International Rescue
These women went above and beyond – and abroad – to rescue their pups, who were worth every single mile...
“Alfie is full of joy”
Working in the charity field, I get emails from people trying to find new homes for rescued animals. They all break my heart but I know I can’t personally rescue them all, so forward them to the right people and hope for the best.
However, when a photo of Alfie landed in my inbox back in 2012, I couldn’t resist her sad, soulful eyes. I was desperate to make her safe.
Alfie was born on the streets of Romania and picked up by a government pound who were trying to cull street dogs. They were often beaten to death before they even made it to the pound. Some volunteers managed to get access to feed the dogs and try to rehome them.
My partner Christopher agreed that Alfie belonged with us, so we paid £200 to have her spayed, chipped, vaccinated, given a passport and put in a truck with 30 other dogs so she could be driven across Europe to Calais. I met her ferry in Dover and remember someone shouting, “Get Alfie out first, she’s in the worst state.”
As the truck doors slid open, she was distressed, overwhelmed, confused and shocked. At first, she was quite feral, which was understandable after 18 months on the streets fending for herself. She didn’t want me to go near her to begin with, but on day three I managed to get off the collar that had been sewn onto her neck, and on day four she took a morsel of food from my hand.
Alfie is testament that no dog is irredeemable. She was house-trained within days and within six weeks was a per fect dog.
£200 is not a lot of money to save a life, not that I could put a price on Alfie. I’ve never known a dog who seems so aware of where she’s come from and where she is now, and truly is grateful for the life we’ve given her. Alfie is full of such joy, she’s funny, cheeky, playful, squeaky, cuddly, loving and the most lovely, loyal friend I’ve ever had.
Kate, Sussex. To rescue a Romanian street dog, visit WWW.K-9ANGELS.ORG
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