For Takis, saving dogs is his sole mission in life. He has given up his day job and his previous life to concentrate fully on rescuing homeless dogs in Greece. He took all of his money and created a shelter. So far, hundreds of dogs owe their new lives to him.
One such dog is a former stray now named Lena.
Horrible past
Takis found Lena near a dumpster in Ierapetra in Crete, scavenging for food. She was deeply emaciated and you can see the bones sticking out of her skin. Strangely enough, there was a rope tied on her neck with its end chewed off. It seemed that the dog was tied up and she was able to get away.
There is a great chance that she was abused and neglected and she escaped to survive.
Another telltale of her horrible past is her deeply embedded fear of humans. When Takis tried to come near her, she suddenly lunged at him, barking and showing his teeth. She wanted the man to know that she was not afraid to attack.
But Takis has been in this situation many times before. He knows that he would need lots of patience to get the dog’s trust. For several hours, Takis stayed by the dog’s side, talking to her gently and giving her some food.
Eventually, he was able to get her inside a crate and into his car. She was then taken to the shelter.
Lots of love and attention
Although Lena got into the crate, his fear for humans has not vanished. She wasn’t even comfortable being around the numerous dogs. She would still snap at his rescuer every time he tried to pet her head or rub her body. But Takis never gave up.
For the next few weeks, he devoted many hours of his day showing Lena lots of love and attention. Slowly, her defenses started crumbling. She started trusting his kind rescuer and even learned how to get along with the other dogs.
Soon, she was playing with them and started enjoying the human touch. The former stray has become sweet and affectionate as well.
Lena was getting healthier too. Her coat started looking healthy and her body filled up. Thanks to this dedicated man, her life has completely turned around.
Source: The Dodo via Youtube