CHIEF’S STORY:

Chief is a Braque Saint-German, born in Corfu, but suffering from a form of progressive retinal atrophy that has led to him becoming completely blind. This is the story of his incredible journey from the bottom of a swimming pool to crossing three seas and six countries in order to reach his new home.

Quick Links to Page Contents:

• Journey to the Shelter
• Stay at the Shelter
• Journey from the Shelter
• New Life & New Home

JOURNEY TO THE SHELTER:

What we know of Chief’s journey started at the bottom of an empty swimming pool near Kavos in Corfu. Clearly he had fallen in by accident, and according to the owner of the pool had remained there for two days, fearful and aggressive to her approach. Having no means of getting Chief out of the pool, she finally approached the Lefkimi Animal Shelter and it was the shelter manager, Marjorie Pandi, who managed to win Chief over by offering him some food and then lifting him out.

But once out of the pool, he remained frozen in position, too scared and unwilling to move, so that Marjorie had to carry him to the van. It wasn’t until he arrived at the shelter that anyone realised he was in fact blind.

Some pellets were found embedded in one of his ears, suggesting that he had been shot, although this did not account for his blindness. It has since been presumed that his blindness is due to an inherited degeneration of his retina, the most common form being progressive retinal atrophy (PRA).

Certainly, he was not born blind, for if this had been the case there is little chance he would have been allowed to survive for so long. Most likely he had been bred to hunt, and, once his condition was discovered, abandoned and then shot when encroaching on someone else’s property, before finally falling down into the swimming pool. What is equally certain is that he is incredibly lucky to still be alive!

STAY AT THE SHELTER:

Chief was kept in an enclosure on his own, for both his own safety and sense of security. He was provided a small, plastic kennel in which to shelter from the elements.

His enclosure was situated by the front gate so that he would have the benefit of frequent visitors and distractions as people would come and go. But unfortunately this also meant that his enclosure ran the risk of having new arrivals unceremoniously dropping in, as frequently did happen when traffickers and unscrupulous breeders would toss unwanted dogs into the shelter at night.

In effect, Chief became the shelter’s unofficial greeter to all the scared and scarred animals thrown over the gate from the back of pickup trucks.

As more and more dogs were being dropped into the enclosure, it was decided that Chief needed not only a companion, but also a guard dog to deter people from dumping dogs in this fashion.

A Maltese Poodle, named Muppet, was selected for this role, as it was presumed that his small size would not intimidate Chief, while his bold personality and strident tone would see off any human intruders. Muppet also had a special liking for human fingers when they strayed too close, so no trafficker would dare try steal him, either! Here we have a photograph of Muppet confidently guarding the front gate (note how even the wary photographer has kept a respectful distance!):

In the security of his enclosure and with the company of Muppet, Chief was able to lick his wounds and come out of his shell to reveal an incredibly warm and sociable disposition. When he would hear a voice, he would immediately head toward it with his tail wagging, cautious in his approach only so as not to bump into that person.

A veterinary surgeon from the United Kingdom, who was visiting the shelter and providing some voluntary assistance, became quite taken with Chief and his story, especially his kind and friendly nature in spite of his disability and negative experiences. It wasn’t long before Chief was heading out of the shelter and on his way to the UK.