Sara Ortin who was from Barcelona, Spain was about to start her Ph.D. in Primatology but before she did just that, she decided to travel first. She wanted to explore the world first.
She had to leave her two dogs at home though she knew that she would miss them a lot. But she knew that they would be in safe hands with her family taking care of them.
Sara didn’t have any concrete plans. Armed with her backpack and her camera, off she went. Zambia was her first stop. She had been to Zambia before while she was working on her Master’s degree.
On her previous trip to Zambia, she met Ginger, a sweet and quite shy dog. Ginger was working as a security dog for a company that drills oil. Now that she’s back, it became her mission to help Ginger. She learned that Ginger’s sister got beat badly by thieves while she was working as a security dog. Ginger may face the same situation and she didn’t want that to happen.
When Sara found Ginger, she adopted her. It was a good thing that the dog’s owner agreed.
Sara continued to travel with Ginger by her side. She noticed that the dog was often shaking and showing fear.
Sara showed Ginger that she wasn’t there to harm her. In a few days, Ginger became more relaxed and started to become the sweet dog that she naturally is. She had some trouble adjusting to being in a car on their travels but in a month, she was able to enjoy it already.
One day, Sara got malaria. She wanted to go home but Ginger’s papers needed to travel back weren’t complete yet. Sara decided to be with Ginger. She got herself medical help and soon got better. In no time, they were back on their trip.
Ginger was the instrument that helped Sara see that there are plenty of strays who need help. That’s why she started a group in Africa that now helps rescue street dogs.
Source: The Dodo
