The start of something new…

To be honest, I guess it was just a matter of time until I would risk the harmonious life with my parents because of a dog I want to keep. As long as I can remember I wanted a dog. My grandparents had an English Cocker Spaniel which already died before I was old enough to take it for walks. And my parents never wanted a dog. That’s how I became a dog walker so I could enjoy my walks with the company of a dog (or five till seven dogs in the end). It was a great time and I am so happy and thankful I got the possibility to meet such different humans and dog personalities. But something was always missing. 

When I did my first backpacking trip to Greece in 2014 I already thought about just taking a stray dog home with me. But reason triumphed and I began my studies in International Tourism Management in 2016, without a dog but at least with the possibility to bring a foster dog with me to university from time to time. 

Work in animal welfare

Since I have been a flight companion for four dogs at the end of my holidays on Kos in 2013, I am involved in animal welfare on the neighboring island Kalymnos. First and foremost, I built the website and help every time I come for vacation with taking pictures and writing descriptions of the dogs. Because there are no charter flights during the winter, we have to bring the dogs to Rhodes before flying with them to Germany. When I have been on a winter trip in the beginning of 2018, Ayoka was found on New Years Eve. She just weighed 2,7kg, had a big tummy because of all the worms and I really can’t say after the first picture of her, that it was love at first sight. 

But that changed the next day. The second picture I saw of her, where she was cuddling with a kitten the next morning, I was totally enraptured by her cute spotted legs and her beautiful dark mask and just thought „oh my god, how lucky am I that I can’t take her with me now“. Because she has been the first dog of the new year I searched for a name with „a“ and found “Ayoka: origin: African; especially common in Nigeria; meaning: one who causes joy all round“. 

My sometimes quite unusual name suggestions meet in the animal welfare group mostly on moderate enthusiasm but this time I was able to prevail. That’s how this little three months old girl got the name Ayoka. 

Just one day after that I met her the first time, on the 05th of January 2018, my birthday.