Most everyone is familiar with social media. It's used to keep up with friends, celebrities and what or whoever. Dog Star Energy Center has a page on Facebook and I also have a personal page. I reluctantly joined Facebook to promote the website and get animal information "out there." My Facebook friends list grows and most of these people are involved in animal rescue, animal rights or just plain animal people. I also follow animal organizations which at first were limited to the USA but soon expanded globally. Every time I log on to my page I see hundreds of animals in distress, needing adoption, medical care and everything imaginable.
In the beginning of September there was a post from "Let's Adopt Global" about an old abandoned dog who had wandered the streets of Bulgaria for several years, got shot, and was found near death by a woman named Darina. Darina got him to the vet and nursed him back to health with the help of "Let's Adopt Bulgaria," which is a subdivision of LAG.
Something in this dog's eyes spoke to me and it was if I had always known him. I sent a message to LAG saying that if nobody in Bulgaria wanted him, I'd take him, if they could get him here. They asked me for pictures of my house and some things about me and my life. I uploaded the pictures and pointed them to my website where my life is an open book. In the back of my mind I heard a voice say, "Are you crazy? Giving strangers halfway across the world pictures of your home and your information? Hey Moron, did you ever hear of identity theft?" I told that voice to shut up. I was going to just trust the universe on this one.
I was told almost immediately that Mechi was mine and as soon as they found a flight buddy for him, he would be on his way to me. I thought it would take only a couple of weeks but the end of September came and there was no word on his transport.
I contacted the people at LAB and they told me Mechi was going to be on a television program and he would surely find a flight buddy. A couple weeks later they sent me the link to the program. I watched what seemed to be a discussion group but Mechi was not there and I strained my ears to make out his name. Not speaking a word of Bulgarian, it was frustrating, but I had to trust in the universe again.
The Howloween Pet Expo and Holistic Fair was fast approaching and I busied myself with organization, promotion and cooking for 150 people. I truly wanted this to be a success for the local rescues but I had bitten off more than I could chew. Trying to organize all volunteer rescue groups is like trying to herd cats through a funhouse. Time was divided between this monumental task, working at a chiropractor's office and seeing my animal clients. In my down time (usually taking a shower) I worried about Mechi. Big Sky Travel Agency in Bulgaria was putting up a banner on their website about Mechi. I hoped someone would notice.
I remember bits and pieces of the Fair and trying to be everywhere at once. They say it was a success. Physically and emotionally drained, I battled stress related chest pain for a week after the fair. As usual my mouth made promises my body couldn't keep. The money that was raised for the rescues was over $1200 so it was worth it.
November 1 came and still no flight buddy for Mechi. I had talked to a friend and she seemed to think the flight would kill him. I messaged LAB and voiced my concerns. I offered to give up the adoption if coming here would put him in any danger. They assured me he would be fine and that nobody in Bulgaria wanted him because he was old.
About a week before Thanksgiving, A Facebook friend named Cindy said she might be flying to Germany and back with her sister in February. If LAB could get him to Germany, she would take him to the US. This was great news and LAB could get him to Germany without a problem. February is a bad weather month and it might be too cold for Mechi to fly as there are restrictions on temperature.
One morning my friend Jackie suggested getting a fund set up to fly someone to Bulgaria to get Mechi. At first I rejected the idea but then it dawned on me that my brother Joe had a passport and might be persuaded to do it. I called Joe and he said if I got him a ticket, he would do it. All this time I was in contact with Dari, Mechi's foster mother. We spoke about Mechi all the time and got to know each other. I told her about my idea and she said that there is an animal transport company she would look into, which she did. It would cost about $1000 to transport Mechi to the USA with a company that specialized in animal transport. We got the OK from LAB and LAG to set up a "Chip-in Fund" to get Mechi home before Christmas. Dari and her boyfriend Sergey set up the fund and we started to promote Mechi's story, hoping for donations. I sent Mechi's story to everyone on Dog Star's mailing list, my friends, relatives and any other breathing entity. I posted the story on any Facebook animal page I could find. My hope was to have the Patrick Miracle Page to post the story. They have over 121,000 followers and the exposure would be tremendous. I tried twice but it was not picked up. Donations did come in but I was concerned that winter was almost here and it may take some time to get the amount of money we needed. I gave this situation up to the Universe again; I could only do so much.
There was a presentation on Organ Regeneration through energy being given by one of the area's leading Energy Therapists and I was signed up to attend. I tried to put Mechi out of my mind and spent the day deeply entrenched in the teachings, absorbing every word like a sponge. I left the presentation in the late afternoon happy but exhausted. Sitting down at the computer after feeding my animals, I decided to apply an exercise in energy manipulation I had just learned on the chip-in. I closed my eyes, went through the steps and sent the situation off into the universe. I posted Mechi's story on the Patrick Miracle Page one last time. Within 15 minutes A message arrived that Patrick Miracle picked up the post and all the money was collected, Mechi was coming home!
Discussions were started between LAB, LAG, Dari and me to get everything in order for Mechi's transport. Dari went out and bought Mechi a coat and posted the picture. He looked so cute sporting his new clothes. We discussed his likes and habits. Dari reminded me of my daughter, a young woman full of compassion doing what she could to make the world a better place. I wished there was something I could do for her. A part of me felt guilty taking Mechi away, I knew how much she loved him. My happiness would bring her pain. Dari assured me that because of the time she and her boyfriend Sergey worked, Mechi was alone a lot. Dari wanted something better for him. This is what it is all about; sending away someone you love so they could have a better life. This touched me deeply.
Negotiations continued back and forth between the rescues on Mechi's transport and at one point I was concerned that he would not be coming at all. Still another "situation" was given up to the universe. Finally I received word he would be landing on December 23. I still had some doubts and held my breath. Dari promised to contact me when Mechi had boarded the plane. Once I knew he was in flight, I could breathe a little easier.
My next hurtle was getting to NY. Being used to wide open country roads, the thought of navigating multiple lane highways at high speeds along with aggressive drivers and unfamiliar territory terrified me I had to find someone to take me to JFK airport at rush hour the day before the holiday starts. As usual an angel appeared. Harley, one of my friends, agreed to drive me into the city to pick Mechi up. Harley was a godsend. She had lived in the city for some time and had no fear about driving into that hellhole.
His itinerary stated he would leave Sofia on December 22 and fly to Italy where he would spend the night in a pet hotel, then fly out of Italy to NY the next day. It was very long trip for an "old man." So many hours and so many things that could go wrong, part of me regretted putting him through this.
On the morning of December 22, I turned on my computer and there was a picture of Mechi in the flight crate sporting his beautiful black coat and a message from Dari that he was on his way. I spent the day organizing the house for the arrival of our new family member, sending out positive energy, prayers, and trying not to worry.
Harley and I left 3 hours early for JFK the next day. Getting into the city would probably be fine but getting out might be another thing. Mechi was to land around 3 o'clock. By the time he was processed, we would be leaving in the middle of rush hour at the beginning of the mad exodus out of NY with all kinds of holiday traffic. I placed our trip in the hands of the angels.
We arrived at JFK easily with time to get a bite to eat. All was going well until I had to deal with the people at the cargo arrival desk and customs. I was ignored at the cargo arrival desk as everyone was enjoying a holiday party. When I finally got a woman's attention, she told me Mechi was being processed. After what seemed like hours, I finally talked to another woman that told me he was not there. I took out my cell phone and called the manager who gave me his phone number the day before when I called with some questions. The manager came down the stairs and handed me papers to take to the customs building. Of course there were no signs on this building and I wandered around the parking lot until a man saw me and directed me to where I was suppose to go.
I found the appropriate place. The room was very long and on each side were desks enclosed in walls and glass, similar to what you would find in a bank. The problem was, the walls came up to my nose and the people behind them were seated. Walking on my toes I had to find someone that would acknowledge my existence, again there were no signs. Finally I found the right person, a man that looked like he hated his life and wished he was anyplace other than sitting behind that glass. He asked for the papers and I pushed them through the little slit between the wall and the glass. The speaking hole was above my head and I could not hear a word the man was mumbling. There were also about 25 men getting out of work milling around shouting and laughing making it impossible to hear anything. The man behind the counter kept shaking his head and pushed the papers back at me. I barely heard him say "They don't match, call the airline." Once I got the manager on my cell phone, I had to toss it through the speaking hole above my head so they could straighten this thing out. I could feel my blood pressure raising along with the laughter and shouting behind me. I could feel in my bones that Mechi had to pee and he had been holding it for a very long time.
The customs man put down my cell phone and starred at his computer screen and the minutes continued to pass. He looked up from his screen intermittently to talk to his friends that passed by and totally ignored me. Seventeen minutes passed. My calves ached from standing on my toes and I felt the tears starting to burn my eyes. I turned away from the counter, closed my eyes and spoke to the universe. Seconds later, the noisy men filed out of the room and I turned back to my tormentor behind the glass. He asked me how old Mechi was and I told him I didn't know. "Well you cannot have him then, I need an age." My lip started to quiver. I took a deep breath and said, "I am not a breeder, this is not a show dog. This is an old dog that was shot and abandoned on the streets in Bulgaria. No one wants him and I just want to give him a home." The man looked at me and his eyes softened. He stamped the papers and pushed them through to slit. He tossed my phone back through the speaking hole and said, "Take him home, Merry Christmas."
I went back to the cargo area and Harley and I were led to a warehouse. I saw Mechi stepping side to side in his travel crate 2 feet behind a painted yellow line on the floor. We started to go to him when we were stopped by yet another airline employee. "You can't go behind the yellow line."
"Ok, then just slide the crate over it."
"No, we have to use the forklift."
"No, no, you will frighten him!"
Before I could say anything else, the forklift was lifting the crate in the air loudly beeping, and I could see Mechi's eyes bug out of his head. I wanted to kill these uncaring people. All this stress to move him 2 feet, he is a 45 pound dog, not an elephant!
As soon as the crate touched the ground, I jumped in front of the forklift, grabbed Mechi out, and ran out of the building to the first grass patch in the parking lot. Mechi peed for what seemed like 10 minutes. Poor Harley was left to maneuver the crate out of the warehouse to the car. Thank God for friends.
We made it home in record time as the universe smiled on us again. All around us were accidents and traffic jams, but the road in front of us was always clear. I finally got word to Dari that I had Mechi and he was OK. My cell phone texting skills leave a lot to be desired, especially in a speeding car in the dark.
Mechi's arrival at my home was uneventful. Bella gave him a little growl to let him know that she is the queen and must be obeyed at all times. Mechi had no problem with that. Moe contained his unbridled joy at having a new friend in the house by wiggling instead of jumping. The cats could have cared less.
Mechi has settled in quickly and it seems like he has always been here. Moe and Mechi play all the time and Bella looks after them both. She now has 2 men that adore her. I do not know how long Mechi will be here with us because of his age. However long it is, he will be warm, well fed and loved.
What is to be learned from this? There are wonderful people all over the world. We might have different languages and customs but love is universal. Let Adopt Global and Let's Adopt Bulgaria did everything they could and came through on their promise to get Mechi to the USA safe and sound. Dari and Sergey did everything they could to care, love and provide a home for this amazing old "man" for the time they had him. People from all over the world I never met and never will meet gave money and prayers to help an old dog they will never know. If you asked me if I would do this again, I would have to say, "Absolutely!"
Trust in the universe. Trust your heart. When you ask the universe anything and it comes from your heart- everything will turn out for the best.
