Last July we were on holiday in Crete when on the very first day my 19 year old daughter Aimee found a little and very young dog, (we still aren’t sure of her age) curled up outside her bedroom in her hotel. She was severely injured and sheltering from the 37 degrees it was outside.
She could barely move and could barely walk on 3 legs; one was injured and we assumed broken. However her worse injuries we quickly discovered was that her whole abdomen looked like it had been burnt or possibly she’d been dragged by a car. She was in a terrible and pitiful state.
My daughter in tears scooped her up, took her into her hotel room where she hid her all week. From that moment on they were bonded forever. Aimee was saving this pup there was no question. We took her to a vet the next day where we thought she would be put out of her misery. But no the vet announced ‘this dog will live’ and so began the panic that in 5 days we were going home and what would we do?
We managed to find a vet who would take her in for us and give her the treatment and loving care she would need. They estimated 6 weeks recovery before she was well enough to travel.
We put out a plea on Facebook for help and advice and a friend suggested a crowdfunding page. I put one together and in less than 48 hours £1200 had been raised through sharing which would cover her vet fees and her travel costs.
This was arranged through the Cretan Animal Protection and the day before we left we arranged her chip, passport, rabies injection and named her Scout after a character in mine and Aimee’s favourite book “To Kill a Mockingbird”. Leaving her and saying goodbye for 6 weeks was so tough for all of us.
She had a wonderful foster mum and an angel of a vet called Haris who took her home with him every night and he kept in touch with us the whole time until she made the 2 day journey by ferry, plane and car and arrived in the UK on the 18 August which was Aimee’s A Level results day.
It was a day I’ll never forget. We cried and cried when she looked up at us from her crate with her big brown eyes and recognised my daughter in a heartbeat. “There’s my mum” she seemed to be thinking.
Scout has turned into the most happy, generous, peaceful and joyful animal I’ve ever met. She is really, really special and has completed our family. Rescue is the most wonderful thing and we’ve had a tough year the past 12 months and what I often wonder is: Who rescued who?
God bless you Scout you amazing creature. You are forever home and you will never be hungry again.
Caring for Rescued Ex Street Dogs 
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