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ESSENTIAL DESTINATIONS

MONTH: July-August 2007

Saving one small dog informs the world

 

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia-- Resembling a skull buried up to the hollow eye sockets, the 70-year-old Italian fortification called Gido Washa stood for death from the day it was built.

Long after the last Italian troops left Ethiopia, after the last wood and metal parts of Gido Washa were blasted or burned, and only the concrete shell remained, it became deadlier than ever.

"For the last 20 or so years local people threw unwanted dogs into the pits, where they died of starvation," Ethiopian/American physician Anteneh Roba e-mailed to ANIMAL PEOPLE on June 25, 2007. As founder of the Amsale Gessesse Memorial Foundation, begun to honor his deceased mother, Roba was in Ethiopia to help the Homeless Animal Protection Society to expand their street dog sterilization and vaccination project.

The Gido Washa situation came to light through an exposé published by the Ethiopian magazine My Fashion. Roba offered to pay the costs if HAPS could rescue and care for any dogs they might find alive there.

HAPS cofounder Efrem Legese had heard of Gido Washa long ago while growing up in Addis Ababa, but like many other Ethiopians he thought it surely had been demolished or closed.

Two similar fortifications linked to the skull-like pillbox had been filled with debris and mud by years of dumping and flooding, but the third remained open.

Peering through dark openings meant for machine-guns, Legese saw a jumble of bones. Overcome by the dank bad air inside, Legese threw up.

Then he saw three dogs huddled beside the cement wall. "They just looked at us because they were unable to do anything more," Legese said. "It seemed they had completely lost hope and were waiting to die. A little bit away from them, we saw another dog, keeping a strong watch. Even though she was unable to walk, she was looking for someone to save her."

 


Residents of the Gido Washa area told Legese that no dog had ever been rescued from Gido Washa. Hyenas had sometimes found their way in and out, but not dogs or humans.

Lacking the equipment needed to climb into the fortification and bring the dogs out, Legese threw food down to them and returned to Addis Ababa to get ladders and rope.

"We were unable to sleep over-night," Legese said. "My son Tommy asked how come this situation stayed like this with so many people around, even embassies and diplomatic residences?"

Narrated Roba, "For a week HAPS fed the dogs until they had the needed equipment and sedatives to get them out." Sedating and muzzling the dogs was considered necessary because they would have to be carried a long way up.

"We bought a rope and borrowed two metal ladders and fixed them together to fit the height of the hole," Legese said. Lowering the ladders into the fortification, the rescue team tested the footing to make sure that human weight wouldn't cause a cave-in, plunging them into the subterranean passages rumored to be below the visible surface.

Two volunteers joined Legese in descending to harness and lift the dogs. Heavy rain added more water to the stinking pool already filling much of the pillbox. The operation took half the day--but Ethiopian National Television arrived to document the dogs' rescue.

"The four dogs are now at the HAPS shelter. They are clean and healthy," Legese e-mailed after he and HAPS cofounder Hana Kifle washed and fed them. "We have asked the government to help us stop people throwing dogs into the cave, to make this cave no more a hell for the poor dogs."

"The government agreed to close the cave," picked up Roba. "We thought that if we waited for the government to allocate funds to close it, bureaucratic red tape would keep us waiting for a while, and the potential for other dogs being thrown into the cave would be high.

"So, while discussing with the authorities, the Amsale Gessesse Memorial Foundation and Homeless Animal Protection Society decided to have our foundation pay for the physical closure of the cave. No more Gido hell!"

Concluded Roba, "As an isolated event, I know the significance of the rescue is not huge, but the public relation value and the chance it gives us and HAPS to educate people in Ethiopia about animal welfare is huge."

That proved to be an understatement. Among the friends and supporters Roba told about the rescue was British songwriter and vocalist Maria Daines, whose Maria Daines Band has won international distinction since 1996 in a variety of music genres.

Composing with guitarist Paul Killington, Daines had already recorded an album called Music United For Animals, and a song for a documentary about the Hurricane Katrina animal rescues. The Maria Daines Band was booked to play with the U.S. singer Pink on behalf of the Party for the Animals in August 2007 at the Cardiff International Arena.

Recipient of a humanitarian award from the Texas Humane Legislation Network in 2006, Daines may have more endorsements of her favorite pro-animal organizations at her personal web site than material about her music.

Daines on July 11, 2007 pledged to write a song in honor of the Gido Washa rescue. All proceeds from downloads of the song would benefit the Homeless Animals Protection Society. Daines meanwhile posted Legese's account of the rescue at her web site, asking her fans to support the Amsale Gessesse Memorial Foundation and HAPS.

Daines released her song "One Small Dog" on July 17, 2007. Though four dogs were rescued, Daines focused on the dog who never lost hope.

Recording success is ephemeral. More than 2.4 million songs may be downloaded at <www.Soundclick.com>, the leading web site offering independent label music. Very few songs ever reach "Top 20" status, or stay there for long.

"One Small Dog" on July 29 reached #16 on the Soundclick pop rock chart. A day later it was #9. Reaching #3 on July 31, it hit #1 on August 2, and remained at #10 on August 7.

Ascending from the depths of Gido Washa to rock stardom, one small dog was educating the world.
Legese and Kifle founded HAPS in 2001, with ANIMAL PEOPLE publisher Kim Bartlett as founding patron. ANIMAL PEOPLE funds their salaries. --Merritt Clifton