Steffie, a rescue dog whose story was featured on The Orphan Pet, was a prime example of what animal rescuers in the country are trying to combat. Steffie was found in the small village of Karditsa in central Greece, and rescuer Ermioni Giannakou of the animal charity Diasozo discovered that Steffie couldn’t move because of her injuries. Worst of all, her right eye had been gouged out.
But thanks to Giannakou’s help and the attention that The Orphan Pet video helped create, the stray dog received surgery and eventually made at least a partial recovery.
Steffie had originally been in the care of another dog rescuer, named Litsa, who had been caring for 16 stray and abused animals out of her house. Tragically, the week before, Litsa had been killed by none other than her own husband, and her several charges were left without a carer.
Rescuers believe that Steffie had been trying to find the deceased caregiver around the time when she was violently attacked by an unidentified local villager. It wasn’t just the eye that was injured; X-rays showed that Steffie had sustained a serious blow to the head, leaving her with a fracture and a concussion.
Orfanidou wrote: “The incidents of animal cruelty, neglect and abuse in the area are many, and the local charity is comprised of only a few volunteers, who are struggling to make ends meet and help as many animals as they can.”
When Steffie arrived at the animal hospital, the vet was able to remove the harness and choke collar before moving on to the most pressing issues: removing Steffie’s injured eye, which was dangling out of its socket; examining her for internal injuries; and then spaying and deworming her. The carers also offered Steffie food, and The Orphan Pet’s video shows her eating hungrily, probably for the first time in days.
Despite everything she had been through, though, Steffie now at least had someone who genuinely cared for her and lots of people around the world following her story who were donating to those who were watching over her.
Photos showed a much improved Steffie with a clean, soft coat, looking as though she had been eating well and resting well after her horrendous experience that almost claimed her life.