Hi, my name is Cassie, previously Cassidy. I don’t know why I ended up at Lemnos Dog Shelter but I think me and my sister Kasiopi were sent there in June 2023.Although the man who looked after us was kind and the girls who visited us were lovely, I didn’t understand what we were doing there and I didn’t like it at all and and was becoming more and more isolated and withdrawn.
Then things went from bad to worse when Kasiopi disappeared and I was left on my own. I was distraught!
What I didn’t know though was that life was going to change dramatically for me. Apparently the Shelter was telling lots of people my story on a thing called the Internet and trying to find me a new place to live. A lady in England had been watching me and my sister but, that lady couldn’t take on 2 more dogs as she already had one dog called Ella who had been with her for 4 years. However, when she saw that my sister had gone she said her heart broke for me and she had to get me out of the Shelter.
This lady, her name is Anne, asked the charity who arrange homes for us dogs, if I could be brought to the UK so she could foster me with the view to adopting me. And so my journey began.
I had no idea where or what the UK was or why this lady wanted me but it was a joy to leave the Shelter. Although Fotini and Vangellio and the other people were very kind I was just so frightened. Whatever was going to happen to me I had no idea but I trusted the ladies who reassured me as they put me in a crate on something called a ferry. I was very brave because I am very nervous.
The journey seemed to take forever. I think there were 5 of us and we went over sea and land and more sea, much more land, more sea and finally more land. We had lots of breaks and we were well cared for but I was so frightened.
I arrived in the middle of the night I think and this lady who spoke a strange language that I didn’t understand was waiting for me. I was taken into something called a house, very strange place but I was too tired to worry about that. There was a nice big crate waiting for me so I dived straight into as it looked safe.
The funny lady tried to calm me but I just wanted to sleep and eventually she left me. There was some water in the crate and eventually the lady bought something to eat. She then insisted that I came out of the crate which I didn’t want to do but she coaxed me out and took me through the funny house thing and outdoors which felt very big with many strange sounds and some weird looking green thing which she made me walk on as she seemed to know that I needed a wee and apparently this was where I have to do that.
It was also very very cold, but my crate was lovely with things to keep me warm. The lady seemed very kind. But then the next big trauma occurred another doggie and a man called Mr Mark arrived. The doggie was called Έλα (strange name to give a doggie! Who calls their doggie “come”?). Anyway at least it was a word I recognised.
Apparently Ella also came from the Shelter some years ago. She seems nice and friendly but it still a lot to take in. Apparently Mr Mark doesn’t live in the house but he will come every day to take us out for a walk. I wasn’t at all sure about that as I do not like men at all.
At first it was all very strange. I got lots of food and was encouraged to come out of my safe place but I didn’t know how to behave in this house thing or know that there were rules to be behaved in the house. It all seemed very comfortable though. I spent less and less time in my safe place and the funny lady made lots of fuss of me and gave me things that I could play with. She also kept an eye on me and explained the things I wasn’t to touch.
I must admit I’m a bit of a thief of tissue paper. Ella is as well but she’s a bit of a wimp and only pinches tissues out of the funny woman’s pocket whereas I go for the whole box! The funny lady does tell me off when I do this but it’s so much fun.
Things were hard for the funny lady as she tried to cope with the two of us who were also getting used to being new sisters. Ella was very friendly but always reminds me that she is no 1 doggie in the house.
I’m still not good with strangers even though mummy (that’s what Ella explained to me that we call the funny lady) says I will soon have been here for a whole year (no idea what that means).
Mummy has lots of strange people come to see her. There is a lady who lives across the road who I quite like but for anyone else I still stay out the way in my safe place. I don’t have a crate anymore though, I have my bed which is under the table so I can still hide and no one can get me.
Mr Mark comes and takes us for a walk 6 times a week and then someone called Mr Stefan comes for us on a Sunday. I’m gradually getting used to him. I hope that some day I will start to feel braver around strangers but I find it very hard to be brave like Ella. Ella seems to love everyone.
So the 3 of us have now settled into living together. I’ve learned to behave in the house most of the time and obey the house rules. Mummy is quite relaxed most of the time and I get to sleep on the sofa or sometimes on mummy’s bed. I love my new sister and it feels as though we’ve always been together. And I adore Mr Mark and mummy and really don’t remember much about my sad days in the Shelter but I do so hope that all of my friends who are still there all soon get a home like me and Ella, and that they catch the eye of someone like we did and offer to take them home.
So that’s my postcard to all of my friends at the Shelter. Thank you for all you did for me and thank you for finding me my new mummy and sister.
Cassie-boo. 🐾 🐾 🐾 🐾
