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:: Testimonials ::
Tina's Kavala Tale
Walking along the beach one summer day here in Kavala, we heard a muffled whimpering sound coming from under an overturned boat. Walking closer, the whimpering stopped but we knew it must be a dog, perhaps a puppy. Stooping down before the excavated entrance, we made calling sounds and soft engaging whistles.
Slowly and cautiously a small white and pink nose, followed by its dishevelled, matted head and then eventually an entire emaciated and decimated frame emerged from under the boat. The whimpers suddenly escalated into uncontrollable cries. This bony skeleton with lifeless cloudy brown eyes, a body full of sores, ticks and filthy greasy white patchy fur appeared to be a mixture of terrier and toy poodle about four to six months old.
We immediately went to an adjoining taverna, took a dish from the table, filled it with water, and couldn't believe how many times it was refilled and emptied. The dog was an absolute mess, undoubtedly near starvation, and its right front paw was torn and bleeding. There didn't appear to be any other injuries, but it was obvious that this dog needed immediate medical attention.
We've met and said good-bye to so many stray dogs and cats here in Greece, and we felt little doubt that we would soon be saying farewell to this one. As fate would have it, we had an empty kennel in the trunk of the car and our little scared friend was soon on her way to the vet.
The vet confirmed pretty much what we had already suspected. There were no serious injuries, but she needed antiseptic baths for her skin wounds, psoriasis and tick bites, antibiotics for the paw injury, and a gradual high-protein diet. The twitching of her paw also led the vet to suspect distemper. Due to her overall poor state of health, the vet suggested we put her to sleep.
But our newly-named Tina had hope and euthanasia was not an acceptable solution. We told the vet that we would take Tina home. Not knowing how our other seven dogs would accept her, she was slowly and gradually introduced to each one of them. There was not one bark of resentment, nor a growl of rejection. It seemed as if they knew she was ill, and of the ordeal she had gone through. Tina was inducted into the group and after her shave and haircut, daily baths, antibiotics and vitamins, she appeared to be well down the road of recovery. She runs and plays with our smaller dog Bo, but her favourite playmate is Tom, our latest cat. They eat, play and even sleep together in Tina's little dog kennel. It was perhaps a month later that we confirmed the vet's suspicion and the probable reason Tina was living alone under a boat on the beach. Right in front of me, Tina fell over and began convulsing in distemper fit and seizure. The episode lasted about two to three minutes and although she was terribly confused, she regained consciousness. Upon closer examination, we found that Tina's eyesight is also impaired and she has a reduced sense of smell. We suspect she was abandoned due to these seizures - the saddest and simplest of solutions for the owner was to dump the dog.
Tina has since fully recovered, with the exception of some sensory loss, has tripled her body weight, has a beautiful white coat that resembles that of a fluffy white lamb, prances like a pony and loves to be held. Her hearing is okay, but she is ultra sensitive to touch. She takes a Phenobarbital tablet twice a week and that appears to have controlled her seizures as we have not witnessed any problems for the past three months.
We love our little Tina, and she was lucky enough to find a home. If, however, you would like to adopt some unfortunate other, please contact Aesop's Friends of the Animals in Kavala 25940-21191, and we'll forward pictures and a biography. Every one of our strays has a tale to tell.
Jim
Leahy, Aesop's |