Is that a dog?
I had just moved to Albania and was looking to volunteer with animals in my spare time when the local animal rescue posted some pictures of this... creature. The pictures of him were so pitiful. He was under a car, legs folded together. Bald spots showed through the few patches of fur he did have. He looked more like a sick rat than a sick little dog.
I was missing my dog back home and thought I could probably give this little guy a temporary place to stay. The person from the rescue told me to meet them at the local veterinarian. When I got there, I was surprised to see a bold little dog who was not at all scared of me and mostly pretended I wasn't there. He was suffering from mange and smelled terrible. He was definitely a dog, a little terrier mix of some kind. And he was going home with me.
In the beginning, I bundled him in a blanket and rushed him outside when he needed to go out, trying to avoid seeing my neighbors in the elevator. After all, the mange had made his bare skin scabby and raw. He smelled terrible.
As he began to get healthier, we took longer and longer walks. Then one night, we woke to the building swaying. It was an earthquake! I had no idea what to do except leave our building once the shaking stopped. We rushed down from our 5th-floor apartment down the stairs and outside. For the next few hours, we wandered around the park, not sure where to go or what to do. I felt a little less lonely with him there.
As the weeks and months went on, Ralphie became healthier. It was time to think about the next, permanent chapter in his story. Luckily, my sister had been following his story and fell in love with him. It was hard to imagine not seeing him anymore, so I was ecstatic that Ralphie would go live with her.
Now, he lives near the coast in the US. He finally gets to be his true doggy self, a feisty little terrier mix who loves to cuddle and march around his house.
I share this story because many dogs (and cats) in Albania are still waiting for homes somewhere in the world. Dogs as pets are still not very common for most Albanians yet, but there are dedicated people there trying to help them. If you are interested in donating, being a travel companion, or volunteering, please reach out to Animal Rescue Albania. If you travel to Albania and are willing to have a dog or cat travel with you when you leave, Animal Rescue Albania can make the arrangements for a dog or cat to travel with you, even if you are flying elsewhere.
Even if you don't travel to Albania, keep in mind that there are dogs worldwide in need of homes, even in the United States, and your next travel destination could mean helping another dog or cat get to their adoptive homes. Also, remember animal rescues are always in need of money to pay for medical treatment, so if you can donate, please do. If you can't donate now, help spread the word.
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