goofy puppy who as likely to lick you as look at you and doesn't seem to remember what he's been through. But Susie believes Tillie remembers the abuse and what must have been the horror of her first few months. Both Ollie and Tillie are loved and cared for now, though, along with Woody. Woody is an eight-year old Springer Spaniel who ruled the roost before these younguns came along. He and Tillie don't interact a whole lot and Ollie wants so badly to be his best friend but Woody just isn't having any part of it. He growls and fusses until either Ollie goes away or Stu reprimands them.
Our stay with Stu and Susie was so fun, because of their warm and funny personalities, because of their beautiful and comfortable home - and because of Woody, Ollie and sweet Tillie.
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