In August 2016, Valia Orfanidou was on vacation near Athens when she came across a stray dog on the beach. Sadly, in Greece there is a large homeless dog population, so Orfanidou was not surprised to see the dog approach her. But after a few moments, she realized that this dog was exceptional, and needed to be saved.
Every afternoon Orfanidou walked her four dogs along the beach. One day she saw a stray dog trotting over in their direction, tail wagging happily. "She had spotted us from a distance, and since she was looking desperately for company, she joined the four of us, and tried to fit in," Orfanidou wrote on her YouTube page.
Orfanidou noted that she panicked as the dog approached. Stray dogs are so common in Greece, and the only ones that were rescued were those who were sick, injured, or starving. The dog who approached Orfanidou was not any of those things. The puppy was young and healthy, but most of all, she was desperate for love, attention, and human interaction.
So Orfanidou decided to save this young dog whom she named Blue. She took Blue to the Second Chance Animal Rescue Society (SCARS) where she volunteered. Blue was eventually adopted by a woman from Holland in October 2016. Orfanidou has kept in contact with the woman and speaks to her regularly to check up on Blue.
Blue's new owner created a Facebook page for the dog so that Orfanidou and Blue's fans could stay updated on her progress in her new home. As Blue adjusted to her new home, she also began working toward becoming a therapy dog.
Orfanidou thought that due to Blue's enjoyment in interacting with people, she would make an excellent therapy dog to brighten the lives of the individuals she meets.
Blue's owner sent pictures of her success as a therapy dog to Orfanidou who wrote, "Seeing her in these photos, gently offering her love to people who need it the most made me wanna cry and laugh and shout and dance and…
I know now that what I thought of Blue was not just a crazy idea going on in my mind. She was not asking for help, she was offering it. She was there, on that beach, desperately asking for someone to give her the chance to prove who she really is. A stray treasure, believing in people more than we believe in ourselves was there offering her body and soul to us, and most of us chased her away."
Blue is a beautiful example of what Orfanidou calls a dog who "came to this world with a purpose." From her immediate purpose in impacting the lives of both Orfanidou and her adopter, Blue serves a larger force. According to Orfanidou, "Her purpose was to help that lady with cva try to talk while touching her soft, velvety fur and make that man lost in his world smile to her."
Blue is a perfect example of the goodness that exists in all animals, a goodness that can spread throughout the world if given the opportunity. Watch Orfanidou's beautiful video about finding and rescuing Blue, a loving soul who has brought so much light to others. Share this wonderful rescue story with your family and friends on Facebook.