Individual Impact Of Individual Lives Saved

ruby (formerly elpida) was about to be euthanized but together we found her heaven on earth

Born in 2017, rescued in 2018, adopted in May 2019

Breed: Poodle “wheelie” sweetheart

Current Home: With Courtney and Nick ad their dog Cody

My story: I was found on the side of the road a few months ago in Thessaloniki, hit by a car and left to die. I must have stayed paralyzed on the side of the road for at least a day or more, suffering in silence, waiting for a miracle that somebody would stop and help me. When I realized that somebody would finally help me, despite of my injuries, I licked the human hand to show that I need help. I was definitely owned beforehand and one day found myself being abandoned on the street. But a small dog like me has few chances of survival. I did not know the big roads and was therefore an easy target for being hit by a car. I was at risk of being euthanized by the municipality since I could not be released back on the street. Greek law in 2018 mandates that mayors offices are responsible for stray dogs and shelters are only temporary places to keep sick stray dogs. Once a stray dog is healthy again, he or she must be released back into “its natural environment”, which is supposedly the street. As as handicapped dog I was not able to be released back, so I was at risk of being put down. O Seirios animal welfare in Thessaloniki did not want this to happen and reached out to Zero Stray Pawject if they could help. The founders traveled to Thessaloniki in December 2018 and met me and promised to help. It took them 5 months afterwards to find a good foster and pre-vet many families that would have been suitable to adopt me.

After a special foster was finally found, Silja traveled to Athens where Maria from Seirios traveled with me to hand me over to Silja for the trip to New York. I slept for 2 days with Silja in a hotel in Athens, we cuddled in bed and had a blast. The trip back was long and exhausting but all worth while. Upon arrival in Newark, I met my foster parents Courtney and Nick and immediately fell in love with me. And it took me only a day to show them my amazing personality. After a week and a half, Courtney and Nick were so in love with me that they did not want to give me back anymore, so I became an official foster-failure and now live in their big house with my own garden and Cody and am very much loved. Courtney buys me all sorts of fun shirts so that I do not lose my diaper. They even got me a new wheel chair to be able to run and play and I am sleeping right next to Courtney. Courtney comes home during the day many times to change my diapers or often takes me with her to work. I am the star!

Without the collaboration of Seiros and Zero Stray Pawject and their efforts to go above and beyond to find me with the perfect home, I would not be here today and I would not have such an amazing life. Thank you! Woof woof