Former Greek street dog Agapi gets a brush-out from his admirer The Saint, a.k.a. Hubsy, last week
Photo: Katerina Lorenzatos Makris

Agapi the day after rescue last year
Photo: Katerina Lorenzatos Makris

by Katerina Lorenzatos Makris ~

Just when I start to feel (again) that my writing is pretty much pointless, and that maybe I should fold up the laptop and hunt for honest work, in flies an email from out of the blue to blast away the doubts. An email from a complete stranger, and from halfway across the world.

A reader in France recently wrote to say that her rescued dog is quite ill with Leishmaniasis, and that she found my entries on The Dozen Dog Diaries (DDD) about my own rescued pooch Agapi, who is recovering from the same disease, to be of use.

If a publisher offered me a bazillion dollars for my next book, it wouldn’t mean more to me than that French email. Well, OK, how about the bazillion dollars and the French email?

Kefalonia veterinarian Dr. Amanda Micheletti with another street dog, Bimboli, who was horribly injured, ill, malnourished, and emotionally traumatized. She personally rescued and healed him. Now he’s her own beloved boy.
Photo: Katerina Lorenzatos Makris

In any case, the note from this new friend has spurred me to take a wander down Rescue Memory Lane and re-post all the Dozen Dog Diaries entries about Agapi and more dogs here on Spicy Stories Save Lives.

Pawfect timing

Another amazing thing about the timing of the message from France was that on the very day it arrived, I had just received important news about yet another dog suffering from the disease. But that’s a different story, with details to come soon.

Agapi and The Saint
Photo: Katerina Lorenzatos Makris

Meanwhile, have a look at the new version of the first DDD entry I made about Agapi back on September 2012, with more photos. And don’t worry— although the pics of him from that time are somewhat gruesome, these days he looks and feels quite a bit different, as seen in the photos here. Thank heavens.

Actually not just thank heavens. Thanks also to Dr. Amanda Micheletti, a veterinarian on the Greek island of Kefalonia, who went above and beyond all call of duty, as is her habit, for Agapi. And as always thanks to The Saint, who has supported this and many more of his wacky wife’s rescue adventures with generosity of wallet as well as of heart.

Oh, just one more thing to mention. Vive la France!

Please see the first Dozen Dog Diaries entry about Agapi, now with more photos:

A bloody dog standing in the road: What do you do?

To read the next article about Agapi and more animal adventures please FOLLOW Spicy Stories Save Lives by clicking the ‘SUBSCRIBE’ button above. You’ll receive email notifications of our new articles. We will NEVER give your email address to anyone else. And it’s free!

Spicy Stories Save Lives proudly sponsors needy animals in the U.S. and around the world.

For example we help Kefalonia Animal Trust (KATs) provide free spay/neuter for hundreds of animals per year, which is one of the best ways to prevent the abandonment and misery of puppies like Noah and Kyla. Please give to KATs via PayPal or bank transfer. Spay/neuter and education are the animals’ best hope for a better future.

Also please consider Animal Rescue Kefalonia (ARK), another group on the island who run a shelter  and work miracles with terribly few resources. 

Spicy Stories Save Lives and the author of this article have no affiliation with the rescue groups mentioned above, other than as a friend, volunteer, and donor.

Seen our book?  Your Adopted Dog: Everything You Need to Know About Rescuing and Caring for a Best Friend in Need, by Shelley Frost and Katerina Lorenzatos Makris, available through Amazon.com.