A great day in animal rescue: Sweet street dog Thanassis plus two pups fly to new lives in Holland
Thanassis on the day I met him, scavenging for food in the Fanari area on the Greek island of Kefalonia / Photo: Katerina Lorenzatos Makris
by Katerina Lorenzatos Makris ~
PLEASE NOTE: The author no longer endorses Dog Rescue Greece and Arnolda Meisel-Westerduin.
When you rescue animals, you’re going to have some very bad days. You’re also going to have some very, very good ones.
For me, Friday was one of those good ones. It was a day on which I kept a sacred promise—a promise to a dog.
Months ago, I told Thanassis I would do my best to get him off the streets of the Greek island of Kefalonia and into a loving home.
Promises don’t get more sacred than that. To break it would have been agony for me. But to keep it wouldn’t be easy either.
In fact I don’t know how I would have pulled it off if not for a string of happy coincidences, and if not for the kindness of friends as well as strangers.
The coincidences
PLEASE NOTE: The author no longer endorses Dog Rescue Greece and Arnolda Meisel-Westerduin.
Gamma, one of the four Alphabet Puppies dumped at the Alpha Beta supermarket in Kefalonia / Photo: Katerina Lorenzatos Makris
During a trip to the local Alpha Beta grocery store here in April, I ended up taking home a few items that were not on my shopping list—four babies, a.k.a. the Alphabet Puppies, who had been dumped there and were toddling around under the wheels of cars in the parking lot, pulling my heart into my throat.
During a Facebook message session in which I cried on the virtual shoulder of a Dutch friend along the lines of “What on earth am I going to do with four puppies?!” she promised she would find me a rescue/rehoming group to help. And she did.
During a sunny week in May I flew Arnolda Meisel-Westerduin, founder of the Dutch group Dog Rescue Greece (DRG), from Amsterdam to Kefalonia so that she could take my little foundlings back to the Netherlands with her for rehoming. PLEASE NOTE: The author no longer endorses Dog Rescue Greece and Arnolda Meisel-Westerduin.
During a particular hour on a particular day during her visit, we enjoyed a vegan dinner on the waterfront. And on that day, right at that hour, Thanassis happened to trot by.
Madeline Nineham says goodbye to her foster boy Thanassis as we see him off from the Kefalonia airport to his new life in Amsterdam
I poured my heart out to Arnolda about him and how miserably he’d suffered throughout the long, cold winter.
And just like that, the fickle fates of dog rescue finally wheeled around and smiled wide upon that beautiful boy.
“We’ll take him,” said Arnolda.
PLEASE NOTE: The author no longer endorses Dog Rescue Greece and Arnolda Meisel-Westerduin.
This past Friday, thanks to an amazing team effort, she did just that.
The friends and strangers
First Maria Zontou of Mia’s hair salon got Thanassis some preliminary vet care, then Claudia Escabache helped with the flight arrangements. Madeline and John Nineham lovingly fostered him for nearly a month, completing his vet care, and finally brought him to the Kefalonia airport. There, Arie-Jan van Marion, who had come to Kefalonia on holiday, waited to be his flight escort to the Netherlands.
Keeping my promise to Thanassis took four months, a lot longer than I’d wanted. But now all is well. He’s safe and dearly loved in a foster home in Holland.
Rescue jackpot
Frederike plays in a loving foster home in the Netherlands / Photo: Jill Cornelius
Friday was something of a rescue jackpot, because another couple of travel companions joined Thanassis in the hold of the plane: Frederike and Solomon. After those two puppies were rescued and cared for by the dedicated staff and volunteers at Animal Rescue Kefalonia (ARK) for about three weeks, I brought them plus two other puppies home for fostering.
Now thanks to Arnolda and the rest of the team at Dog Rescue Greece (DRG), Frederike, Solomon, and Thanassis all have become Dutch girls and boys. PLEASE NOTE: The author no longer endorses Dog Rescue Greece and Arnolda Meisel-Westerduin.
They followed on the heels of sweet Cherri, who flew to Holland for rehoming by DRG last Tuesday. She’s an adorable little imp who was rescued by Peter Cherrington when she was filthy and terrified on the streets of a Kefalonia port town called Sami, then cared for by ARK before I fostered her here at home for a few days prior to her flight.
Safe and loved, Cherri and Solomon snooze on sofa (which by some miracle they have not yet eaten) Photo: Jennifer van der Schoor
Before this batch of babies, my little Alphabet Puppies made their way to the Netherlands too, escorted by Arnolda of DRG, and since then three of them have also found adoptive homes to call their own. (More on these pups and their foster families and adopters soon.) PLEASE NOTE: The author no longer endorses Dog Rescue Greece and Arnolda Meisel-Westerduin.
The challenges of animal rescue might knock you pretty low on the bad days. But on the extraordinarily good ones that come along now and then, like last Friday did for me, you’ll be walking on air.
PLEASE NOTE: The author no longer endorses Dog Rescue Greece and Arnolda Meisel-Westerduin.
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Please note: Spicy Stories Save Lives is proudly providing part sponsorship for several Kefalonian animals including Viktor and Violetta and their mom Vaso (if/when we find her).
Meanwhile, Kefalonia Animal Trust (KATs) provides free spay/neuter for hundreds of animals per year here. 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 that runs a shelter and works miracles with terribly few resources.
Spicy Stories Save Lives and the author of this article have no affiliation with KATs and ARK 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.
The Alphabet Puppies: Abandoned in supermarket parking lot on Greek island
Rescued dogs Jorja and Ipo headed to bright new lives in Holland tonight
‘Don’t leave without me!’: Puppy Ipo will follow foster sister Jorja to a new life
Have tiara, will travel: Greek (canine) princess to emigrate for new throne
Heart marking on puppy’s face symbolizes her loving nature, waiting to give it all to you
Puppy on a chain will never be chained again
Traumatized puppy Violetta now safe thanks to Greek islanders’ teamwork
Terrified feral puppy, please let me catch and save you
Small but spunky animal rescue group on Greek island launches push to spay/neuter 100 dogs
Katerina Lorenzatos Makris is a career journalist, author, and editor. Her fiction includes 17 novels for Simon and Schuster, E.P. Dutton, Avon, and other major publishers (under the name Kathryn Makris), as well as a teleplay for CBS-TV, and a short story for The Bark magazine. She has written hundreds of articles for regional wire services and for outlets such as National Geographic Traveler, The San Francisco Chronicle, Travelers’ Tales, NBC’s Petside.com, Animal Issues Reporter.org, and Examiner.com (Animal Policy Examiner).
Jun 10, 2013 @ 13:32:31
Wow, just Awesome, Katerina! You did it- you made it happen!! You are truly a catalyst for Divine Intervention! Gggrrrrreat Work!
Jun 10, 2013 @ 23:22:54
You’re so very kind to say that, Jan. Thank you. And it means extra coming from a hardworking kitty rescuer like you!
Jul 30, 2014 @ 07:12:25
Can you please tell me why you no longer endorse Dog Rescue Greece and Arnolda Meisel-Westerduin. We have a dog here in Crete who she is trying to find a new home for – we already have four, all rescue dogs.