A woman from Athens, Greece, was on holiday at a tiny tourist town by the sea, about 100 miles outside of Athens. She was on the beach with her dogs when she came upon a stray dog.
Valia Orfanidou, a self-proclaimed animal lover, is accustomed to seeing many stray dogs and cats. “When you live in Greece as an animal lover, you simply grow used to seeing lonely stray dogs wandering about everywhere,” she explained, “and opt to rescue the ones that can’t make it on the roads: the sick, underweight, or injured ones, newborns, and pregnant women.”
But there was something unusual about this dog: she appeared to be relatively young, and she didn’t appear to have any of the pressing demands that made previous strays make Valia feel a strong feeling of urgency.
“Something about her made her life as a stray incredibly vulnerable.” “She had seen us from afar and, longing for companionship, she joined the four of us and tried to blend in,” Valia explained.
When the stray dog got close enough, she lay over on her back and let Valia scratch her belly. She was rare in that she had no one in the world who cared about her, but she still had so much love to share. Valia explained, “She was desperate for attention.”
Blue (as Valia called her) wasn’t in a bad situation. Because the puppy was roughly 7 months old and healthy, she wasn’t considered a priority. Valia was drawn to the friendly stray for a variety of reasons. In her spirit, she could feel the dog was desperate.
She was “desperate for human companionship and a family to whom she could belong.”
Valia continued, “She spent the summer pursuing people and racing behind automobiles of anyone she saw on that beach, wagging her tail and begging for anything.”
For a few days, Valia kept an eye on the miserable stray puppy. Meanwhile, the dog was running about in the sand, chasing passing automobiles, and following beachgoers. “I couldn’t sleep for two days,” she added, “trying to figure out how to get her off that beach as soon as possible.”
Valia finally arrived and helped her into the car. Orfanidou explained, “I named her Blue because the blue water that kept her company for the first several months of her existence.”
Blue was placed with a foster family, but she still needed a permanent home.
Meanwhile, in another part of Holland, a family was mourning the loss of one of their dogs. “Abbaio went suddenly tragically in the summer, leaving us and Rincewind [their second dog] in despair,” Karin Folkerts said.
Abbaio and Rincewind were both therapy dogs who collaborated by visiting nursing facilities in the neighborhood and helped persons with dementia and Alzheimer’s regain their happiness. Not only did the family miss their dog, but so did the residents at the nursing home.
After seeing a snapshot of Blue, Folkerts falls in love with her. Second Chance Animal Rescue Society is grateful (SCARS).
Blue was given a thorough cleaning and was then ready for adoption.
“We pressed the contact button right away, and before we knew it, we were being called,” Folkerts added.
Valia and Folkerts had a few chats to see if Blue would be a suitable fit for the family, which also includes Rincewind the dog and a few cats.
Blue is all washed up and eating food in this short video:
From the beginning, it was a match made in heaven.
“Rincewind, who was with us at the time, fell in love with her right away,” Folkerts explained. “That was really nice of you, and she was very welcome.” She and Rincewind are best friends.
Folkerts trained Blue to be a therapy dog, and she made her first visit to the nursing home this month. When they spotted her, their faces brightened up.
“No matter what they’re doing, she doesn’t have an issue with them,” Folkerts said. “She is so stable that she isn’t terrified whether they are talking loudly, getting furious, weeping, or making noise.”
“It’s hard to believe Blue has just been with us for three months,” Folkerts remarked. “It feels like she’s been here forever.”
The unfortunate stray who has spent her entire life on the beach alone has now found a family and even a career in making others happy.
“She was wandering on the beach 3 months ago, offering her help, but no one really wanted it,” Folkerts said. “Now she is greeted with open arms.”
