Rescue Stories:
Zac's Rescue Story
In August 2021, the rescue was contacted by a lady whose father had recently passed. She was having to rehome his 3-year-old male Cirneco Zac.
We met up with a couple of other Cirnechi to assess Zac, and it was very clear he was missing his dad terribly. He was going through his own grieving process.
Zac had led a very sedate life in town and been a constant companion to his owner.
After two assessments it was found that Zac was a very gentle boy, well socialised, loved coffee shops, sitting, watching the world go by. He hadn’t been around children so that was still to be established.
A lovely family reached out to enquire about him. They already had a male Cirneco the same age who had recently lost his older companion and was very lost without another dog in the house. He too was grieving.
The family felt it would be good for Sid to have another companion for support. They met up on a couple of occasions with Sid and Zac, the meetings went so well. The boys were polite with each other not over boisterous, and it was clear they were both taking it steady. Sid was happy when Zac was greeted by the children, no jealousy shown. He just wanted to join in and share treats.
Zac was very calm, showed no fear and took treats so gently. We discussed the only reservation which was potentially two males of roughly the same age and any future problems that could arise. Sid and Zac had both been castrated so felt it was certainly worth giving it a go, as did the family.
The last update I had from them was January 2022. Below is the message I received along with photos. Thank you so much to Zac’s wonderful family for giving him his forever home and for making him so happy.
Louise' Letter:
Zac, has settled in really well. Him and Sid are definitely friends. They have just started curling up together on the sofa, I don't think Zac had been allowed on the sofa before as its taken a while for him to realise that its ok to sit there. We can't go many places without getting stopped by people to ask what breed they are, even though they are the same age everyone thinks Sid is a baby version of Zac!!! Zac also adores our girls, he can often be found sat with them in their bedrooms. He hadn't lived with kids before so I think this shows how gentle and adaptable they are as a breed. Thanks for introducing us! Lou.
Akeeda's Rescue Story
The Cirneco Rescue had a 6 year old girl called Akeeda needing to be rehomed. On meeting her out on a walk we knew instantly she would be an asset to any family. She had been well cared for, with a happy outgoing personality, beautifully socialised and just altogether a super little dog. She came from a good home and we needed to ensure we did right by her.
After looking at our list of potential new homes we found a match. A young active family who already had a Cirneco, and Italian Greyhounds. After a couple of meetings and ensuring the dogs all balanced well together, Akeeda moved to her new family.
She is having the time of her life enjoying new adventures and runs in the Peek District. As a rescue we couldn't have asked for a better outcome. Thank you to Dan, Pam and family for loving her and all the updates you send us.
Isla's Rescue Story
Isla was born in Sicily and bought over to the UK at 4 months old. Unfortunately, her original family was unable to keep due to personal circumstances and she entered the rescue at end of January 2020.
Isla entered the rescue with scarring to her nose that her original owners had had no success in treating. It was decided to run a series of tests which eventually included testing for a condition called Leishmaniasis after a suggestion from one of the committee members, Sarah Connatty, who’s friend had experience of the disease. Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease caused by a Sandfly bite whilst Isla was still in Sicily. Isla tested positive and so research began as to how best treat the disease. This came in the form of advice from Jane Moore who lives in Italy with her beautiful Cirneco’s, a fantastic facebook page called Living with Leish and my vets who had treated the disease in the past but were also willing to learn to help treat Isla.
Isla came to us when Debbie from the Cirneco rescue called to ask if I could take care of her for a couple of days at the beginning of March 2020, until she could find somewhere for her to go, initially I said I couldn’t as I have 3 intact male Whippets. It was my husband Matt who said “I’ll look after her" as he had already been told to work from home as a precaution against the spread of covid 19. As soon as Isla made it through the door two things happened, after 5 days with us we went straight into lockdown, so she was going nowhere fast and second her and Matt became inseparable.
We started her Leish treatment in the April, which is actually controlled by human gout medication, Allopurinol, which basically stops the spread of the parasite in her blood and lowers the parasitic levels. Initially Isla needed blood tests 6 months apart to monitor her Leish levels, her second and most recent test in February has showed her Leish as negative. If this remains the same in her third blood test due in August 21, Isla can be weaned off of her medication and special diet and will hopefully go on to lead a happy and healthy life with us.
Isla is such a loving little girl, keen to please and watch over you all the time. Unlike my boys who do like a cuddle in the evening, but are also quite happy to spend time by themselves....mostly asleep!! She is constantly on the go, and always seems to be on a mission, with my Whippets just watching as she runs past them for the hundredth time. Isla has been with us over a year now and is slowly relaxing into our family life although I don’t think she will ever achieve a whippet level of relaxation. We are looking forward now to being able to socialise her more with other dogs, which is the one thing we have lacked over the past few months. It goes without saying Isla transformed our lockdown experience and we have learnt a lot about living with Leishmaniasis which will continued to be monitored for the rest of her life. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Cirneco rescue for all their support both financially and emotionally during our rescue experience and I think it is safe to say we have both learnt a lot from Isla and her medical circumstances.