In one of those parts of Athens where neighborhoods don’t really feel like neighborhoods, just blocks filled with massive buildings, warehouses, and construction sites, you pull over for a few minutes just to check your GPS, wondering if you’ve taken a wrong turn. It’s a Sunday afternoon and there isn’t a single person around.
Out of an abandoned building, he appears.
He steps out like a ghost, walks up to the car as if he’s been waiting for you, and looks straight into your eyes as if to say, “You’re finally here. What took you so long? Let’s go.”
You put a leash on him and leave together, because there’s no other option. Leaving him behind is simply not something you can do. You can’t betray him, even if you’ve only just met him.
This boy was lucky enough to cross paths with one of our volunteers. He was extremely thin, clearly disoriented, had no microchip, and when we asked around the next day, none of the people working in the area recognized him.
His tests showed he’s in perfect health. All he was missing was proper food. Once he started eating well, his ribs stopped showing and he began to gain weight.
Cooper is a beautiful, very people-oriented dog. He’s strong, full of energy, and eager to engage. With his big amber eyes, he looks at you directly, trying to understand you and claim your attention. What he needs to learn is how to cooperate smoothly with people, and that will come with time, once he realizes that clear communication is exactly how he’ll get what he needs from his humans.
He’s very clean, walks well on a leash, and trusts easily. More than anything, he wants to connect and share a life with his person. Sometimes he feels like a mature man, and other times like a baby just discovering the world, and that contrast is what makes him so special.
