How a homeless dog from Greece found his forever home in Canada

March 2018 Giving Report

Did you know there are approximately 3 million stray dogs in Greece? We recently learned this from Aliki Salmas, a dog lover, a photographer, a photo book author and dog mom extraordinaire.

Here is their story……

“We were driving in a rural area, through a tiny town named Lefkochori just a few days before leaving Greece when we spotted a mangy, sickly looking dog on the side of the road. As we slowed to a stop he came to us as if he was asking "Have you got a scrap for me?"

His hairless body was full of sores, his cracked skin and oozing eyes were clearly a source of pain. It was beyond my comprehension that anyone could leave this poor soul behind. I knew we needed to save him!

We named him “Nelson” and vowed to come back with some food in a few hours.
When we came back we couldn't find him but we left the food out for him. Later that day we came back, the food was gone and a few minutes later, to our delight, Nelson appeared!

Tentative but curious he slowly limped toward us. His tail was curled under him trying to wag.

With our departure just days away, we knew that the airline would not take a sickly, mangy dog on board, so I began contacting rescue groups to see if someone could look after him until we were able to come back to pick him up.

The locals thought I was crazy to try and save this one dog and told me I was fighting a losing battle. But I was armed with my love for animals, and optimism that someone would be able to help.

As a last ditch effort, I contacted a good friend in Vancouver who connected me with Diasozo Rescue in Northern Greece; a small, loving shelter where Nelson could be nursed back to health so we could fly him to Canada.

I will never forget the women from the shelter and their love and compassion. They opened their hearts to help Nelson and without the doubt saved his life. I can’t thank them enough!

Aliki Salmas, Vancouver, BC, Canada"

Isn’t this an amazing story? As you can see from the pictures, the transformation of Nelson stunning! He lives in Vancouver with his rescuers / “parents” Aliki and Walter.

On our community's behalf, we have donated $1000 USD to Diasozo Rescue this month to continue to help dogs in need.

Read about our other giving campaigns:

Houston rescue shelter steps up during disaster

A rescue shelter that feeds raw food!

Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.

- Dalai Lama

About the author

Dr. Peter Dobias, DVM is an Integrative veterinarian, nutritionist and creator of natural supplements for dogs and people. Helping you and your dog prevent disease, treat nutritional deficiencies, and enjoy happier, healthier, and longer lives together.

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How a homeless dog from Greece found his forever home in Canada

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