When Valia Orfanidou saw a picture of a skeletal dog on Facebook, she was convinced it was from a horror movie. The dog in the photo was covered in mange, and he was so thin you could see each of his ribs. The dog was living next to a railroad station in Greece, and it was clear that he was not going to live long. Valia decided that she would try to foster this poor dog back to health.
Two volunteers traveled seventy kilometers to get the dog, who Valia later named Billy. Billy was scared, but he quietly went with the rescuers. The volunteers and Valia met up that night at a veterinarian’s office in Athens. When Valia saw Billy, she was shocked at how sick he looked, and she was sure that the vet was going to say that they should put him to sleep.
To Valia’s surprise, when the vet examined Billy, he said that he was simply suffering from a very contagious but treatable form of mange. So Valia took Billy home and quarantined him in one of her bathrooms. Billy was still nervous, but he laid down on a blanket and ate the food that Valia put out for him. Then, the exhausted pup slept for hours.
Over the next couple weeks, Billy’s mange healed, and he slowly became more and more comfortable at Valia’s house. He ate four times a day, and when he wasn’t eating, he was usually sleeping. Soon, Billy had gained so much weight and healed so much that he was almost unrecognizable. He looked so different, people who were following his journey on Facebook accused Valia of swapping Billy out with another dog!
Billy also started playing outside more, running around with Valia’s other dogs and wagging his tail happily. While Valia loved Billy dearly, she knew that it was time to find him a forever home. As luck would have it, she received just one request from someone who wanted to adopt Billy, and it turned out to be the perfect fit.
The potential adopter was a Greek woman named Emma who lived in Switzerland. After talking with her, Valia knew she would give Billy the wonderful home that he deserved. So she tearfully brought Billy to the airport, where she said goodbye to him as he began his journey to Switzerland.
On Billy’s first night in his new home, Valia Skyped with him, and she was overjoyed to see how happy he already was. For months, Emma continued sending Valia photos and videos of Billy. Soon, the two of them had exchanged over 2,300 messages.
One day, Emma told Valia that she was visiting Greece for Christmas, and she was bringing Billy. Valia was excited and nervous about seeing the sweet pup again. When the reunion came, it was just as wonderful as Valia imagined. Billy was thrilled to see her, and he loved getting to play with her dogs again. Valia was excited to see how much the dog had grown and how happy he was in his new life.
Billy’s journey from a skeletal dog on the side of the railroad tracks to a healthy pup with a wonderful home has been truly miraculous. To see Billy’s whole journey, check out the video below.
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