Save Bora from Danger: Support Her Journey

Hi, I’m Jess — a full-time budget traveler with a heart for animals. I had no plan to rescue a dog; I’m just an average person on a crazy tight budget trying to save a really special puppy.

Me, my boyfriend Ryan, and our dog are currently in Albania. On our very first night here, a white husky started following us — and she kept following us every single day until we brought her inside. Her name is Bora.

She was living under a panel outside our Airbnb. Our host had been feeding her but didn’t have room to take in more animals. Locals told me she’d already been through hell: she had puppies young, was hit by a car, and someone even shot her (she still has a healed bullet inside her). Some locals took her to the vet and rehabbed her, but no one could keep her, so she was sadly released back onto the street.

Local men are afraid of dogs, and our host told us they have poisoned others in the past. One night, while we were at dinner across the street, Bora was watching us and we were watching her. We saw a man whip her just for being in his walking path. That was her last night on the streets. We took her in right after we paid our bill.

She was great in the bath, very respectful of the house, and just fit right in. At first, she didn’t want to go on walks because she was terrified of being abandoned again. Luckily, she had Athena to help her relax, and now she acts like she’s been a house dog her whole life.

She’s already house-trained — hasn’t had a single accident — leash-trained (better than my professionally trained dog), knows “sit” and “come,” and we’re working on more every day. She is amazing with other dogs, cats, and kids — she adores kids.

Our host had four potential adopters back out because of the cost and complexity of getting her out of Albania. That’s why I’ve made it my mission to find a way to get her to safety and into a loving home.

Our main goal right now is to raise funds to buy an airline-approved travel crate so Bora can fly safely to the U.S. with a volunteer in August. Without the crate, she can’t fly.

If we can’t secure the crate in time, we still plan to bring her with us to Italy in September. Which means less shipping fees for the crate, but additional costs for train and ferry travel fees, vet paperwork once we’re in Italy, and possibly extra Airbnb or foster care fees while she stays in Italy until we can fly her home ourselves in December.

What we’re fundraising for:

• Airline-approved travel crate (priority)

• Train and ferry fees from Albania to Italy (backup plan)

• Vet paperwork fees in Italy

• Possible Airbnb or foster care fees in Italy until December

We’ve raised over $445 so far toward our goal of $2,000 to cover these costs safely and responsibly.

We’ve reached out to every brand, pet company, rescue, and animal influencer we can think of. The rescues have been amazing with advice but are struggling themselves. The big brands and influencers only help large organizations or their own nonprofits. So, we’re pretty much relying solely on funding from everyday people — and we appreciate everyone who helps more than we can ever describe.

If you ever have the privilege of meeting this pup, you’ll know exactly why this is so important to us. One dog may seem small to most people, but saving her means everything to us.

If you can donate — thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

If you can’t, sharing this means everything.

Every dollar and share helps Bora get closer to the safe, loving home she deserves.

With love and hope,

Jess & Bora