Puppy Using A Shoe For Shelter Has A Whole New Life

Marinkovic provides food for more than 100 abandoned dogs and cats each day, but in March of last year, he came upon a little puppy that he couldn’t bear to leave behind.

Marinkovic told that: “Passing a narrow pathway, I heard crying coming from the rocks. She was cold, hungry and thirsty. I had food, so right away I gave her salami.”

The little puppy used an old shoe to protect herself from the weather while living next to a mound of rubbish. The puppy was too young to be alone, but Marinkovic couldn’t find her mom nearby.

As he approached the puppy, she immediately lay down and showed him her belly.

“She was exhausted. She knew that I might be her only chance, so she lay down and surrendered to fate,” Marinkovic said.

Marinkovic scooped up the little dog and brought her to the vet. He wasn’t sure if she’d survive after being on her own for so long, sleeping under the open sky. But the puppy, whom he named Coco, refused to give up.

As Coco gained back her strength, her loving personality started to shine through: “She loves people,” Marinkovic said. “She’s always cheerful.”

Following the publication of Coco’s pictures on Facebook, Marinkovic’s email was swamped with offers to foster the dog. However, Marinkovic wanted to make sure she had the greatest possible family.

He reached out to one of his friends and fellow rescuers, who had connections with international animal adoptions. And once Coco had received all her vaccines, she traveled to her new home in Germany.

A year later, Coco looks nothing like the sick puppy Marinkovic found hiding behind a shoe. She’s grown into a happy, fluffy dog who’s always excited to go on adventures with her family.

“[Coco] has a beautiful home and she is currently on vacation. I get pictures regularly — they’re at sea right now,” Marinkovic said. “Every rescued dog from the street who finds a home is a victory for me.”

Marinkovic hopes that every stray in Serbia will have Coco’s good fortune. Nevertheless, these dogs are a step closer to living the life they deserve with assistance from individuals like Marinkovic.