Willie Nelson, yo.

    I can't believe I haven't posted about our sweet friend, Willie Nelson.  We adopted him a few months ago, I believe in March.  Ettore went down to Caserta to adopt him because he was short listed to be euthanized if he stayed in the "shelter."  the lady who rescued him found him wandering about on the freeway, covered in scabs, crusts and with no hair.  He was so weak, poor guy.  His angel took him, but she already had an apartment full of dogs and cats and so she kept him in the courtyard of her building.
She couldn't take him the the "canile" because he would have been euthanized only for the fact that he is sick with Leishmania, a disease that affects the kidneys, skin and organs, and that left untreated, can be deadly.  It also causes severe Anemia.  Since he was ill, the commune di Caserta did not think he was worth the €3 a day it would take to keep him alive, so, this woman tried to find a place for him.

Willie as he was rescued.  He was just a hairless bag of bones

       We found him on Facebook, and realized he was just too shabby and pathetic to turn away.  He was so weak and tired.  Ettore and Valentina picked him up and bropught him home, and when I got him out of the car, it was LOVE at first sight.  He is a real simple little guy.  When we got him he was weak and just slept all day, he couldn't even jump on the sofa.  He didn't have his fur and one of his legs was so atrophied, he walked with a limp.  He is also cross-eyed.  So in essence, not an example of a dog who is winning any beauty prizes.  I don't care.  He was the red headed stranger.  

When he first came, he would sneak out of the warm  house and go way down to the barn to sleep in a pathetic little ball, shivering.  He had a complete distrust of humans.  Understandable, in my opinion.

Willie convelecing

     He will be on lifelong medicine to control the Leishamnia, but we got him well with about 6 different types of pills, including B Complex and Omega 3s for the skin.  Now he gallops when we go on walks, he cuddles with us, he retires at night to sleep on a bed of pillows.  He loves snacks, and is is a pure joy.  We think is is actually quite young since his demeaner is so puppy-like.
With Willie Nelson, our family is a now complete.  The pack family is now in harmony, and I look forward to sharing many many years of my life with Willie.

Willie with his new friend, Flora