In the last couple of weeks, I've seen one life end, one life get saved and one slipped through my fingers and I beat myself up about it, as I was not quick enough to make decisions.
I'll start with the loss.
This dog used to live with his family in a big house with a yard right next to a big supermarket in Veroia, a city in Northern Greece, where I regularly shopped.
RIP, old boy. There are people who mourn for you.
That was the life that vanished before its time. Around the same time though, and in the very same place, a life got saved. Toby and his brother, two beautiful puppies with super big ears, got abandoned right outside the old dog's yard, next to the very same supermarket a few months ago. One of them, Toby, was more energetic, more cheerful, very curious about everything happening around him. His brother, Benji, was weaker, and much less assertive, in his own shy way constantly seeking love and attention. After two months of my extensive efforts to find homes and families for them, one of the two puppies, Benji, disappeared. I still look for him - I post on fb, I put up posters, I spread the word - so far, in vain. A couple of days later, I received a message from Athens from a great woman, Tania, interested in adopting one of the two puppies. Since Benji was missing, his brother was the lucky one and he would travel to the new home. It was not easy to find a way to transport Toby from Veroia to Athens, but when there is a will, there's a way. So, a friend of Tania’s drove all the way up to Larissa and I drove all the way down to Larissa, and we met there. Today, Toby lives a happy life in Athens, goes on long walks, sleeps in a comfortable bed and has plenty of food in his bowl. But first and foremost, he is loved and safe.
It's a story with a happy ending.
The last of the three stories I wanted to tell you is unfinished. I don’t know where Benji is. I don’t know if he got adopted, if he got relocated by somebody for some mysterious reason, I don’t even know if he is still alive. But I swear he will never live in the street again if I manage to find him…
As for the link with ELT, stay tuned. It’s time for some serious awareness raising.
Not just 'one off' helping a dog or dogs but raising awareness of the situation and doing something about it. Thank you Margarita and supporters.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind words. And for reminding me of this blog post - it seems like ages ago... My awareness raising campaign (now called Tales of Strays) has moved to https://www.facebook.com/mktalesofstrays/ and https://www.margaritakosior.com/p/books.html Follow us of you want to find out more!
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