The odd couple

At the beginning of October we were near Borjomi Georgia. Just killing time really until our “90 days out of Turkey” were up, so we could drive back in to Turkey. We had planned to go hiking near Borjomi, but the weather had changed and it was very rainy. Also it turned out we didn’t have time to go for a hike. We had found a nice campsite in a field, pretty much in the middle of nowhere, around 10 kms from Borjomi. However this field already had some occupants living in it. A small and freighted but sweet dog and a little red kitten of about 4 months old. The female dog was actually taking care of the kitten, letting him drink her milk!

We didn’t see any puppies or other cats there. So how how did this dog and her kitten ended up living together in a field? We think they may have been dumped, it is very unlikely they both walked themselves to the field and just happend to find each other there. It was cold and wet and we couldn’t leave them behind. I called the dog Nina and the kitten Georgie and started looking for a home for them. The vet in Borjomi couldn’t really help us. But through FB we managed to contact a few people in Batumi who help out stray animals there. They advised us NOT to take the dog and kitten to the animal shelter in Batumi, due to the lack of care. We couldn’t get in touch with the only other animal shelter in Georgia, which is in Tbilisi. But after a hectic day of online searching and a lot of messaging we managed to contact Bela Chiqovani in Tbilisi who takes in strays and she was willing to take them both in. Unfortunately for us Tbilisi was 160kms (single journey) the wrong way. But with no other option we decided to drive there the next day. In the meanwhile we had been feeding Georgie and Nina and they had a safe and dry place to sleep under our van. We also treated Georgie against flees and ticks and he and Binkie got along well.

So the next day we put Nina with her makeshift leash (a cotton belt I bought at a 2nd hand store in Borjomi) in the front at my feat and Georgie in the back with Binkie. To our surprise and relief they both behaved impeccable. No barking, meouwing or any toilet accidents. Nina lay quietly at my feet, only becoming a bit nervous when the road was really bumpy and Georgie walked through the van and slept on my lap as if he had always lived in a van. After a 3 hr drive we dropped them of at Bela’s with a donation of food and money. I had a hard time leaving them behind to be honest, they looked so scared and bewildered. But at least they are now in a safe and warm place with food and care. They still need a home and so do other animals at Bela so if you’re looking to adopt, check out her FB page. Bela and her animals could really use your help! Several of the dogs are handicapped due to abuse or from being hit by a car and left to suffer on the road. Bela has worked wonders with them. But her shelter is very full. So if you could help by sharing this story through social media that would be great! If you can’t contact her through FB, just send us a message and I can give you her e-mail address. She’s also on Instagram using her own name.