At the 61st meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) nothing happened, apart from a great deal of wasted resources from both attending governments and NGOs. Unfortunately, and despite of all the good efforts from whale conservation governments and civil society representatives, no actual whales were saved at the meeting. Japan will keep their “scientific” whaling (that truly is commercial whaling disguised as science) and Greenland will keep their actual quota (from which it sells 25%, but in theory the type of whaling they practice is “aboriginal subsistence whaling” (?!?)), tried to ask for more whale meat but that agenda item was postpone to another time, possibly a intersessional meeting, all in defense of the consensus and harmony now lived inside the IWC until the Small Working Group comes up with a magic recipe to solve all IWC problems (and the SWG didn’t do much if any dash forward), but D.J. Schubert saved Zeca; a stray dog. Here is Zeca’s story!
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Dear Colleagues, Friends, and Family,
Many of you may recall that in June, on the last day of the International Whaling Commission meeting, I arranged for a small dog living outside an Italian restaurant to be taken to the Sociedade Protectora dos Animais Domesticos do Funchal (SPAD) for treatment and care.
I first noticed this dog when dining at the restaurant. While friendly it was clear that he was injured as he would routinely hobble around on three legs to avoid placing any weight on his rear right let. Despite this apparent injury, the little dog was able to hop up and down the street barking at the random passerby. Because he seemed well fed, didn’t seem to be in any pain, and was active I thought that I would let him be though I did provide him with a small water bowl and bought him puppy biscuits which he completely ignored. Towards the end of my stay in Madeira, however, while on a late night excursion in search of snacks, I noticed the dog having difficulty walking with both of his rear legs causing him pain. The next day, with the assistance of Francisco of IFAW, the dog was rescued by the local fire department and taken to SPAD.
During the rescue Franciso spoke to the restaurant owner and learned that he had cared for the dog for 3 ½ years feeding him leftovers every night. That, of course, explained the dog’s reaction to the puppy biscuits. We also learned that the dog had been hit by a car at least once while living in front of the restaurant but had not been taken to a veterinarian for treatment.
Once at SPAD, the dog, named Zeca by SPAD caretakers, was understandably frightened and not particularly trusting of those trying to provide him care. A colleague and I visited Zeca at the SPAD facility before leaving Madeira and learned that he was, for the moment, in quarantine (as is the procedure for all new dogs), that the SPAD veterinarians had examined him, that he would eventually be placed with other dogs to test his social skills, and, if everything went well, he would be made available for adoption. I expressed an interest in staying in contact with SPAD and indicated that, if a home couldn’t be found for him in Madeira, I might be able to arrange for his transport to the United States.
In subsequent e-mails with Guida, the director of SPAD, I learned that Zeca was acting aggressively toward SPAD personnel, had tried to bite or had bitten two caretakers, that his aggressiveness made it unsafe and difficult to clean his pen, and that he tested positive for heartworm. Given what was thought to be his advanced age, I was also told that his prospects for adoption were slim.
At that point I decided to arrange for Zeca to come to the United States for further treatment and either adoption or to become a new member of our family. During the weeks – which became months — that it took to make all of the arrangements, I received an encouraging e-mail from Guida who reported that Zeca had finally begun to trust his human caretakers allowing them to more safely work with him.
To make a long story short, I am happy to report that Zeca arrived in the United States on Saturday, October 17 and is adapting remarkably well to living in a home with dog, cat, and human companions. Upon his arrival in Newark, after what was a nearly 18 hour journey from Madeira, I was prepared for a frightened and angry dog. Much to my surprise and delight, though frightened, Zeca was more gentle and docile than I ever expected. This is clearly a testament to the patience and care that he was provided at SPAD. He welcomed my touch and I was quickly able to get a harness on him to finally allow him out of the transport carrier and into the frigid New Jersey weather.
Once home, Zeca met the rest of the family including Janet, my wife, our rescued dogs Shadow and Faith, and our rescued cats. He slept in the kitchen the first night on a fluffy and warm blanket and, though he had a few accidents, within less than a day he was housebroken. Once he was allowed upstairs and discovered carpeting and a bed, I think he found his own personal utopia. He loves to sleep on the carpet and is frequently found sacked out on the bed (see picture). He enjoys going out into our yard (see picture), has bonded with Faith, and has learned that cats don’t necessarily like to play with dogs. Shadow, our Chow-mix, has graciously accepted our new friend but has yet to form a close bond with Zeca. Zeca, however, has completely fallen for my wife and her for him so he has become the newest permanent member of our family.
Zeca went to see his new veterinarian yesterday and received a positive initial evaluation. We will receive blood test results soon and at some point he will be neutered. Graciously, Drs. Nordt and Stull at the Atlantic Animal Health Center have offered to treat Zeca at cost as they too were touched by his story.
Though it was took some time to arrange for Zeca’s travel to the US, he has been nothing but a joy since his arrival. His personality is infectious, his temperament perfect, and his adjustment to life in a loving home has been nothing short of incredible. We can only hope that he is as happy with us as we are with him.
None of this would have been possible without the help of a number of people who all deserve great thanks for their role in this rescue. They include:
The owner of the Italian restaurant who permitted Zeca to be taken to SPAD. I intend to send him a letter so that he too knows that Zeca is doing well and living in America.
Francisco Goncalves of IFAW who initially aided with the rescue.
Guida, the Director of SPAD, and her staff who exhibited amazing patience with a very frightened dog and providing him loving care for nearly 3 ½ months.
Fernando Melim and his colleagues at TAP Airlines who provided a discounted rate to transport Zeca from Madeira to Newark and who provided care to Zeca along the way.
Luis Freitas, the Director of the Whale Museum in Madeira who, though I only had met briefly during the IWC meeting, graciously agreed to provide assistance in making Zeca’s trip to America possible.
Deidre Volcker, Barbara Schubert, Vivian Romano, Karen Michael, and Susan Millward for generously donating funds to help offset the costs of Zeca’s trip.
Susan Millward and Jen Rinnick for supportive and encouraging words throughout this process.
Dr. Nordt, Dr. Stull, and the staff at the Atlantic Animal Health Center for their generosity in providing Zeca with excellent veterinary care.
Janet, my wife, who only wanted a tourist souvenir spoon from Portugal but who got a dog instead.
And a very special thanks to Ricardo Carvalho, who works with Mr. Freitas, without whose incredible assistance in Madeira this story could not have been told. Thank you Ricardo from the bottom of our hearts.
While there are millions of dogs deserving loving homes, Zeca has found his and will never again have to live on the streets. We dream of the day when all stray, feral, and abandoned dogs can enjoy the same fate and future as Zeca.
With gratitude,
D.J. Schubert and Janet Romano
and, of course, Zeca