Outside a grocery store on the Greek island of Crete, a snow-white puppy sits in a cardboard box.
In the box was a small bowl of water and some food – just enough to keep her alive until someone took pity on her and saved her.
As abandoned dogs and puppies are common in the area, they are often ignored and their fearful barks mingle with the sound of passing traffic.
To Takis Proestakis, these invisible animals are just about anything. He spent almost 10 years taking care of the lost in Greece, creating Takis Shelter in 2013 after buying some land.
“Takis is running the shelter alone and the home is running 100% from donations. Currently sheltering more than 350 dogs, 50 cats, 6 goats and 2 sheep. The monthly cost of the shelter is about 8,000 euros,” the shelter wrote on Facebook.
“With so few people willing to help, there are still a large number of stray dogs and cats in the south that need to be rescued. In the past, dogs were often tied up, often locking puppies in boxes, outside of shelters,” the shelter website Note.
For the snow-white puppy Takis saved, this is the perfect place to grow and recover. He named her Maisie, and she immediately began to frown.
Maisie is full of energy and enthusiasm for her new home. She tries to play with Ozzy, another rescuer recovering from painful burns and abuse – she bonded with him, and he treated her gently, letting her sleep on his back.
It wasn’t long before Maisie was adopted. Her beautiful looks and personality made her a perfect choice!
Luckily for her, she was lucky enough to go into the best place a rescue dog could hope to find. Her new family has a small farm in Crete and she now has 8 dog siblings and 11 cat siblings!
Thanks to Takis Shelter’s hard work, kids like Maisie have been given another chance.
Find out more about Takis Shelter at their official website here, or on Facebook! Watch the rescue video below:
