“Here comes Babis the handsome, all the way from Krestena!”
With little half-joking phrases like this, we try to ward off the sadness of the story behind the dogs we rescued from the nightmarish “shelter” of that municipality in the region of Ilia.
Babis is a shepherd mix with clear, steady eyes, as if he hasn’t allowed the misery he endured to affect him in the slightest. He’s no more than five years old. None of us knows what his life was like before the day he arrived at the shelter. The only image we had was of an animal tied up in the mud, until we untied him and lifted him into the van that brought him to Oropos. From that moment on, both he and we erased everything that came before. Babis’ life began in Oropos or rather, his life will truly begin when he finds his forever family.
The first time we met him was when we entered his space to draw blood for tests. He looked at us with a bit of suspicion, yet at the same time he wanted to trust us and came closer almost immediately. We sat on the ground, held his front paw, and began. He flinched a little, seemed puzzled for a moment, but in the end it was one of the easiest blood draws we’ve done. The next time, we had to convince him to wear a harness. Again, a small flinch, a moment of confusion and then he accepted that easily too.
On walks, Babis is happy. He looks at everything around him with curiosity, but without fear. If you call his name, he turns, looks at you, and seems to check that you’re still heading in the right direction together. He is good with other dogs. Even if one barks at him, he doesn’t react. Babis knows how to enjoy his walk.
What he didn’t know how much he could enjoy, though, was a gentle touch. Perhaps because he had never been stroked before. The first time we scratched him behind the ears, he froze for a moment. Within seconds, you could almost see his mind processing the new sensation his gaze softened, his mouth fell slightly open, and he tilted his head with a small sigh of pleasure. He stayed there, savoring with quiet longing what he had been deprived of for so long. And when the moment passed, Babis didn’t complain, didn’t ask for more.
That’s the nature of shepherd dogs: affectionate, yet independent. And beside his person, that’s exactly how he will be. He will seek touch, connection, communication but he will also spend time on his own, gazing into the distance, scenting the air, enjoying his rest and his shepherd’s soul.
