Goran Marinkovic always brings food with him when he walks around Kraljevo, Serbia. Every day, she feeds more than 100 stray dogs and cats who have no one to care for them, but in March of last year, he came across a small puppy he couldn’t bear to abandon. The little dog lives next to a garbage heap, sheltering from the elements with old boots. Marinkovic couldn’t find another dog nearby because the puppy was too young to be without a mother.
He immediately laid down and showed his belly when he approached the puppy. “She was completely exhausted,” Marinkovic said. “She knew I might be her only chance, so she knelt and surrendered to fate.” Marinkovic picked up the small dog and drove her to the veterinarian. He wasn’t sure if she’d make it after being alone for so long, sleeping under the stars. But the puppy, whom he named Coco, would not let him go.
Coco’s loving personality began to emerge as she regained her strength: “She loves people,” Marinkovic said. “She’s always upbeat.” Marinkovic’s inbox was inundated with messages offering to take in the puppy after she posted photos of it on Facebook. Marinkovic, on the other hand, wanted to make sure she had the best possible home.
He contacted one of his friends and fellow rescuers who was familiar with international animal adoptions. And once Coco had received all of her vaccinations. Coco looks nothing like the sick puppy Marinkovic discovered hiding behind a shoe a year ago. She’s grown into a cheerful, fluffy dog who loves going on adventures with her family.
