A dog named Petra, (which translates to stone in Greek) was found alone and in poor condition on a street outside Athens, Greece.
A woman spotted the dog, and took a photo of it to post to Facebook, hoping the right people would see it and come to help. But it appeared that the 5-year-old mixed breed dog was sick, afraid and had seemingly never interacted with people before.
Rescuing Petra proved to be extremely difficult, but everyone refused to give up on her. Once she was finally captured, she was brought to Save a Greek Stray shelter in Orpos, Greece, where a woman named Valia Orfanidou would rehabilitate her.
“I think she’s always been a stray because she looked like she had never been around people,” Orfanidou told The Dodo. “Even dogs in that condition, if they’ve been around people are more friendly. Petra looked like she had never been touched.”
Petra suffered from mange, a skin infection that made her skin appear stone-like, and leishmaniasis, an infection spread by bugs that can be deadly if left untreated.
Rehabilitating Petra was very difficult for Orfanidou, who said that Petra never wanted to leave her cage, and that she didn’t trust anybody.
But Orfanidou refused to give up, and every week Petra got a little braver.
“She started wagging her tail and looked willing to play with us, her toys and the other dogs,” Orfanidou said. Petra, the dog who wanted nothing to do with anybody, was now more than ready to be loved.”
Today, Petra is completely unrecognizable, and she has turned into a beautiful and loving dog.
If you are living in Greece and would like to adopt Petra, please contact Valia Orfanidou at vorfnee2002@yahoo.gr.
Watch Petra’s incredible transformation below and PLEASE share this article with your friends and family on Facebook!
[Featured Image Credit: Valia Orfanidou via thedodo.com]