Two years ago, Maria Jesus Gomila's daughter gave her a little Breton dog, Roma, who was only a month and a half old. Maria Jesus had been widowed and her daughter thought she needed a big dog to look after her and guard the house. At that time Maria Jesus was physically very well and the dog kept her company. However, for some time now, her state of health has taken a radical turn and she is no longer able to take care of Roma.
"She is a wonderful dog, the problem is that I broke my right shoulder, because I fell and they had to operate twice. The first time they put eleven screws and a metal plate in and then they operated on me again because I didn't 'look good', so I can't exert myself", explains Maria Jesus. Some time later she had peritonitis because her large intestine burst: "I was on the point of dying, in the ICU". On top of all this, there was another factor: she caught pneumonia and from the effort of coughing she broke a rib which has to heal by itself.
All this combined has led the doctor to forbid Maria Jesus to keep Roma, as she is a medium-sized dog, a hunter and very strong. In her situation, she cannot take care of her properly, even though her house has a large yard where the animal can run around.
This is where the odyssey begins. Maria Jesus has been trying for weeks to leave Roma in a suitable place. The first option was to talk to an acquaintance of hers who works at the Town Hall and who put her in touch with the president of SOS Son Reus volunteers, Nieves Martín. However, she told her that Son Reus "was saturated". So she recommended that she speak to Natura Parc: "They told me that they didn't accept dogs from Palma, only from the village, but that they were saturated anyway". "I have also called shelters to have her for at least a month, but they told me that they can't have her until January 15".
For the time being, given Maria Jesus' delicate health situation, her sister Cati is looking after her and helping her with the dog, but it is only a stopgap because "she lives somewhere else, she can't take care of her". Although she is still looking for a temporary place for Roma, with the help of Nieves, the doctor has made it clear: "There is no choice but adoption, I can't take care of her". Her only wish is "that a good family adopts her and loves her as much as I do", she adds emotionally.