This is such a special story- and OREO is the coolest, cutest boy- He needs a super cool and loving home.
Oreo is a very special fella, our first international rescue from Nicaragua. Oreo found his way into our hearts while visiting Little Corn Island. Little Corn Island is a small island, less than 5 square miles 40 miles off the shore of Nicaragua. Upon arriving at Little Corn Beach and Bungalows, we were immediately greeted by this beautifully speckled boy. Throughout the stay, Oreo would greet us at the end of the day to join us in the restaurant, take walks on the beach, lay next to the hammock and, soon into the stay, would be sitting on our front porch and walking into the bungalow.
We inquired about Oreo's story and found that his owner had passed away 3 years ago and he has since been wandering the island and was smart enough to have made the bungalows his main stay even though he would be seen on all sides of the island sleeping on porches and such. As our stay was getting towards the end, we had a hard time thinking about leaving this fella on the island knowing that the average life span of the dogs on Little Corn is about 5 years and many would have hot oil or hot water thrown on them if they were trespassing on personal property. So we decided we were not leaving the island without our Oreo, so the journey began.
Working with the incredible folks at Little Corn Beach and Bungalow, rescue folks themselves who have brought veterinarians over to the island for years for spay and neuters, medication and continue to help with the cats and dogs on the island, we came up with a plan. The night before the departure, we were given a dog kennel, a collar, leash, food and some bacon! Oreo was born on the island and had never lived in a home and has never been off the island. We didn't know the challenges we would face convincing Oreo to come into our room the night before but BACON sure did help. All of the adventures forward were new experiences for Oreo so you can only imagine what he was thinking. We made him a pallet of beach towels on the floor and he actually ate a good meal (yes dog food this time), enjoyed some bacon and slept soundly. 4am came early and we had to take Oreo on a potty break when he had never been on a leash before in his life. He was certainly unsure of our connection, did not potty. After an unsuccessful potty break into a crate he went. A panga boat was hired for us to take from Little Corn to Big Corn. We were to leave from the beach in front of our bungalow (the windy, rough part of the island) and jump on the 18 foot boat in crashing waves carrying Oreo in a kennel.
We were already late and not sure if we'd make our connecting hopper plane over to the mainland but we were going to try our best. The ride was rough, 8-10 foot seas as we crossed the ocean. Waves were crashing over the boat from time to time and the captain was constantly bailing water out the back. We held onto Oreo, sticking our fingers through the kennel reassuring him it would be ok and we were thinking of how we were going to swim with this dog in case of an emergency. As land came into sight we finally were able to see our next friend, Elvis who was going to race us from the beach to the small airport to catch the hopper plane to the mainland of Nicaragua. Elvis was frantic and our soaked selves, Oreo included, crashed onto the beach we grabbed the Kennel and baggage and off we raced to the airport. We made it just in time and the airport staff looked at us like we were nuts, told us we better change our clothes all the while Elvis did some sweet talking to get Oreo placed on the plane. The whole flight, 1.5hours, we would hear a little howl from Oreo who was just sitting in front of us and we could only imagine what he was thinking. We made it to Managua with Oreo and were met by the Beach and Bungalow's supplier, Rogelio. Oreo had to be taken to Delta's freight building at the airport so they could make sure his kennel was adequate for his next journey, to the USA.
Oreo stayed with Rogelio while we continued our vacation in touring Nicaragua. Rogelio would be taking him to vet appointments, working with customs, making travel arrangements with the airline and picking up another kennel, supplies and other necessary items needed for his journey. After our travels were over, we met Oreo and Rogelio at our hotel and he took us to the airport. Oreo was very excited to see us and we were excited to see him. Seems he was the only thing we could think of while on the rest of our trip. We were dropped off at the airport while Oreo continued on to the freight building to be loaded. As we waited to board our flight we kept an eye out to see if Oreo was loaded. We thought we spotted him being loaded but were not positive. We boarded our flight hoping that Oreo was on board as well. As we landed in Atlanta and my phone was going nuts as Delta Cargo had been trying to call us all morning. Seems there was a bit of paperwork that needed to be done with Customs and Oreo was going to be stuck in Atlanta in Customs if we didn't get this resolved.
After a 12 hour journey so far, this is the last thing we wanted for our boy. After some frantic phone calls and emailing paperwork, we hired a broker and hoped that with the 3 hours that they were still open, we'd be able to clear Oreo to come to Savannah. We boarded the plane without our dog. After a trip to the Savannah customs building in and a few phone calls we found out that Oreo would be flying in two flights behind ours. Oreo would be landing in Savannah at 7:30 pm. We headed home and got on the phone with who we thought would be Oreo's best foster as we believed he would do best in a bilingual home as he was probably Spanish speaking, haha. Our foster was more than happy to help with One Love's very first international rescue. 7:00 pm I headed back out to the airport to pick Oreo up where I had to meet with the Customs Broker that had been working on Oreo all day. He said he was not leaving work that day until we had Oreo in our hands! I was very thankful. Oreo again was thrilled to see me and as soon as I opened his kennel, he flew into my arms. We put on a proper leash, collar and harness with his very first identification tag! It was chilly in Savannah so he got a sweater and then I convinced him to jump in that strange box again (the car) and off we went. He ate a meal sitting on the front seat and looked out the window in awe, so many new things.
At the house, foster mom was waiting and took our buddy home. Oreo is now in a foster home with several other dogs and 2 children. He has learned the comforts of home and enjoys sleeping in a bed with the boys, going on car rides, joining family adventures and just last week, PLAYED WITH OTHER DOGS! The dogs off the island are amazing as there are cats, dogs, cows, pigs, people, chickens and everything in between running free so they have fantastic personalities.
Oreo is currently being treated for heartworms, and is expected to be very soon “ up to date” and ready to go.
To find out more or to meet this lovable boy, please contact : adoptions@oneloveanimalrescue.com