Dog Rescues: How It All Began

Published in Animals

The story of how I became involved in animal rescue on the island, and why ECO HVAR for Animals came into being.

Eco Hvar for Animals Eco Hvar for Animals Vivian Grisogono

It all started in September 2004 with Babe, the dog who should have been a rose. My Croatian isn't that good, despite my being a member of Dalmatia's oldest surviving noble family. But it wasn't due to linguistic failings that I set out to buy a rose and came back with a black labrador called Babe. The scorn that was heaped on me for my poor grasp of the language after this incident was unjust. No, I wasn't looking for a dog-rose. And rescuing Babe wasn't all my fault either. 

It happened like this: my distant relative Igor Skelin runs Jelsa's garden centre, a place where one could buy plants, including roses, but not dogs. Babe belonged to Branko, one of Igor’s staff, and was generally to be found in the hot-house sitting quietly under the table or wandering around, causing no trouble to anyone. She was a beautiful, nicely mannered and contented dog, as labradors tend to be.

babe-may-05

On this particular Saturday morning she was sitting under the table looking unusually morose. No sign of Branko, so I asked after him. Igor told me that he was very ill in hospital, and had asked Igor to find Babe a good home or have her put down. Babe had been in the care of one of Branko’s relatives, but had run off and gone missing for several days. Today she had reappeared at the garden centre, totally unexpectedly.

The news was a shock. I digested it for a few moments. I had a sense of some inescapable destiny. I looked at my brother, another Branko. He looked at me. Dog-lovers both, the pulling on heart-strings was almost audible. We had a short silent consultation, and he willed me forward. Easy enough for him, he would be leaving shortly for the UK, leaving me holding the Babe. “Well,” I said slowly, “If you really can’t find her a home, let me know, perhaps I…” Igor was on the case like a shot. Announcing that there was no chance of anyone else taking her on, he opened the car door and Babe hopped inside.

Roses were forgotten and we headed off home. I was musing, rather late in the day, on whether Babe would fit in. I had brought with me two dogs from the UK when I had relocated to Dalmatia earlier in 2004. They were both females, and used to having their territory to themselves. How would they take to the new arrival? Would they fight? And what’s more, one was called Beba, there could be a confusion of identities. The chain of command would be difficult to maintain. Oh dear. My low spirits sank another notch when Bella and Beba greeted our arrival with resounding hostile barking.

To my surprise, all went well. The barking subsided when the two realized Babe was coming in. Babe entered, there were introductions all round, tails wagged, and she settled in without a hitch. Perhaps Bella and Beba recognized a kindred spirit, as their mother Connie was a labrador, albeit golden rather than black. Babe lived on happily for several years in Pitve, and eventually died naturally and peacefully in her sleep. Happily her former owner Branko recovered from his illness and returned to the island, although he was unable to take Babe back.

So began the influx of canine intruders into our peaceful home in Pitve. And, yes, my Croatian has improved in the interim. No, I have not set out to buy a rose since. But every year there are homeless or unwanted dogs wandering around the island, and I have taken in as many of them as I could manage at any given time. Sadly, I have been forced to leave even more to their fate.

 

There are just too many unwanted dogs being born on the island, or in some cases being brought here. There is no organization on the island responsible for caring for these poor animals. It seems this is a problem throughout Dalmatia. The obvious thing to do was to establish a framework in order to carry out projects which would address the problems. This is how ECO HVAR for Animals, now a registered charity, was born.

© Vivian Grisogono 2013

UPDATE 2024. Over the intervening years, the situation has improved. Tthere is still no Animal Shelter for unwanted dogs or cats on the island, so we are very limited in what we can do. However, the revised Law on Animal Protection (Zakon o zaštiti životinja NN 102 /2017) which came into force in October 2017 has made a difference: local authorities are now obliged to take greater action for animal welfare. This has helped the work of Charities like ours. In particular, we have benefited from the excellent services provided by the Bestie Foundation which is responsible for the Animalis Centrum Animal Shelter in Kaštel Sućurac. Much remains to be done, so please support us, in whatever way you can!

HELP IS ALWAYS NEEDED!

The Bestie Foundation for the Protection of Animals has proved essential for our work of helping animals in need on Hvar, and of course they serve a very wide area across the Split-Dalmatia County. This is a special appeal in aid of the Foundation:

Twelve good reasons to help the Bestie Animal Protection Foundation

HELP THE BESTIE ANIMAL PROTECTION FOUNDATION

PLEASE DONATE!

Details for donations:

Via the bank:
Zaklada Bestie
Kukuljevićeva 1, 21000 Split
Otp banka
IBAN: HR9324070001100371229
SWIFT: OTPVHR2X

Paypal donate button: https://www.paypal.me/ZakladaBestie

 

 

You are here: Home animal articles Dog Rescues: How It All Began

Eco Environment News feeds

  • Climate advisers warn that current plans to protect against extreme weather are inadequate

    Britain must prepare for global heating far in excess of the level scientists have pegged as the limit of safety, the government’s climate advisers have warned, as current plans to protect against extreme weather are inadequate.

    Heatwaves will occur in at least four of every five years in England by 2050, and time spent in drought will double. The number of days of peak wildfire conditions in July will nearly treble for the UK, while floods will increase in frequency throughout the year, with some peak river flows increasing by 40%.

    Continue reading...

  • The Wildlife Photographer of the Year is an annual competition hosted by the Natural History Museum in London, which awards top honours in various categories for outstanding photography

    Continue reading...

  • The Advertising Standards Authority agrees with River Action that the food safety body’s 2023 advert misled the public

    The UK’s advertising watchdog has upheld a complaint that Britain’s biggest farm assurance scheme misled the public in a TV ad about its environmental standards.

    The Red Tractor scheme, used by leading supermarkets including Tesco, Asda and Morrisons to assure customers their food meets high standards for welfare, environment, traceability and safety,is the biggest and perhaps best known assurance system in Britain.

    Continue reading...

  • Allegations related to flood control projects have sparked widespread anger and protests in the Philippines

    Philippine health worker Christina Padora waded through July’s waist-high flood water to check on vaccines and vital medications stored in the village clinic, something she had regularly done during previous typhoons.

    But this time she didn’t make it. Taking hold of a metal pole that she failed to see was connected to a live wire, the 49-year-old was fatally electrocuted in the water.

    Continue reading...

  • Every constituency projected to be at greater risk, with many areas likely to be uninsurable, Guardian investigation finds

    Millions more homes in England, Scotland and Wales face devastating floods, and some towns may have to be abandoned as climate breakdown makes many areas uninsurable, a Guardian investigation has found.

    New analysis from the insurance industry, seen by the Guardian, reveals the extent of concern in the sector, with bosses warning that large swathes of housing and commercial property in densely populated areas will be at greater risk.

    Continue reading...

  • Botanist trying to conserve highly vulnerable rhizanthella that survives by feeding on nutrients from a fungus

    Rhizanthella is an extraordinary orchidthat lives its entire life underground. It flowers below ground, has no leaves and survives by feeding on nutrients from a fungus that gets its food from the soil and by connecting with roots of the broom bush, Melaleuca uncinata.

    Rhizanthella was an international sensation when it was first discovered by a farmer ploughing a field in Western Australia in 1928. It still remains incredibly difficult to find, usually by searching areas with the right habitat and carefully scraping away soil searching for the blooms buried underneath – tiny reddish flowers wrapped in creamy-pink bracts. The blooms also have a heady scent of vanilla, and may be pollinated by termites or tiny flies.

    Continue reading...

  • Hampstead, London: Spring has the dawn chorus, autumn has “vismig”, the changing of the guard of millions of birds – an early start for me, then, to try and glimpse this remarkable phenomenon

    I’ve monitored the autumn forecast. Mushrooms and conkers, good, occasional blackberries; acorns crunching underfoot, moderate; spiders’ webs and cosy jumpers intensifying; severe crumble-making, veering west.

    And migrating birds. Storm Amy has passed, and with air pressure rising, there’s the whiff of a seasonal treat: visible migration – “vismig” for short. They travel in their millions – summer visitors outgoing southwards, winter arrivals incoming from the north. Swallows, pipits, thrushes, finches and more. A remarkable population shift to mark changing seasons. Many fly by night, but some are diurnal, and at the right time and place, you might see a slice of this unrivalled phenomenon. Spring has its dawn chorus; vismig is autumn’s gift.

    Continue reading...

  • After charging, there was a power system malfunction but MG closed the case and insisted a safety check was at our own expense

    Our MG5electric car became dangerously out of control, but MG won’t do anything about it.

    The car suffered a power system malfunction after we had used a charger at amotorwayservice station.

    Continue reading...

  • A runway show in Gikomba, east Africa’s largest secondhand clothing market, has attempted to highlight the impact of mass clothing imports – and offer a solution

    Antony Njoroge paces back and forth, camera in hand, as people bombard him with questions. “What do we do with this? Where should I put it? The light’s better over here! Tony, one second please.” The film-maker and his co-producer Sally Ngoiri are putting the final touches to an event that they never imagined would actually come to life when they first thought up the idea back in May: the first fashion show to be staged in Gikomba, Nairobi, east Africa’s largest secondhand clothing market.

    Show and documentary producers Antony Njoroge, left, and Sally Ngoiri

    Continue reading...

  • One more deluge could bankrupt Tenbury Wells yet its application for flood defence funding has been rejected

    Walking through the centre of Tenbury Wells is like stepping into a postcard. The independent shops are painted in cheerful colours and flowers spill out of planters. Bunting festoons the lampposts, and the pubs are full, their steamed-up windows glowing orange.

    You would not know that just a few months ago, the Worcestershire town was a wreck, destroyed by flood water, with windows smashed and shops gutted. The inhabitants have worked hard to make it pristine again, a vision of the England seen on chocolate boxes and in Christmas films.

    Continue reading...

Eco Health News feeds

Eco Nature News feeds