This dog turned to stone while living as a stray dog in Greece. Look at her amazing transformation after being rescued and given a second chance at life.
Last year, a concerned woman saw a stray dog on the streets of Athens, Greece and snapped a picture of the dog to post on Facebook with the hope that the right people might see it and help.
The woman was shocked at the condition of the stray dog because it appeared as though she had turned to stone. Her face had completely hardened with no sign of fur left and her body looked as though it wasn’t far behind in following suit.
Aptly named Petra, which is the Greek word for “stone,” she quickly gained the attention of people who wanted to help and they spent countless hours and energy attempting to capture her. On top of having obvious skin and health issues, Petra seemed to also suffer from something much harder to treat: a fear of humans.
By the looks of it, Petra had never been around humans and was absolutely terrified of them, making her rescue extremely difficult and her time at the shelter tough on her at first.
Lucky for her, Valia Orfanidou met Petra at Save A Greek Stray shelter and knew she could help the poor pup. Orfanidou, who has rehabilitated many animals before, told The Dodo, “I think she’s always been a stray because she looked like she had never been around people. Even dogs in that condition, if they’ve been around people are more friendly. Petra looked like she had never been touched.”
In addition to her deep-rooted fears and lack of social skills, Petra had some serious skin issues as well as internal infections. It turns out that the cause of her stone-like appearance was actually the result of a very severe case of mange, which is treatable. She was also treated for another skin infection that caused painful scabs and lesions and leishmaniasis, a parasitic disease that could have killed her if left untreated.
Even as Petra’s health began to improve, her fearful behavior was still present, so Orfanidou worked hard to help her overcome it. She said that at the beginning,“She never wanted to leave her cage; she would hide every time she was approached and growl at the other dogs at the shelter.”
During Orfanidou and Petra’s first encounter, the petrified pup peed in her own cage because she was so scared. On their second encounter, “it took us one whole hour to walk just a few meters from her cage. She would make three or four steps, and then stop. I’d pull her slightly and then a few more steps.”
As the weeks went by, Orfanidou noticed a huge improvement. She told The Dodo, “She started wagging her tail and looked willing to play with us, her toys and the other dogs.”
A little love can go a long way, and Petra’s life has improved more than she ever could have imagined it could as a sickly stray dog. View the images below to see her amazing transformation into a beautiful, loving dog who just needed someone to believe in her. You can also watch the video of her miraculous change below.
*Article originally posted at Expand Your Consciousness.
