When Greece suffered from a severe financial crisis, the most affected ones were the dogs. Because more and more dog owners couldn’t provide for their pets anymore, the number of dogs abandoned in the streets increased drastically as well. But this particular local could not stand seeing these sweet pooches’ situation, so he decided to step in and offer a helping hand.
Theoklitos Proestakis, most fondly known as Takis, lives comfortably in a town on the Crete island. He enjoys being a dentist and has been quite successful in the field. One time while taking out the garbage, he noticed the sick, skinny dogs all starving in the streets.
The view immediately moved him. He brought them clean water and food to eat and even asked some friends from the medical field to treat the pups. He started helping the abandoned dogs in the neighborhood, always ensuring their safety and wellness.
Unfortunately, the other locals in the area don’t share the same sentiment as Takis. They threatened to kill the canines which they claimed were causing a nuisance in their town. This was when the Takis Shelter was born. The shelter covers a wide 33,000 meters of olive groves where he nurses his rescues back to health.
Caring for the increasing number of pooches had not been a bed of roses for Takis. He left his job to look after the dogs, but this left him with a large hole in his pocket just to keep the shelter running. Takis eventually sold his properties and decided to live with the dogs in the sanctuary.
Word got out about his tearjerker story, and donations started to pile up. Now the shelter is thriving and expanding, even opening their doors to abandoned felines.
Watch his touching story here.
Courtesy of The Dodo