Operation Noa: A run over galgo is rescued all the way from United States
Operaci�n Noa: Rescate desde Estados Unidos de una galga atropellada
La madrina de vuelo estadounidense posa con la galga, en Barajas.
Actualizado lunes 18/02/2008 11:48 (CET)
��IGO ARR�E
Please scroll to end of English translation for original Spanish version
VALLADOLID.- Noa is a five month old galga with black eyes and jet black fur. Only her neck is white, perhaps a premonition of her luck, a sign of hope at the end of the tunnel. Like so many dogs of her breed, in the hands of demons, she came into this world destined for a tragic ending.
As her luck would have it, her time had not yet come on that 22nd of December on the road from Tortecilla in Palencia. Two fairy godmothers had better plans for her. One, the rescuer, Crisitna Pascual, president of the Palencia protection society Amigos de Milord, and the other, the Plaskett family, of South Carolina, who wanted to operate on her again and adopt her after hearing her story.
Noa is now in good hands. She is in a veterinary clinic in Atlanta, thousands of kilometers fromValladolid. The doubt that was left with all of her chain of caregivers in Castilla y Le�n, is whether or not she will recover the use of her left front leg, which was left turned around, as a result of the operation that she underwent in Aranda de Duero.
A relatively lesser evil after what happened to her on that day of the loter�a del Gordo (a national mega lottery in Spain). Abandoned, she was run over just 200 meters from the Asociac�n Protectora Amigos de los Animales de Palencia, a business, which paradoxically made no effort to rescue her in spite of their proximity.
The dog was in the middle of the highway with two broken legs. She was howling and her shrieks caused a crowd to gather around her. Women were crying and other people were hovering over her to assure that another car did not hit her. "Luckily, someone gave them my phone number and we were able to intervene", remembers Cristina Pascual, who from her organization (www.amigosdemilord.com) has managed to find adoptions for abandoned, beaten and badly injured dogs -- some of them died in spite of everything -- following a long period of treatment and care.
With the nonexistent funds of the organization and the colaboration of caregivers in Valladolid and Palencia, such as Elena S�nchez Bastardo (member of PACMA in the upcoming elections), Diana and Ana, the joint effort worked, and Noa was able to keep going.
First she was operated on in Aranda, spent a few days in a foster home in Santander, then another few days at Ana's home, and ended up at the country home of Elena S�nchez in Castronuevo. "I took her home on the day of the Three Kings because she wouldn't stop howling and crying. The poor thing still has a bad leg, because she is young and apparently her bones were unable to knit", remembered Elena.
At the same time, Pascual made the adoption call to the United States through Galgo Rescue International Network (www.galgorescue.org), and she received an immediate response. "Christopher and Stacey Plaskett of South Carolina wrote right away saying that they had fallen in love with Noa by her photo, and they wanted to adopt her. They are half crazy with exicetment waiting for her arrival. They said that, of course, they would take her and would also handle her next operation", said S�nchez Bastardo.
Noa left on Saturday, the 16th, from Valladolid, and on Sunday was turned over to her flight companion, who in turn will leave Noa in the hands of the Plasketts. Whether for pride or for shame, it has become a trend in the United States to have a galgo, and even better if it is "one of the abandoned ones from Spain", notes Cristina.
Original Spanish version: Noa es una galga de cinco meses negra de ojos y pelaje como el azabache. S�lo su cuello es blanco, quiz� una premonici�n de su suerte, una se�al de esperanza tras el t�nel. Como tantos perros de su raza, en manos de desalmados, vino al mundo con el marchamo de ser carne de cuneta o de horca.
Para su fortuna, su hora no hab�a llegado el 22 de diciembre en el camino de Torrecilla de Palencia. Dos hadas madrinas ten�an planes mejores para ella. Una la rescatadora, Cristina Pascual, presidenta de la protectora palentina Amigos de Milord y la otra, la familia Plaskett , de Carolina del Sur, que la quiso operar de nuevo y adoptar desde que supo de su historia.
Noa ya se encuentra en buenas manos. Est� en una cl�nica veterinaria de Atlanta, a miles de kil�metros de Valladolid. La duda que ha dejado en toda la cadena de cuidadores de Castilla y Le�n es si podr� volver a recuperar su pata delantera izquierda, vuelta del rev's, a pesar de la operaci�n a la que fue sometida en Aranda de Duero.
Un mal relativamente menor despu's de lo que le ocurri� ese d�a de la loter�a del Gordo. Abandonada, fue atropellada a 200 metros de la Asociaci�n Protectora Amigos de los Animales de Palencia, entidad, que parad�jicamente no acudi� en su rescate, a pesar de la proximidad.
La perra estaba en mitad de la carretera con las dos patas rotas , aullaba y sus gritos provocaron un remolino de gente alrededor. Las mujeres lloraban y otras personas hac�an corro para evitar que m's coches pasaran por encima. "Por su suerte alguien dio mi tel�fono y pudimos intervenir", recuerda Cristina Pascual, que desde su asociaci�n (www.amigosdemilord.com ) ha conseguido lograr adopciones de perros abandonados, apaleados y malheridos �algunos han muerto a pesar de todo� tras una etapa previa de cuidados.
Con los inexistentes fondos de la asociaci�n y la colaboraci�n de cuidadoras de Valladolid y Palencia como Elena S�nchez Bastardo (miembro del PACMA a las pr�ximas elecciones ), Diana y Ana, la red solidaria funcion� y Noa pudo salir adelante.
Primero fue operada en Aranda, pas� unos d�as de acogida en casa de Santander, estuvo unos d�as en casa de Ana y acab� en la finca de Elena S�nchez en Castronuevo. "Me la llev� a casa del d�a de Reyes porque no paraba de dar gritos y de quejarse. La pobre sigue teniendo una pata falta, porque es joven y al parecer no soldaron bien los huesos", record� Elena.
De forma paralela, Pascual activ� la llamada de adopci�n en Estados Unidos a trav's de Galgo Rescue International Network (www.galgorescue.org) y la respuesta fue inmediata. "Escribieron Christopher y Stacey Plaskett de Carolina del Sur y dijeron directamente que se hab�an enamorado de Noa por la foto y que la quer�an adoptar. Est�n como locos esper�ndola. Dijeron que, por su puesto, se hac�an cargo incluso de la nueva operaci�n", indic� S�nchez Bastardo.
Noa sali� el s�bado 16 de Valladolid y el domingo se entreg� a una madrina de vuelo, que, a su vez, dejar� a Noa en manos de los Plaskett. Para orgullo o verg�enza,en Estados Unidos se ha puesto de moda tener un galgo y mejor a�n si son "de los abandonados en Espa�a", apunta Cristina.