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This is Fruitycake. And apparently today we are leaving this Lake Como place and going back to the sea. I have to say, I really enjoyed it here. I liked the walks, the boats, the mountains, the little towns and all of the smells that Girl Person probably did not appreciate nearly as much as I did. I even got to see George Clooney’s house. Well, I saw it from across the lake. George did not come outside to wave at me or invite me over for pizza, which seems like a pretty big mistake considering I came all this way to this Lake Como place. Girl Person says he is a celebrity. That is nice. But after this trip, I know who the real celebrities are around here.
The real celebrities are the animals we met at Parco Canile Valbasca. In fact, they are such big celebrities that you cannot even just walk in and meet them. You have to get permission and make arrangements first. I respect this completely. Finally, somebody understands proper celebrity protocol. You cannot just show up and say, “HELLO. I WOULD LIKE TO MEET ALL OF YOU.” These animals deserve that protection and respect. They have names. They have personalities. They have likes and dislikes and fears and hopes, and they have people caring for them who know that meeting them is a privilege. When you finally stand in front of one of them, you stop seeing “an animal shelter” or “animal rescue.” You see one animal looking back at you. An individual. Someone.
That is really why we came all the way to this Lake Como place. Girl Person and Boy Person wanted to learn more about animal rescue in this part of that Italy place, but we also wanted to remind ourselves—and hopefully all of you—why we started doing this in the first place. Sometimes animal rescue becomes a giant cause in our minds. We talk about shelters and adoptions and statistics and donations and laws and everything that needs to change. All of that matters, but somewhere inside all of those big words is one dog. One cat. One animal with a face and a name and a story. I do not want you just to know there are animals waiting in shelters. I want you to know them. Because maybe when we start seeing them as individuals instead of a cause, that is when things really start to change.
Dogs do not know countries anyway. I did not wake up this morning and think, “What a beautiful morning here in that Italy place.” I woke up and wondered what was for breakfast. We do not know borders. We do not care what language you speak or what side of a line on a map you were born on. We know kindness. We know fear. We know when we feel safe. We know when somebody sees us. And we definitely know pizza. We came here thinking we were going to learn how another country handles animal rescue, but maybe what we learned most is how much we all have in common. The people helping animals here want the same thing people helping animals everywhere want. They want these individuals to be safe, loved and finally home.
So yes, I saw George Clooney’s house while I was at this Lake Como place. It was very nice. But years from now, that is not what I think I will remember most. I will remember the animals. I will remember being allowed into their world for a little while. I will remember the people who protect them and care for them. And I will remember that Brickle and Digby traveled all over that America place with Girl Person and Boy Person doing exactly what we are still trying to do now: Make Rescues The Breed Of Choice. Now it is my turn to carry those big paws forward, and I think this trip helped us understand a little more about how we want to do that.
Be Real To Get Real Answers
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION, Say With Fruitycake
I will be real about what an adventure teaches me, even when what I learn is different from what I expected. We came to this Lake Como place looking for answers about animal rescue, and we found them by listening, asking questions and seeing the animals as individuals instead of assumptions. I will remember that real change starts when I am willing to look, listen and tell the truth about what I see. Sometimes the most important thing I bring home from a journey is not a souvenir, but a new way of seeing the world.
But first, somebody needs to start the car because apparently we have a LONG drive ahead of us. We have to leave this Lake Como place, get back to the sea and do it without too much dillydallying because tomorrow there is supposed to be so much rain that flooding is a concern. Girl Person has entered WE HAVE TO GET READY FOR THE STORM MODE, which involves weather apps, lists, groceries, supplies and asking Boy Person repeatedly if he remembered things he has already said he remembered. We need to get back, unload, get groceries and necessities and make sure we have what we need before all of that rain gets here. There is also one extremely important storm-preparation item that Girl Person seems to have forgotten to put at the top of her list. Pizza. You cannot expect me to prepare for a flood without pizza. I am a rescue dog, not a miracle worker.
So goodbye for now to this Lake Como place. Thank you for the mountains, the boats, the walks, the memories and even the glimpse of George Clooney’s house. But mostly, thank you for introducing us to the real celebrities. We came here wanting to learn, and we are leaving wanting to do even more. See the individual. Learn the name. Tell the story. Give them a voice. Because every one of them deserves to be more than part of a cause. Every one of them deserves to be seen.
Now start the car, Boy Person. We have a long road ahead, a storm to beat and a pizza to find.
Fruitycake
P.S. We could really use your help today. We have a long drive back from this Lake Como place, need fuel and necessities along the way, and then we have to stock up on groceries, Fruitycake supplies and what we need to prepare for tomorrow’s storms and possible flooding. Your support also helps us continue this work—traveling to rescues, meeting these incredible animals, telling their individual stories and finding new ways to Make Rescues The Breed Of Choice. Support is truly what makes this possible, and if you can help us today, even a small amount adds up to something very big for us.
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Thank you for helping us get back to the sea, prepare for the storms and keep telling the stories of the animals who deserve to be the real celebrities. And yes, I am still accepting donations specifically earmarked in my mind for pizza.
