Zoe was found on an empty field, tied with steel cable. She had been there for many days, trembling and shaking in the harsh and wet Istanbul winter.
In those days Let’s Adopt! did not exist and I already had three dogs so I took her to SHKD, the city’s best shelter and asked them to take care of her for a few days until I secured a place for her. I knew this was not a solution, not even a temporary one. As I was leaving the shelter I looked back and saw her head standing out of the dog home… I turned my car around, picked her up and took her home.
Upon arrival she did what most rescue dogs do when arriving to their new home. She went to sleep, a deep and calm sleep that lasted for close to 14 hours. She was warm, and safe.
Zoe did everything with the kind of joy and happiness that only a dog can experience. She ate with delight, played like crazy, slept like a log next to me much to the annoyance of my dogs. I felt she deserved the extra attention.
Two weeks after arriving home Zoe felt ill. We went to my vet immediately, it didn’t look good. The initial tests were inconclusive. It didn’t look like distemper, more like a fungal infection. Her symptoms were very atypical and the fast lost in muscle mass confirmed the gravity of the situation.
Ali called some of her colleagues for consultation (much to my desperation those great order xanax buy cheap tramadol in uk with paypal “vets” acted in a completely uninterested way, some didn’t even returned our calls), but by then it was too late. Zoe was quickly loosing the battle against what was finally confirmed as a form of neurological distemper.
We did all we could but she didn’t respond to any treatment.
On the 1st of January 2008 Zoe’s suffering ended.
It was a rainy day. Angels were crying for Zoe’s loss.
In my head I couldn’t stop hearing the words of that Dave Matthews song: Gravedigger
Gravedigger
When you dig my grave
Could you make it shallow
So that I can feel the rain
It made sense… I made it shallow and left my darling Zoe on her final resting place.
In three weeks it will be the second anniversary of Zoe’s death. She passed away just five days before my old Simba. It was one of the most terrible times of my life.
It was that week of intense sorrow and the loss of my two friends that prompted me to create Let’s Adopt!. I had no idea where the journey would take me or whether we would achieve anything at all. Today, nearly two years later Let’s Adopt! has become OUR journey, many hundreds of lives have been saved, thousands of connections have been built, and together, day after day, we are building an organization like no other.
I have great dreams for Let’s Adopt! and its capacity to make a difference in the plea of companion animals in Turkey and the world.
Help us take Let’s Adopt to the next level. Please Join Let’s Adopt, invite all your networks to join us and help us build a new future for the animals.
Viktor Larkhill
This post made me cry =(
They were so lucky to meet you.. You are amazing..
RIP little angels,Simba and Zoe, dont forget, V loves you ! =)
Merve =)
what a beautiful yet sad story Viktor, God Bless you for starting Let,s Adopt, dont give up the hope, we must all not give up hope, these animals depend solely on hope.
I almost cried while reading this….
Sorry for the comment about translating on the turkish version, I did found the english version a bit late 😉
Again in tears Viktor but so happy that u saved her even for some while…. her last days!
Pics were absolutely revealing her happiness and well being. Pls go on! We all do what we can and lean on you to do more….
Thank you for starting this group.There should be more animal groups and I hope more open. I was in Turkey in 1976.Beautiful country…:)
I am so thrilled to know you all, and you have really given my spirit a boost in life, and I cannot thank you enough for that.
BLESSINGS ON LET’S ADOPT! & EVERYONE WHO HELPS THEM
Here I am in my classroom crying. We have similar story with a small kitten we rescued. The important thing is Zoe knew love and that is the reason we all work for them.
She had fun while it lasted and she was at peace when she passed. OH, but such saddness for us humans!
No words, only tears…..
That story was heartbreaking, crying here after reading it.
Thank God for people like you Viktor and your wonderful team.
Such a beautiful dog, such a cruel world…at least she knew safety, warmth, full stomach and love before she passed to rainbow bridge.
xx tina
merci à Zoe pour son héritage !! sa disparition n’a pas été vaine…
Thank you V for saving Zoe and giving her peace before she left this cruel world.
sometimes I really feel like the world has come to an end;I feel so depressed and desperate because of the people who think animals cant feel and dont have a right to live.I try to explain their lives to them,how they feel when they are tortured,left to starve or even cant find a safe place to sleep,but people cant understand.am I the abnormal or the rest of the world who think they are human?I feel so alone and when I remember you and the ones like you,I think that its still worth living for.We have each other and we are here to protect them.Thank you Viktor for all you’ve done and for your inspiring heart that will save thousands more.