Babu's long journey to the US | Το μεγάλο ταξίδι του Μπάμπου προς Αμερική

· volunteers,rescues,Travel stories

Would you like to donate for Babu's journey? Please scroll to the bottom of the article to read the costs and link for donation. 

Babu: The Journey to the US

Babu, a ten-year-old healthy male neutered dog, with the heart of a puppy, arrived, safely, in the US last week. Babu was found on January 5th, 2021 by Mr Demetris Kyteas. He was seen wandering around an isolated area of Menetes village in Karpathos. This wonderful citizen did not think twice before rescuing the starving dog and posting his story on the  Animal Welfare Karpathos group

Babu’s story begins 10 years ago when he was adopted as a puppy. His owner was unable to cover all of his expenses, and due to his love to hunt chickens and other small animals,  she was forced to keep him tied. Babu would often escape and kill chickens in the surrounding area, an activity that would often cause trouble to his human guardian.  As a result, Babu spent 10 years mainly tied under a tree. 

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Working under the premise that the largest percentage of people are animal lovers , we tried to capitalize on those feelings and it did not take long to convince his human guardian to relinquish Babu to Animal Welfare Karpathos. She knew that this was what was best for him and she felt horrible that she was unable to provide a different environment and care for him. It is our belief in Animal Welfare Karpathos that everyone has the capacity to be educated regarding best animal welfare practices. Most people understand their mistakes and do what is best for their pets once we talk to them. These people have our utmost respect. It takes courage to admit mistakes and do what is right. 

Babu was taken care of by Animal Welfare Karpathos volunteers and animal welfare advocates who knew him for a long time. Following a month of fostering, the wonderful Meltemi Windsurfing community (Vanda and Mike) took over Babu’s fostering and training. They kept him in a proper enclosure and took him on long walks by the beach daily. Mike and Vanda fostered Babu for 5 months!

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Meanwhile, the AWK team worked hard on trying to find him a suitable home. AWK promoted posts on Facebook and posted on various sites. In spite of the numerous shares and comments, we were unable to find him a forever family. His age, along with his “love” for chickens were two characteristics that turned people away. The interest that AWK received was from families who would keep Babu in a similar setting (tied). This is not what anyone within the organization wanted for him.

Luckily enough, during AWK's spay/neuter program on Karpathos island, Brittney  Waranius, one of the veterinary student volunteers who participated, took it upon herself to find a solution for Babu and possibly transport him to the US. A collaboration with the Blue Ridge Border Collie Rescue was created and Babu’s long journey to the US began. 

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A  24- hour trip by boat to Athens followed by a long flight to Frankfurt and then the US led to Babu’s arrival to his new foster home. A home that has fostered many dogs of similar breed. Babu arrived safely in Fredericksburg, Virginia where he will be fostered by Gary and Linda until a proper home is found for him. His new foster home has a big yard and two wonderful people who are dedicated to his care and wellbeing. 

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This endeavor, as exciting as it is for all of us, came with costs… Animal Welfare Karpathos covered all of the expenses for the transportation of Babu (see below). If you would like to donate to AWK to help offset the costs, we would be eternally grateful. It is through donations that we are able to save, rehabilitate and transport animals and without your support we are limited to how many animals we can help. 

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When humans are willing to join forces, they can do wonders!  Thank you to everyone who made Babu’s rescue possible.