Testimonials

JOSIEN, COOKIE AND KAYSIE'S ADOPTER (https://www.instagram.com/cookieenkaysie_in_zeeland/)

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Hi! I am Josien, 39 years old and mother of 3 children. I came into contact with Lisanne from Melez Dog Rescue (formerly: In Safe Hands) in 2021 because a friend pointed it out to me. After a few years without a dog, I really missed the company. I consciously did not want a puppy anymore and there was no dog in the Dutch animal shelters that suited our family. Our eyes then fell on Cookie and we were immediately sold! Very cute to see. But of course appearance is not what matters. I then talked to Lisanne to find out whether Cookie would suit our family. Was Cookie good with children? How would Cookie and our cat get along? Has she experienced any trauma? All my questions were answered in all honesty, no "sales talk". I was sent all kinds of photos and videos of Cookie so that I could get a good idea of her. The communication is clear and complete, which is great!

We decided to take the step, what a nice feeling it gives, knowing that you can offer such a dog a safe home! Because there were few flights due to corona, we had to wait a while for her, but it still went quite quickly. Before leaving Turkey, Cookie was checked by a vet, she was sterilized, vaccinated, dewormed and deflead. She has been tested for all kinds of diseases. So you know that the dog has been declared healthy, and you will receive all the papers. Cookie flew to Germany with Phoenix with a flight volunteer (they are so important in this whole process!). She stayed with a foster volunteer there for a few days until we picked her up near the German-Dutch border. We live in Zeeland ourselves, so it was quite a road trip for Cookie. When we got home Cookie was exhausted and fell asleep straight away.

What I found so special is that she immediately felt so comfortable that she started sleeping on her back. Things went well with the children right away, which was great! Cookie is a very gentle dog, with, at times, a lot of energy. She has a lot of love to give, I always think you can tell from her that she is grateful to have been saved. She radiates that somehow. Cookie settled in well with us. Things are going fantastically well in and around the house. Things are generally going well on the street, but she still finds it intimidating during the tourist summer period that we have here in Zeeland. Then we really have to look for quiet places to let her enjoy her walk. For example, she finds cycling scary, and scooters/mopeds that make a lot of noise. She is also afraid of fireworks and thunder, but with peace and love everything will be fine. The first year that a rescue dog is with you is a year full of firsts. You have to get to know your dog and teach your dog to trust you. That takes time. If you can give your dog the time, patience and love, you will have a buddy for life.

When Cookie had been with us for a year, my mother became ill and was unable to care for her dog for a while. Harry came to our house temporarily and I saw that Cookie felt more confident with a stable dog next to him. When Harry returned to his house I saw that Cookie took another step back in her self-confidence. That made me decide to contact Lisanne again to see if there was a suitable dog that would suit our family. Our eye fell on beautiful Fia. Lisanne went to check whether Fia was good with children and cats, and everything went great! But then the question arose whether I could temporarily take Kaysie into my home. Kaysie was in a foster family waiting for her forever home, but her foster family went on vacation. Of course she was allowed to come, we in the car to Maastricht to pick up Kaysie. What a huge treasure she is! And what power she has with Cookie! Kaysie was one of Patty's (now Charly's) puppies, born in the shelter in Turkey. So fortunately she did not experience the real suffering of the street. That makes her a stable dog, which Cookie needed. Kaysie has now been with us for a year and the two are still doing very well together. You see Cookie pulling herself up to Kaysie. She feels more confident. They play great fun together. I am so grateful that these 2 dogs came our way, how they have enriched our lives.

There are already enough dogs in the world, so I think "adopt don't shop" is a nice saying. You can give a rescue dog the chance for a fantastic life full of love here, instead of a life on the street full of fear and uncertainty.

The guidance from the Foundation is super nice. If you have any questions or encounter any problems, you can always contact them. We have a Whatsapp group that includes a lot of adopters from the Netherlands and Belgium, where we regularly ask each other for tips. I find that very valuable, the group contains a lot of experience. Of course, every dog is different and has different needs, but by hearing different experiences you can figure out what you think is good for your dog.

For me there is no other dog than a rescue dog!