Goran Marinkovic is a big lover of animals. Whenever he walks the streets of Kraljevo, Serbia, he makes sure to bring some food to give to strays in his area.
Every day, Goran feeds more than 100 stray dogs and cats with no humans to care for them. But in March last year, he encountered an abandoned puppy he knew he couldn’t leave behind.
“Passing a narrow pathway, I heard crying coming from the rocks,” he told The Dodo. “She was cold, hungry and thirsty. I had food, so right away I gave her salami.”
He found the tiny dog near a pile of trash, where the poor thing was using an old boot to shield herself. The pup was obviously too young to be without a mom, but Goran couldn’t find any older dogs nearby.
Goran approached the sickly-looking pup, and she instantly trusted him, lying down and exposing her belly to get rubs.
“She was exhausted,” Goran recalled. “She knew that I might be her only chance, so she lay down and surrendered to fate.”
Goran picked up the puppy and brought her to the vet. He was afraid she wouldn’t survive after being left alone for so long, sleeping in unfavorable conditions. But luckily, the dog—whom he named Coco—was a fighter.
As Coco regained her strength, her true personality began to shine through. Turns out, she loves people and always keeps a cheerful attitude!
When Goran posted photos of Coco on Facebook, he was instantly flooded with messages from people offering to adopt the puppy.
But Goran wanted to find Coco the best home, so he reached out to one of his friends and fellow rescuers who had connections with international animal adoptions.
Once Coco completed her vaccines, she was flown to her new home in Germany!
After a year, Coco became almost unrecognizable. From being a sickly, dirty pup hiding behind an old shoe, she has now grown into a beautiful and healthy dog! By merely looking at her, you can already tell that she is getting lots of love from her new family.
“[Coco] has a beautiful home and she is currently on vacation. I get pictures regularly — they’re at sea right now,” Goran said. “Every rescued dog from the street who finds a home is a victory for me.”
As a volunteer, Goran doesn’t get any compensation for his noble work. He usually works alone but sometimes gets help from friends.
This kind of work isn’t easy, considering the time, money, and effort it takes to make these animals’ lives better. Luckily, there are people like Goran who willingly take on the responsibility.
“I save animals that are endangered, that live on the street. I take care of animals because I love them, I love animals equally everything, cats, dogs, others,” he told Bored Panda.
There are still many stray dogs in Serbia and the rest of the world. But with help from people who have a heart for animals, every one of these homeless dogs is one step closer to finding their own happy ending—just like Coco did.
We hope this story inspires you to consider adopting stray animals in your area. If you can’t find other ways to help your local animal shelter. You can donate or volunteer; these animals would surely appreciate the company.
Try visiting your local shelter, and you might just meet your new best friend there! Just remember that before deciding to bring an animal home, make sure that you are ready to handle the responsibility of being a pet owner.
Please share this story with your friends and family.
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