A dog in Greece found a new lease of life recently as he was rescued in Crete from a chained life and moved to his new home in Germany crossing Europe on a bicycle!
The story of Alecos, the beautiful dog found chained to a tree near the town of Ierapetra, Crete last summer could perhaps make a great film.
Alecos lived chained and forgotten on a mountain in Crete, something that unfortunately happens often and in many parts of Greece.
But, Alecos was fortunate. He was spotted by Takis Proestakis, a former local businessman who gave up his comfortable life to devote himself to caring for abandoned dogs and cats.
Proestakis called the municipal police and freed the dog from his chains. He then took him to his shelter, the Takis Shelter non-profit organization.
Proestakis, who has created and maintains a shelter for stray animals thanks to donations that have come in from across the world, gave Alecos a new life among the hundreds of abandoned dogs in his shelter.
Giving a new life to Alecos
The dog gradually recovered from his ordeal. He was very sociable with people and other animals. As Proestakis says he was a “lovely character…You can check the character of a dog by looking at the behavior while eating next to other dogs. He was not aggressive at all.”
Watching Alecos eating and waggling his tail, the dog savior said: “Look at him. He is so happy because he is now free!”
The story of Alecos moved a German couple, Hannah and Llewellyn, who cycled all the way to Crete to adopt him last summer.
The new family crossed Italy, Austria, and the Czech Republic, before they reached Germany. They traveled for two months, but Alecos seemed more than happy with the experience, sitting patiently on the trailer of the bike.
An impromptu party was thrown when Hannah, Llewellyn, and Alecos arrived at his new home.
Finally, Alecos gets a new life of freedom and happiness!
Alecos, along with thousands other dogs who have been abandoned or living a hell of a life in Crete, has been saved by Proestakis.
Takis Proestakis: The savior of stray dogs
Speaking recently to the Greek Reporter, Proestakis told us about the life-changing experience he had some years ago when he took a stroll near the a garbage dump outside the town of Ierapetra in southern Crete.
“I saw a dog with broken legs and the bone was out of the leg… I was horrified. I was going back every day to help it recover. One dog became two, and then three, until dozens gathered near the dump. Many were in desperate need of help,” Proestakis said.
“I was really moved by their plight. I cannot start to describe the unconditional love they showed towards me. This changed by whole perspective in life. I abandoned by job for the strays,” he added.
With his savings he bought a piece of land near the town and turned it into an animal shelter. He gives a new life to hundreds of dogs and cats until people come forward to adopt them and give them a home.
Proestakis told Greek Reporter that saving the animals would not have been possible without the generous donations he has received from all over the world.
“Hundreds come over to visit the shelter during the summer. Many Europeans, in particular from Finland and Germany, come over to adopt dogs and cats.”
“I need to meet with prospective owners face-to-face before I hand over the animals for adoption. I want to make sure that they find a loving home,” Proestakis stressed.
“My dogs who are in the shelter, they have a good life, but a home is a home,” he emphasizes. “Every dog needs a home.”
Related: Takis’ Shelter: The Greek Man Who Devotes His Life to Animals
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