A stray puppy’s persistence paid off when she refused to be left behind after she caught the eye of a group of rescuers who usually save elephants.
A few years ago, a group of elephant rescuers was walking through Nuwela Eliya in Sri Lanka when they spotted a stray pup.
The group was working for the Elephant Nature Park in Thailand and was visiting Sri Lanka to do some elephant research.
Elephant Nature Park is a haven for abused or otherwise suffering elephants and the rescue works hard to rescue and rehabilitate as many elephants as possible.
But this time, it wasn’t an elephant that needed saving. The small puppy was trying to survive in the coldest city in Sri Lanka, living at the market at the time. She would wag her tail every time someone passed her, trying to get someone to notice her.
“In the market through fare, where thousands of people pass, we saw a little puppy wagging her tail at passersby, inviting people to take note of her.”
The group was in a hurry, so they gave the pup one last pat and began to walk away.
” One by one people rushed unaware of the pup’s plight. Our team stopped to pat her for awhile, but we also were in a rush to go. She began to follow us, and quite far until we lifted her up and returned her to where we first met her. She followed us again and again until her determination won our hearts.”
But the stray wasn’t about to let them leave her behind. She began following the Elephant Nature Park team and when they realised she wasn’t about to stop, they picked her up and brought her back to where they first found her.
The team began asking people on the street if they could adopt and care for the sweet little dog, but everyone they asked declined.
As she described, “We decided to ask people who walked past to adopt her, to take responsibility for her care. When they saw that she was female, they lost interest.”
Lek Lek was thrilled to finally have a home and a family and quickly grew to love her new daddy, Thushara.
Then, after living with Thushara for three blissful years, Lek Lek received a very exciting visit.
She is healthy and happy with Thushara and his family. And she still recognizes Lek even after three years.
