This is the dog mentioned below with nerve damage that makes her twitch.
During our chats with Mimi as she was showing us around on Wednesday, we discovered she and a friend have very recently set up their own dog shelter. There are many stray dogs here and the government doesn't do anything other than catch and euthanize them if someone complains, so it's up to caring citizens to set up rescue shelters and try to rehome them. Mimi knows of one rescue shelter in JB with 3000 dogs!!!
So, after visiting Forest City (FASCINATING!) on Wednesday, Mimi took us to the shelter (she calls it a "dog hotel"). This was sad and delightful in equal measure. Sad because there are so many dogs who need their own loving home, and delightful because... DOGS! They were excited and cute and licky and barky and playful just like any other dogs. There were between forty and fifty dogs there.
They have just erected fencing to enable them to separate groups of dogs. Mimi and her friend employ someone to live onsite full time to look after the dogs.This sweet dog (also in feature pic, on right in pic above and on my lap below) couldn't use one of her front legs due to a virus causing nerve damage when she was younger. She did a twitching/jerking movement every second or so.Exuberant Benji kept trying to chase and playfully bite J, so B took him for a walk (the dogs here don't currently get walked, though they'd like to organise volunteers to do this in future).This beautiful dog is a dwarf shepherd... a German shepherd who had some illness or condition that stunted his growth so he'll never grow any bigger. He was super soft and utterly gorgeous.This one barked at any surprises or if someone came close while he/she was trying to sleep. Hard to get personal space to sleep here!The white dog in the doorway in the background was a stray in Mimi's neighbourhood that Mimi spent three years trying to catch. The dog had three lots of puppies in that time. She'd had a string tied around her neck when she was little, and as she grew it cut into her skin and bled constantly - I saw the scar. Eventually she got so sick she couldn't move, and that's when Mimi could finally help her.Wonderful Mimi with a dog who has separation anxiety without her. Mimi has rehomed a number of dogs to other countries. She also has four permanent dogs of her own, plus a rotating group of six extra needs ones from the shelter staying at her house!
Visiting this shelter was a wonderful opportunity to see a different side of JB and get some dog snuggles. Thanks so much, Mimi! ❤️
