Corfu, Sunday 7th October 2007. We are going to make a trip to the south of the island, but Frank wants to get some cash first. I think that we can carry on, we have enough money. But we stopped in Gouvia anyway. Ten minutes later we a driving over the busy road to Kerkyra, the capital. Look – a black cat suddenly crosses the parallel road, and stops at the curb separating the two roads. We drive past. Cat? Is it a cat? "No" I say to Frank whilst looking back at it "ït's a puppy. STOPPP!". Frank gets on to the parallel road 100 metre futher along, and reverses to where we saw the puppy. I see a tiny dog sitting there, and jump out of the car and pick the small black ball up. Such a tiny little thing! Er, but now what?

I walk to the edge of the road. Surely there must be a mother dog here somewhere? I look and look but can see no other dog, so I decide to take the puppy with us. "We're going to Louisa" I tell Frank, and we drive off. Then the doubts creep in. Have I just saved a pup or have I kidnapped it? Is there someone who will be looking for this little boy? Has the mother returned and is she missing her pup? This is the first time I have literally plucked a puppy from the street.

I phone Louisa. "Louisa we've found a puppy and are bringing it to you". "Terriffic" is Louisa's dry reply. Louisa has lived on Corfu for a few years and looks after stray dogs that are then rehomed by Stichting AAI. We visited her just 4 days before. She had 15 dogs then, including her own. Two dogs have since left and 4 more have arrived. This little black pup will be number 5…. I feel a bit guilty, but luckily I have already promised her a donation from Wereldpootjes.

I call the puppy Filos, after a colleague's Greek dog. It means friend in Greek. Once we arrive at Louise's he greedily drinks a bowl of puppy milk. He seems healthy but for safety's sake Louisa keeps him apart from the other pups until he has had his inoculations. The vet estimates him to be 6 weeks old.

We eat with Louisa and her friend. Bye little Filos, I hope I have done the right thing and you quickly find a new home.

Petra Poorter en Frank Bouwens

Footnote: Our wish was quicky fulfilled. A family in Sint Michielsgestel fell in love with Filos when they saw his photos on the AAI website. Filos arrived in Holland on the last charter flight of the season and is now busy learning to be a good Dutch dog, helped by Poldo the Heidewachtel.