Silvie Greek Dog Rescue – An Urgent Appeal to Save Misty

Silvie Greek Dog Rescue – An Urgent Appeal to Save Misty

This is an urgent appeal to help a beautiful little dog called Misty.

What do we need funds for

Misty is a young dog who, one day in January 2016, was thrown over the 2-metre-high fence at a shelter for abused and abandoned dogs in Corfu. She was immediately taken to the vets where they confirmed that miraculously she hadn`t sustained any damage. However, they did think that she had some sort of problem with her leg/hip and after taking an x-ray determined that she has old injury, probably an old fracture, which has resulted in arthritis and her range of movement is greatly reduced (as you can see on the video).

In order for her to be cured of this (and for us to get her ready for rehoming), the vet has suggested a total hip replacement, which is a very expensive surgery (around £5,000 to be carried out in the UK) that is carried out only by specialised orthopaedic surgeons. During this surgery the entire joint is replaced with artificial components.

We, at The Silvie Greek Dog Rescue, would like to be able to raise enough money to bring her over to the UK in October as we have a potential foster home for her where she can recover from her surgery in a home rather than at the shelter.

A lady who has rehomed one of our other Corfu dogs has pledged £1500 to help towards the full cost, which is totally amazing and we can’t thank her enough!! We do, however, now need to raise the balance of the funds asap so Misty has a chance of a better life.

We need £5,000 for the operation and rehab

We've raised £1,500, plus a little extra from car boot sales

We need £3,500 to make sure we can save Misty

Who Are We?

We are a UK-based group of animal lovers who partner with an animal shelter in Corfu to find homes in the UK for dogs who have been abandoned and abused in Corfu.

The life expectancy of dogs in Greece is two years, compared to eleven-year life expectancy in the UK. The staggering difference is mainly due to an awareness of animal rights in the UK and a culture of loving care and support for our animals. Our aims are:

• Rescue abused, neglected, stray and injured animals in Corfu and mainland Greece;
• Provide shelter, sustenance and all necessary treatment and care for the animals;
• Provide a rehoming pathway for dogs from the shelter in Greece to homes in the UK;
• Raise awareness of animal welfare issues and reduce animal cruelty in Greece.

Background to our work

We are just a very small group of people who love animals and hate to see them suffer.

Gina is the main driver of this rescue work and her reason for wanting to help the animals is a very personal one. She had been visiting the shelter regularly over the past 2/3 years since losing her first Greek dog, Kiah - who came from this shelter and who she found via a UK website advertising his plight. And, then 2 years ago she rehomed a beautiful elderly German Shepherd called Silvie who was found outside a supermarket tied up with no fur on her back, completely infected ears and a large hole in her face where she had an abscess and bad tooth. Silvie went to the UK with Gina and spent a wonderfully happy 2 years with her until her untimely death in August this year. Silvie`s character, temperament and zest for life is a real testament to all those Greek dogs who have been through so much in their short lives and who give so much more to their human companions! So to name our work after Silvie is her legacy to us all.

Gina has been subsidising the costs of vet bills (dogs need a number of vaccinations and treatments in order to get their pet passport and enter UK) and transportation out of her own pocket, so that rehomers back in the UK do not have to find huge sums of money to offer homes to these dogs.

However, as the number of dogs being rehomed to the UK grew (now homing several dogs a month!) and, in particular, when we realised just how much it was going to cost to get Misty fit for rehoming, it became clear that more formal fundraising would be needed if the work was to continue. So, this appeal is the first one we have done and we hope that we can raise the funds for the operation for Misty. We also hope that the appeal will raise awareness of the suffering of some dogs in Greece…..and perhaps even find a permanent home for Misty once her treatment is complete.

Gina has been doing small bits of fundraising herself, like car boot sales, but it would take an awful lot of car boot sale to raise several thousand pounds!!

Case Study

Pippa was pregnant when she was picked up on the streets, neglected and close to starving. She was taken to the shelter where she had her puppies. Although she had food, shelter and care in the shelter, she found the experience very stressful and wasn’t thriving at all. As you can see from the video, she was very underweight and fragile.

But her sweet, gentle nature didn’t go unnoticed and we managed to secure her a home in London. She settled in straightaway but it took time and patience to get her weight up to a normal level. Initially, she was so malnourished that one lap walking around her local park was enough to send her to sleep all afternoon. It’s a different story now – she is full of energy and bounds around the living room like a jumping jack when it is walkies time.

She’s loved wherever she goes, with many people commenting on what a gentle, loving dog she is. Her new human family can’t imagine life without her and look forward to rehoming another Corfu dog once they move out London and have more space.

Can you give a home to a Greek dog?

If you are interested in rehoming one of these beautiful dogs, please don't hesitate to contact Gina on 07503 774173 and she will be more than happy to run through the CVs of all the dogs who are currently ready for a new home