All too soon it was time for us to return to the UK, and as predicted I had not been able to find a forever home for her, so I secured a place at my friend Suzan’s kennels in Caplica. As we were headed into winter I bought a child’s duvet and a blanket to put in her kennel to help her keep warm. I packed these items along with her blue rubber ball and rope tug toy as well as the rest of her food and some chews and bundled them all in the car along with Emma.
It was a beautiful warm sunny day in mid-November and we made good time on the empty road to Caplica where we turned into the side road leading down to the Caplica Hotel and waited on the corner for Suzan to arrive to collect Emma. I could not drive up to the kennels as they were up a very long steep and stony dirt track which was only suitable for 4 wheel drive vehicles. In the winter time after it had rained a bit this track became really muddy and regular cars would just slide about. Only a 4 wheel drive could get enough traction in these conditions. Also on the one or two occasions I had driven up this track in a regular small hire car when it was dry in summer, I had ended up getting a puncture as the feeble tyres on my small vehicle were no match for the multitude of very sharp stones.
Sometime after we arrived another lady turned up with a very small white shaggy dog who was also going to be collected by Suzan. The lady was going back to the UK and the little dog was going to be following her soon after, but needed to finish her course of rabies injections first.
I handed Emma over to Suzan along with all the things I had bought for her and asked Suzan to keep me updated with texts and photos as to how Emma was settling in. I gave Emma a kiss and a cuddle and told her I would be back in a couple of months and that she could come and stay with me again at that time. Then I turned away and drove off back to where I had come from.