Little Fotis did not have an easy start to life! He was born on the streets in Trikala, in the North of Greece, with no one to protect or look after him. For the first 5 months of his life, all he could do every day was to fight for his survival, while being abused and mistreated. Though there are many unknowns to Fotis’ early life, we know how much he has struggled by word of mouth, his responses to trauma and not to mention the scarring around his nose. I also know he must have been abused predominantly by men, because to this day, even though he lives in a loving home, he is still nervous when meeting men he has not met before, but he has no problem with women. When I first found Fotis, he was in a local bar, in Voula, scared and shaking in a cage. He had come out of nowhere and was now a long long way from home. No one could tell me the proper story behind how he had ended up there. When I came the next day, he was still there and they admitted to me they were looking to place him in a home. I could see that he had not touched his food or water. He was too scared. Later that day, someone let him out of the cage and he was terrified. In panic he was running around the bar trying to find safety and ended up lying next to me and immediately falling asleep under my hand. From that moment on I told the bar owners that I will take him. When trying to take him for his first walk, he did not know how. He was too scared to move and would not go on the sidewalk or in the streets. He was just too scared so we had to guide him through a small walk. When bringing him home he quickly found a safe space under the table, but as he slowly realised he was not in any danger he came close and immediately fell asleep again next to me on the sofa. This was the first time in his life where he could fall asleep without fearing everything around him, that someone would mistreat him, beat him, bite him or anything else. He could finally rest. When trying to feed him, he did not know how to chew, but with time he slowly learned how to eat his food properly. His name, Fotis, comes from the Greek word “Fos” which means “Light”. Both Fotis and mysef (father) was having a tough time in life and his name is symbolic of brighter times ahead for the both of us, and they have been.
We are now a loving family, myself, Fotis and his mommy. He is growing stronger and more confident every day, he loves life and he loves cuddles. He always wants to make new friends, humans or animals it doesn’t matter to him. He is just happy to socialise and is living his best life! We may spoil him a bit, but no one deserves to be spoiled more than Fotis!
