Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/takis-shelter-puppy-crete/

Outside a grocery store on the Greek island of Crete, a snow-white puppy sat in a cardboard box.

In the box was a small bowl of water and some food — just enough to last her until someone took pity and rescued her.

Because abandoned dogs and puppies are a common occurrence in the area, they are often ignored and their frightened barks blend in with the sound of traffic.

For Takis Proestakis, these invisible animals are anything but. He’s spent nearly 10 years caring for strays in Greece, creating Takis Shelter in 2013 after buying some land.

“Takis is running the shelter alone and the shelter is running 100% from donations. The shelter now hosts more than 350 dogs, 50 cats, 6 goats and 2 sheep. The monthly expenses of the shelter are around 8.000 euros,” the shelter wrote on Facebook.

“With very few people willing to help, there are still an overwhelming number of stray cats and dogs in the south that need rescuing. In the past, dogs have been left tied-up, often with their puppies in a box, outside of the shelter,” the shelter’s website notes.

For the snow-white puppy that Takis rescued, this was the perfect place to grow and recover. He named her Maisie, and she immediately began to bloom.

Maisie was energetic and enthusiastic about her new home. She tried to play with Ozzy, another rescue who was recovering from painful burns and abuse — she bonded with him, and he treated her gently, letting her nap on his back.

It wasn’t long before Maisie was adopted. Her beautiful appearance and personality made her a perfect pick!

Fortunately for her, she lucked into the best place a rescue dog can 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 the hard work of Takis Shelter, pups like Maisie have been given another chance.

Learn more about Takis Shelter at their official site here, or on Facebook! Watch the rescue video below:

[embedded content]
Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog