Sofia was in Western Georgia to work when she came across the horrors stray animals were facing locally, two of them in particular, a sick little black puppy now called Gulli and an abandoned park stray – Lia. Both were suffering from parvo virus, an endemic virus that kills lots of strays in Georgia every year. Sofia says that without Mariam Shekiladze’s support, both Gulli and Lia would have died. 

She decided to try to get both of them back to Sweden, despite the difficult and complex process involved when bringing a dog into Europe. Rules and regulations were successfully navigated and Gulli and Lia made it to Sweden. However, adapting to dog life in Sweden was not entirely straightforward either. Gulli was terrified of people after having experienced severe violence and beatings on the streets in Georgia. However, she keeps on re-gaining her confidence and beginning to trust people again. “The only challenge left for Gulli is the family cat”, says Sofia. “Lia on the other hand was very sociable from the start and adapting to family life was a piece of cake for her”. 

Apart from the usual ways of supporting the work with strays in Georgia, Sofia has an interesting suggestion of a vet exchange between countries: “Local vets gave conflicting advice on vaccinations against rabies and complex vaccinations such as parvo virus. There is also no record on which strays have received what, if any, vaccinations. I would therefore highly encourage vets and animal behavioral specialists to volunteer in Georgia to support the local vets, but also get an opportunity to learn more about e.g. emergency vet care.” 

She also adds that one of the most challenging issues she witnessed in Georgia was people’s perception of animals, which is one of the reasons for much animal cruelty, “raising awareness about animals as sensitive, emotional beings who must be treated with care should be another focus area for Zero Strays Georgia and other organisations in the country”