I met Jonna at a market and i feel in love with her dogs (Hero and Spirit at the time) amazing dogs and super well trained.
I immediately felt the good vibe of that special family, and since then we've been following each other's work and Jonna invited Mutt Dog to be a little part of this very special project that is Adopted with love. I decided then that the frst post should be about this special project, cause i really believe in it.
So i asked Jonna to explain a little bit about her project:
"First, I want to thank you for this opportunity to present @adopted_withlove. This Instagram account keeps inside my personal passion project for the love for animals and second chances. It is also my way to give back to the society just as I have been helped number of times by the Portuguese while living alone here in Lisbon as a foreigner.
What I do is I rehome abandoned animals of Portugal in my home country, Finland. I began last year by doing it for friends and people I know well before. Starting from this year, I am offering now the opportunity to a broader audience in Finland. However, I don’t really promote my project, yet, which means mostly the people find me through word-of-mouth and by recommendations from others. So far, I have adopted 21 dogs and 7 cats to Finland. As I am only one person behind this venture, my actions are small comparing to big associations that rescue dozens of dogs monthly from other countries to Finland. However, as they say, “one life at a time”.
In Finland, we don’t have similar issues with abandonment or animal crime as in Portugal due to various cultural differences. Therefore, my other goal, in addition to the adoptions, is to increase the awareness of the Portuguese rescue/shelter dogs in Finland. At the same time, I am doing my best explaining the Portuguese how it is in Finland. When it comes to owning a pet, these two countries differ in many ways. However, I am extremely happy about the fact that adopting a pet in need is becoming more and more popular in Finland too, and that there are many, wonderful families interested in offering a new beginning to a less fortunate dog or cat from abroad. I think the global eco-wakening helps this cause too. Adopt, don’t shop.
What is different in how the adoption process works through me, unlike to many associations, I start with the family. I strive to find a dog or cat that matches their wishes, level of experience, environment and lifestyle. Hence, it is very personal. I like to keep regular contact with all the adopters, and that is one of my conditions to them as well. As I used to train and compete with dogs on a high level in various sports, I feel I have a good background to not only analyze the potential dogs, but to help guiding the adopters in anything they might need from feeding to training. In fact, I direct all the adopters to go to a puppy or dog school since it is important for establishing a relationship and to get a good kick-start as soon as the dog is well adapted to its new home first.
The adoption process itself includes collecting various data of the potential families, requesting pictures and videos from their home and the neighborhood, phone interview/calls, and finally organizing everything (paperwork, flight, blood tests, etc.) to the animal we have together chosen to be the ideal fit for them. Most of the time, the animals travel to Finland by plane with me, or as in some cases, the families flew all the way from Finland to pick up their furry family member from Portugal. In the future, I wish to organize a “Portuguese day” once a year in Finland in which all dogs adopted via me could attend with their families to spend some pawtastic time together.
I collaborate with several shelters across the country in Portugal. Most of the dogs I adopted came from the mid or north of the country. However, I have rescued 3 cats from Azores too. These kitties are close to my heart as my own first cat was from the streets of Sao Miguel, and how it all started. She opened my eyes to this sad situation. However, I am super happy to have found fantastic people to work with on this mission, and we enjoy each other’s full trust. For all the shelters and people I cooperate with, I guarantee lifelong updates of the animals and take full responsibility of the adoptions myself as well. In my Instagram I share pictures and videos of the animals already adopted in Finland, inform, and share shelters’ publications about the animals in need. This way, everyone can follow the project. The main language in the account is Finnish though as it is my main audience.
As for the future, I wish I can establish my own association one day and get people working with me on this 100% voluntary project. Thank you Muttdog & Company for your collaboration and dressing up these little travelers so stylish! Yours, Jonna @adopted_withlove"
Thank you Jonna for this amazing work and for letting me be a part of it.
Keep up with the good work, you're amazing!! ❤️
Follow @adopted_withlove on instagram