Magie

I hope this might be useful to you for anyone wanting to adopt a dog.
We had been looking at the pages of rescue centres, wanting to find a needy dog we could help. After a holiday in Kos, I was heartbroken by the needy strays in the streets. So many were too frightened to come close to us. Seeing their suffering and struggle to survive, when we arrived home I started looking on Facebook for rescues and by complete accident, I found the Elpida page.
I got in touch and said we were looking to adopt a dog. I explained the sort of dog we were looking for, to be a companion for our husky. The admin asked me would we consider adopting a dog that needed extra care. They explained they had a dog that fitted all our requirements, but she had a disease called Leishmaniasis.
I had never heard of the disease before and at first, I'll admit I wasn't sure. I wondered if a dog with such a disease would always be ill.
I started looking it up online, trying to find as much information as I could. After a trip to our vet, he recommended that we did not adopt a dog with leishmaniasis. But after speaking with owners of leishmaniasis dogs, we knew we had to have Magie. We agreed that although we originally had our reservations, if we adopted another dog, we would spend forever wondering if she was okay and if she'd ever find happiness.
She was 3, and had been in the shelter most of her life, now that she had Leish, what chance did she have of finding a home?
We adopted her in September 2013. She was a timid little soul when we first brought her home. She led in the corner of the sofa, frightened to move.
At first she struggled to communicate with us, and communicated only with our other dog. But living with dogs was all she had known.
Within a week she was becoming more and more confident. Now 6 months on, she's a completely different dog. She comes to give me a kiss when my alarm goes off in the morning, gets excited when she hears 'walk'! And loves to greet people and their dogs when we're out.
Her leishmaniasis doesn't affect her character. She isn't an ill dog, she doesn't look or act like an ill dog. She's no different from any other dog. She takes her tablets 3 times a day and it doesn't cost a lot.
She's fitted into our family perfectly. It feels as though she's always been here and our home wouldn't be complete without her. I'm glad we took a chance on a Leish dog, and I'd do it all over again.
If it wasn't for the wonderful Ms S, and her admin team, we would never have found her. I hope people aren't put off by the disease and I hope more dogs with leishmaniasis can find happy homes.
Thank you S and the Elpida team for what you have done for my girl and dogs like her. Xx