Hi all! We've had the opportunity to meet and spend a lot of time with a really wonderful Ethiopian dog. She desperately needs a home - she is living with two Peace Corps volunteers whose service time will be ending next year. My assistant Ali is seriously considering adopting her and bringing her back to America! She could really use any financial help that you can give to cover the medical and transport costs of this endeavor. Below is the post she wrote for her blog about Titi, the dog in question. Hope you enjoy reading it, and feel inspired to donate to the cause! There is a paypal button on the top of my blog and all the money we collect will go towards giving this special doggy a chance at life!
From Ali: Many of you know that I love dogs. A few months before I came to Ethiopia, my dog Beja had to be put down and it was the most difficult thing I have ever had to do . She was my heart, my best friend, my constant companion. I really hadn't thought seriously about getting another dog very soon after Beja's passing, but I have surprised myself in wanting this very special dog I have met in Ethiopia. Her name is Titi and she lives with some amazing Peace Corps volunteers, Derek and Claire, in Debark, which is the town we travel to every week to get our groceries. Titi has been through so much, and if you think it is hard to be a person in Ethiopia, it is 100 times harder to be a dog. You can see from the photos that her ears have been cruelly cut with scissors of a knife, something that all Ethiopian dogs endure as puppies to make them look meaner and improve their abilities as a guard dog. In Titi's case, she is about the worst guard dog there is, and a a couple minutes after meeting her she can be found slouched on your lap or feet pawing at you for affection.
Even though Titi is probably only 2-3 years old, she has already had at least 2 litters of puppies that we know of. Sadly, many of those puppies have died from disease. The last two, Messi and Chubbles, died only a week ago, news we learned while we were bringing food to them on one of our most recent trips to Debark. There is a photo of them in one of my previous blog posts.
So I have decided that I want to bring Titi to the States. When you are living in Ethiopia you really want to help everybody and everything, but this is not possible. I want to adopt a child from here, build a school, give people food, and all the other things that I feel could help someone, anyone. However in reality my life is going to go in a different direction. I am going to move back to California, get a teaching job and maybe Ethiopia and its problems will be a distant memory. After all, there are plenty of issues to put my energy into helping back in the California Public Education system. Something that is within the realm of my ability is to help Titi, and she, in turn, would help me by filling the role of my constant companion.
There are many things to consider when thinking about bringing a dog home from Africa. The first is, can I afford the $900 bill in air travel and other fees? The answer is sadly, no. However I can ask for help from amazing people who are reading my blog and thinking of me while I am in Africa. Bringing Titi to America would be so exciting for all of us who have grown to know and love her.
I will be posting a paypal donation button on my blog, and any amount would be greatly appreciated to help bring Titi home! If you don't have paypal and still want to be involved, you can send a check to Ali Von Striver 621 La Sierra Drive, Sacramento, CA 95864
Derek and Claire are kindly getting Titi spayed while she is staying with them in Debark, and any contributions will be going towards getting additional health clearances and the cost of travel.
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