Bosnian 'Cinderella' lives happily-ever-after in USA
Zdravo everypawdy, Ripley here!
Wow, it’s been a super pawesome first week in this placed called the America!! I still can’t believe my happily-ever-after came true – my new BFF Tanzie and I were just taking about that yesterday…my whole Cinderella story, from Day 1.
Oh wait, you don’t know how it all happened?? Well, I’d be delighted to tell you! But my paws are already tired of typing, so I’ll see if Tanzie can tell it for me…she’s gotten really good at typing without thumbs...and is a better storyteller anyway…
The best part of my story is how fast everything happened…so, Tanzie will break it out like a timeline so you can follow better. Ok here is my pawfect Fairy-Tale-Ending story!!
- JULY 23 -
An American named Morgan was traveling through Eastern Europe, and fell in love with a street dog she saw in Travnik, Bosnia.
“I made kissy noises and crouched down, she came right over,” said Morgan. “I only had 10 minutes with her before I had to leave with my tour group. I was so sad, because I didn’t know if I’d ever see her again.”
Heartbroken, Morgan had to leave this dog behind, since she had no place to take her. She started thinking of ways to try to get her back to the states, who to talk to, but she didn’t have phone signal for the next hour.
Finally once she had signal, Morgan messaged a friend with Puppy Rescue Mission, an animal rescue nonprofit through whom she adopted her current pup, Feivel. She wanted to see how to bring this dog back to the U.S. to join her pack.
- JULY 24 -
“I thought I'd never see her again, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask PRM if they knew who I could talk to,” said Morgan. “And I was just ecstatic when they did!”
As fate would have it, that friend also happened to be friends with a pup who specializes in rescuing Bosnian street dogs…why, me, Tanzie, of course!! So, she messaged my mom and me to let us know about this lady Morgan and the dog in Travnik.
Right away we messaged Morgan, trying to figure out the details of where this doggie was. We were a bit discouraged when we realized the doggie was still wandering the streets in Travnik…I mean, finding her was going to be imPAWsible…right?? But, we had to try!
- JULY 25 -
Our rescue partner in Sarajevo, Selma, posted info and photos of this doggie (who would later be named Ripley, as you know) in a Bosnian rescue group on Facebook. A lady in that group said she lived in Travnik, and would look for her…! Ok, whew, slightly less impawsible, right?
- JULY 26 -
Over the next few days, this lady in Travnik found 3 other dogs that looked like this doggie (Ripley has very unique markings herself, so it was very odd that so many street dogs in that same city looked like her!!)
No luck finding her….yet...but, luckily for Ripley and Morgan, animal rescuers are a determined breed who rarely give up hope!
- JULY 30 -
Selma sent my mommy and me a photo of yet another dog…but this time, she really believed it was Morgan’s doggie! ….My mommy and I started comparing the photos and her markings…and we agreed with Selma. But of course, Morgan would be the determining factor….
“YESSSSS!!! Thank you guys SO MUCH!! And the girl who found her!!”
So wow, wait, we actually FOUND her?? This needle-in-a-haystack!?!? Unbelieveable!
That same evening, the lady in Travnik took Ripley into her home – we had to make sure she stayed found!
- JULY 31 -
Selma’s cousin drove to Travnik to bring Ripley back to Sarajevo for “safe-keeping!” ... (230 miles round-trip, by the way...!)
My mom and I said to each other, how crazy was it that within a week after Morgan left Ripley behind in Travnik, we found her, and brought her to Sarajevo?! Is this real life?
- AUGUST 1 -
By chance, an American was flying back to D.C. from Sarajevo, and agreed to bring Ripley back with her on the flight! (This was the flight with miss blondie, Gidget, too!)
- AUGUST 6 -
The day before the flight to D.C., Ripley became extremely, extremely ill. Lethargic, vomitting, and weak…we all feared she may not be able to fly home with Gidget after all….
- AUGUST 7 -
The vet deemed Ripley too sick to fly that day. All of us were very upset, not just for Ripley being sick, but that she missed this chance to be reunited with her American mommy Morgan….
- AUGUST 8 -
Ripley was sick for several more days. After various tests, the vet determined she had parvo, which can be fatal. Thankfully, Selma had been continually taking Ripley to the vet every day, ensuring she received treatments and therapies. About a week later, Ripley was well again -- Selma and the vets had helped rid her of the parvo!
After she recovered, Ripley stayed with our fur friends Bambi and Donna until we could find her another ticket home.
- SEPTEMBER 8 -
A month had passed, and unfortunately, we still couldn’t find any more Americans that were flying back to the U.S. any time soon, so the only other option was to get Ripley a cargo ticket!
We fundraised for the rest of the money needed after her first ticket was funded, and Team Tanzie came through AGAIN! She was going to fly back with fellow rescue pup Sunny to NYC!
- SEPTEMBER 24 -
Ripley and Sunny caught their flight out of Sarajevo and stayed overnight in Moscow. Then like the true rags-to-riches Cinderella story it was, Ripley was finally off of the street, and in the arms of her new American mommy – reunited at last!!
Now when Morgan looks back on the whole situation, it still seems like a fairy tale. But in the end, Morgan and Ripley were destined to live happily ever after.
“That day in Travnik, she came over and put her head under my hand,” said Morgan. “It’s like she just knew – she chose me.”
Ok, it’s me Ripley again – Tanzie did such a great job sharing that...I'm trying to wipe the tears out of my fur....
I also wanted to just give so many thanks for all of Tanzie’s fans who shared, donated, and supported the two attempts to get me back to my mommy!
I absolutely love going on car rides with her, and playing with my brother Feivel from this placed called Kabul, and getting to know the cat a little better. It's crazy how life works -- if it weren’t for Feivel, my mom wouldn’t have had PRM friends, who wouldn’t have known about Tanzie…and then if it weren’t for Tanzie’s friend Selma, I wouldn’t have been found, and I may not have even survived the parvo. And if it weren't for small groups of people in Sarajevo who love dogs, I wouldn't have found my way home to America!
So that’s my American fairy tale story everypawdy! I am so pawsitively grateful for everything – together, we can save more pups like me!
Your Bosnian Cinderella,
Ripley!
