A Change In Plans |
I usually travel alone, because I can spontaneously change directions whenever I want to. It makes for an adventure filled vacation! Christmas in Greece? Why not! After leaving Atlanta, Georgia (USA), I arrived in Athens, Greece, and then went to the island of Mykonos. After getting back to Athens, I had planned to go to Hydra, but I made a spur of the moment decision to go to the island of Santorini. The boat that I booked for the trip was cancelled due to the bad weather, so I headed for the airport to fly to Santorini. | |
The Discovery |
Fira, Santorini was where I landed and then rented a car to see the island. The next morning I journeyed to Oia, a town on the northern part of the island. Oia is a gorgeous place with mountains, caused by a volcanic eruption, plunging into the sea. I was surprised to see so many stray dogs on the streets. I found a bearded collie, who I later named Houdini, rummaging through garbage and eating left-over Greek salad. There was no doubt in my mind that Houdini was a 100% beardie! Houdini followed me around all day! I hugged him many times and showered him with attention. He seemed delighted to have a friendly visitor come his way! I went to the market to buy dog food for the strays, but there was nothing there that dogs could eat. So, I went to the only restaurant that was open, and bought enough food to feed all the strays! Houdini and his friends had a street party! | |
The Angel Of Mercy |
I drove back to my hotel in Fira, but I did not sleep at all that night. I got up the next morning determined to go back to Oia and rescue that beardie. Most of the people who live on the island in the winter do not speak English, but there was someone at the hotel who told me about a vet in Messaria, Dr. Margarita Valvis-Roussou, who has set up a shelter for the strays. I left the hotel in Fira and headed to Messaria to see if the vet would agree to take the beardie in the shelter. The vet was in Athens having a baby, so her tech, who did not speak English, called the vet's neighbor, Jilly, to talk with me. They agreed to accept Houdini in the shelter. I bought a leash and collar and drove to Oia to find him. | |
The Search |
After parking the car in Oia, I headed out on foot to find him. It took about thirty minutes, but I found him. Next came the leash and collar routine. I had to coax, drag, and carry him to the car, and then I put him in the front seat with me. A leash, collar, and car ride were all new experiences for Houdini. He was scared, but never hostile. He snuggled next to my on the drive to Messaria. I hugged, petted. talked, and sang to him on the journey. I told him stories about my three beardies in Atlanta. | |
The Shelter |
We arrived in Messaria and went to the vet's office. Jilly came
back in to office so that she could communicate with me. Houdini
was put on the table so that he could be examined and given shots.
They determined that Houdini is two years old. He has cataracts
in both eyes. (After returning to the states, a couple of vets
told me that the cataracts were probably caused by poor nutrition.)
Houdini was small for a two year old male beardie. He looked like
he had never had a bath or been brushed, but his temperament was
all beardie.......sweet, loving, and untouched by all the bad
things that had happened to him.
Dr. Margarita Valvis-Roussou rescues the strays and gives them food and healthcare until she can get them adopted. There are not enough people on the island to adopt the strays, so the vet sends many of them to a shelter in Germany, where they have a greater chance to be adopted. Dr. Valvis-Roussou is an "Angel of Mercy"! Last summer, she sent 100 dogs to the shelter in Germany. Strays are a real problem for the inhabitants of Santorini. Visitors come to this lovely island, bring dogs with them, and then leave them on the island when they depart. There is a city ordinance ordering that the strays be killed. In the week after I left, the folks at the shelter rescued 15 more dogs, who were about to be put to death. I named the beardie Houdini, because with a little help from a friend, he was able to escape the life of living as a stray in Oia. It was two months later, on a call to Greece, that I found out that Houdini had been rescued before, but he escaped from the shelter and made the 15 mile journey, through the mountains, back to Oia. Houdini turned out to be a fitting name for that beardie! |
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The Adoption |
Karen Norteman and Glenn Short, who are on Beardies-L on the internet, sent me Annette Mertes e-mail address. She called Bernd Meissner, a German friend, who has had beardies for years. Not only did Bernd find the Gottfried Kleinconradt family in Balingen to adopt Houdini, but he also made the trip to Greece to pick him up and deliver him to his new home. The folks at Bernd's office raised money for his trip to Greece. Bernd's vet in Germany sent vet supplies to the vet in Santorini. The local German newspaper heard about the rescue effort and did a story on Houdini. The local radio station also did a story on him. After picking up Houdini in Greece, Bernd and Houdini's plane headed for Germany. Annette Mertes, and her beardie, Lena, were at the airport in Stuttgart to meet them. When Bernd delivered Houdini to his new home in Balingen, Germany, the Kleinconradt family was eagerly waiting for them, along with newspaper reporters and someone from the radio station who were there to do follow-up stores on Houdini. What a wonderful welcome Houdini received from all his new German friends! I send a big THANK YOU to all the folks in Germany who were involved in this rescue effort, and I send a very special THANKS to Bernd Meissner for making it all happen! | |
Generous Friends |
When I left Houdini at the shelter in Santorini, I gave a donation
to the shelter, because the vet runs the operation on donations.
After returning from the trip I put an e-mail on Beardies-L and
received other donations to send to the vet. I also contacted
the IAMS Company to see if they would consider making a donation
of food to the shelter. IAMS contacted their Europe representative,
who then called the distributor who covers Santorini. After IAMS
checked it out, they found out that the Greek representative knew
about the shelter in Messaria, and that they had made some previous
donations to the vet there. They made another donation after receiving
my request. Houdini and his friends send a big THANK YOU to those
who gave money and food to the shelter. The IAMS Company is sent
a special thanks! It is a wonderful thing to see a big corporation
who really cares!
I feel that it was Abigail, my Rainbow Bridge beardie, who led me to Houdini. I had not even planned to go to Santorini, but after getting the idea, nothing could stop me from going there. Thank you, my dear Abigail! You knew that Houdini needed my help, and you made sure that I got there to find and rescue him! |
You can see the original Houdini Web page
(it's the second version posted 48 hours after the very first)
Do you love beardies as much as I do? If so, check out the photos from my Casual Shots Video made at the Orlando Specialty in 1996.