Raya – Dushka (Soul)


Dushka’s first days at the shelter, recovering after her surgery – she was shot with a live bullet

It was a rainy day in March like one of those, that seem to happen only to remind you that the winter is far from over and you shouldn’t keep your hopes up. The young doggies in the shelter were shivering with just their noses poking out of their small houses, waiting to add up a warm blanket to their fuzzy coats.


Photos 1 and 2 – Before and after surgery; Photo 3 – Dushka was also shot with bird pellets at some other time – she still has 3 led pellets stuck in her body

And Raya (she was then called Soul) was spending the day in the warm office of the shelter, in her metal cage, with a pathetic plastic cone on her head. She too, was trying not to keep her hopes up. True, the worst was over, the leg that was shot (with real bullets) had been operated on and was recovering, and people had promised her that this horror will never happen to her again. Thankfully!

And thankfully, that there was some room in the office for her to wave her tail like crazy at everyone who approached her. She did not seem to even remember that those who are now taking care of her and loving her were of the same species that caused her the pain. And even more thankfully, at about the same time, yet another little fellow (Toshy) had left his foster home for a permanent one in Germany. So she could take his place on the sofa.


Duska’s friend at her foster home – Kon-Tiki, or Yoda, as he was known at the shelter, before foster-mother Armina adopted him

Sadly, Raya’s quest through the hospitals did not end with the sofa. She had to go through a horrible pneumonia very soon after she got to her foster home. For now, though, we can say that “the dog days are over” for Raya. She’s now healthy, jumpy, tail-waving, running (though she rarely uses her hind leg) young lady. She adores her foster brother and follows him everywhere in his mischief: swamps, mud, high grass. However, she is ready to call it all off the second she hears her name, and is extremely smart, obedient, and careful, she never begs for attention, but positively melts when she gets it. She’s also great with cats, after a couple of nose-bleeding accidents.  She is absolutely beautiful.


Duska loves everybody and everyone loves Dushka!

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