Save Rosie from the Streets of Kosovo

I’ve been in Kosovo all summer, studying peace and conflict and reconciliation. A lot of amazing things have happened, but this is the most heart wrenching and also the best:

One day, I saw this sweet girl dog loose in the city center. At first I assumed she was with someone. She looked like a pure bred German shorthaired pointer. If I had any sense, I would have walked away, but I kept seeing her and so I circled back around and observed her. She just kept running all around, panting, seemingly looking for someone.

At one point she stopped and took a drink from a fountain. I gave a little whistle and she rushed over, looking utterly relieved. We sat in the shade and I petted her for a while and wondered what to do. She had no collar on. A few people stopped and commented on how she was such a nice-looking dog, but no one claimed her. I had some errands to run, and she came with me. Then she came all the way back to campus with me. The saddest part was how she kept running up to men of a certain age, wagging her tail hopefully. She was looking for her guy. Although, it doesn’t seem like he treated her all that well. She’s in pretty good physical health but she has a few small sores, her fur is bleached, and she has callouses on her chest and elbows. It looks like she’s spent a lot of time outside without shade, sleeping on concrete. She’s scared of the crazy traffic in this city, so I think she came from a village somewhere.

I bought her a collar because I had heard that people treat street dogs better if they have collars on, since they appear to belong to someone. At the store they scanned her and she was not microchipped. Then they said that she had most definitely been abandoned, and told me not to let her out of my sight.

Now I felt a great responsibility for this creature. I got a place to stay that allowed pets and took her home with me. It seems like she had never been inside a building, never encountered stairs before. She’s very quiet and timid and unsure, but willing to trust, which I find amazing. And before long she was sleeping on her back on the couch. Man, could she sleep. I don’t know long she had been running the streets, but she was worn right out.

Since then I have followed every lead I could find, trying to locate her owner, trying to find a shelter that could take her in, trying to find someone to adopt her. People helped as best they could, but we weren’t making much progress. Finally I contacted Kosova Pet Rescue, and got a very prompt reply. Ever since, they have been actively involved in saving this girl. I knew abandoned dogs were a big problem in the city center, but what I didn’t know is that the municipality has recently cracked down on un-tagged street dogs. They are rounding them up and euthanizing them and I was told that this pup wouldn’t have lasted long if I hadn’t taken her.

Now she is vaccinated and has her very own pet passport. I had to pick a name quickly, so she’s called Rosie (at least for now). Kosova Pet Rescue has made all the arrangement and I am taking her home! It’s not a cheap process and I don’t have the money to do it, but I can’t leave her here to die. And I know I have lots of friends and family who love dogs. Please, help if you can. Even a few dollars here and there will add up. Rosie and I are so grateful for any help you can give.