For Kiara Ijzendoorn, the family vacation to Crete, Greece, was supposed to be nothing out of the ordinary. But an idyllic getaway suddenly became a rescue mission when Ijzendoorn set eyes on one Greek street dog.
Ijzendoorn first saw the dog, whom she named Fos (Greek for "shining"), along the side of a road she and her family were driving on. Fos was on the ground, unable to move. Ijzendoorn realized she could not just leave him there in pain and discomfort.
"His leg was totally paralyzed. He had a big bump on his back that was his broken spine," Ijzendoorn explained. "We stopped the car so he could crawl out of the way, but he looked like a heap."
After some investigation, Ijzendoorn found out the dog lived all along in an abandoned barn. She felt so sorry about the dog being all alone that she decided to do something about it. Despite his severe injuries, Fos was a calm, loving, affectionate dog. "We could not leave him," Ijzendoorn said.
Ijzendoorn took Fos to a local rescue for a veterinarian checkup. When the vet looked at Fos, he determined that the grave injuries were caused by abuse from a previous owner. After Ijzendoorn formally adopted Fos, then they all flew back to Holland.
Now, Fos has had time to heal and is doing much better. "He walks better now and his bump isn't as big," Ijzendoorn said. "He is scared of older men and some cats."
Regardless, Fos is in a much better situation than he had been with his former owners or on his own living in a barn. We give big thanks to Ijzendoorn for being willing to stop her car, get out, and take in this dog who was so badly in need of love and care.