Two weeks ago on July 30th my ex-partner and I decided off the cuff to visit a dog pound on the outskirts of town. The dog pound is at a neighbourhood called «Benimámet» and it was difficult to locate due to a lack of sign posting and a couple of tight U-turns.
As we arrived, we heard a loud chorus of dogs barking, like an out of tune orchestra; we later discovered that there are more than 400 dogs at this particular dog pound. There were dogs absolutely everywhere, some were in cages but most of them were tightly lined along the corridors both outdoors and indoors. It was a little daunting as both my partner and I had never seen so many dogs in one place before. The smell was quite strong but not overwhelming as the volunteer workers try to keep some control over the amount of excrement and urine which the dogs have no choice to do, other than to the spot where they are chained. In short, the dog pound has more dogs than it can handle.
As we entered the main building, we slowly side stepped other dogs as we reached the adoption office. We spoke to a lady, explaining that we were looking for a medium sized dog which would be compatible with our 2 kg chihuahua. We first peered into a small short corridor with a barn door which housed some 6 medium to small sized dogs, the one that initially caught my eye was a white and brown mixture (mongrel) that looked like a Jack Russell, he seemed lively and friendly but before deciding I asked my partner if she wanted to check one more room; although a little overcome with emotion, she agreed. The dog handler, brought out another brown and white dog which looked like a «Ratonero Valenciano» mixed with a chihuahua. My partner immediately said «this is the one» to which I conceded.
This is how we met Romeo who has now become both the flatmate and bedfellow to our little chihuahua Julietta.
If you have time in your life to adopt a dog, I strongly recommend you visit the «Benimamet» dog pound in Valencia; however be prepared for some strong smells and loud barking 😉
Also bear in mind that most of the dogs there are no longer puppies but in desperate need of a home.
If you have any pets and wish to discuss your passion for animals with me, then I look forward to meeting you at «clases de ingles en valencia».
