SLOVENIA'S 5 CORE VALUES

At the time, Nuša delivered donated dog food to the local shelter and encountered some very friendly caretakers.

During a visit to the shelter, a 3-year-old dog named Kira caught her attention. She learned that she had been living there for more than a year, with occasional releases into a small enclosure while the kennels were being cleaned. After a few visits, she managed to take the dog for at least a short walk, on the pretext that she was interested in adopting a dog. She grew so close to the dog that she finally took her out of the shelter. The journey from Dolenjska to Ljubljana was a long one, as Kira was very restless in the car. Even after arriving home, she remained suspicious, showing symptoms of a traumatised dog.

"I soon found out that she had been very abused in the past. When I picked up a broom, a rake or a spade, it flew away like a whip. I could not get any useful information about her at the shelter. The only thing they told me was that she had come to them with an inspection decision, so she had been taken away from her owner, which was very telling. Something must be very wrong for the inspectorate to take a dog away in Slovenia," says the puppy-lover.

Unfortunately, Nuša was too hasty in adopting the puppy, as the owner of the house where she lives would not let her keep it. And so began a painstaking search for a new loving home for Kira. Kira's calvary of finding a permanent home has escalated month by month, as her traumatised state makes her a challenging dog. All the dog hotels and similar accommodations and other owners were afraid of her. One of the shelter's caretakers even suggested that Nusa should be euthanised, as the furry creature was said to be untameable.

But Nuša did not give up, even though finding a safe home for Kira was emotionally exhausting and she cried a lot. Although Kira could not live with Nusha, she visited her in her temporary accommodation every day, several times a day, walked her, socialised with her and paid for her care. Because this is a huge financial burden, Nusha wrote and self-published My Dog's Memory. She is donating the proceeds from the sale to help pay for Kira's care.

He who waits, lives, they say, and so happiness smiled on Kira; she was taken into the temporary care of the kind-hearted Niko, owner of the Best Friend Dog Hotel.

"I still insist. Every day I pick her up from the hotel and we go to a nicer place. I call passers-by to spread the word about her, because I never know where her future owner is waiting for us. Talking to dog people is priceless. Every day I hear a story, I identify with her, I am comforted, and most of all I get a lot of positive thoughts and wishes. And what's really nice - when Kira finds an equally crazy dog with endless energy on a walk, she runs with it until she passes out. And I stand and watch her enjoying the game and think to myself: This is worth persevering for."

She admits that she herself has changed a lot with Kira. "She taught me how to calm down. So much so that I stopped taking antidepressants." Kira and Nusha are each other's medicine; Nusha rescued Kira from a life in a shelter, she gives her love and care. Kira is anti-stress therapy on four paws for Nusha.

Contributed by Maja Furman, 9 Feb 2025