“Takis” left his career as a dentist to focus on Greece’s stray dogs.
Photo via onegreenplanet.org
The Greek economy has been a disaster for many years, as crisis after crises has kept the nation struggling to make ends meet. As a result, the country’s stray-dog population has ballooned, as families find it harder to support their pets. A great story on One Green Plaet focuses on Theoklitos Proestakis – known within his community as “Takis” – a dentist who gave up his practice three years ago to run the Takis Shelter. According to the man himself:
“One day I went to the rubbish dump and I saw horrible and crazy things there. There were so many dogs, and they had broken legs, they were starving, they were so skinny and so sick and dying. It horrified me. I just wanted to help them. So I started looking after them, taking them food and water and I was so happy when they started to get stronger. But the people who live in the neighborhood started to get really angry with me and telling me they were going to kill the dogs because they were becoming a nuisance. So I started the shelter as somewhere safe where I could keep them.”
The photos accompanying the story below will melt your heart.
I love seeing things like this. I can’t wrap my head around people who do this. I think this is remarkable individual.