A young traveler, Arthur, kayaking on a Sunday morning in order to enjoy his free time and take good photos, saw an obstacle in the form of a small island strewn with branches. A skinny, scared dog stood there and looked in his direction. Arthur was shocked by what he saw: the little one was so emaciated and pitiful!
The dog waggled its tail in a friendly way, despite its weakness and visible inner tension. Her frail body shivered with cold, and her thin ribs were visible through her thin blue skin. How had he gotten there, how long had he fallen behind, had he gotten lost – there were no answers to these and other questions that floated in the rower’s mind, but the young man realized he couldn’t give up on the lonely, exhausted dog. Arthur felt responsible for the dog and decided to act.
Later, recalling the story, Arthur told family and friends, “I thought my heart was going to burst out of my chest! Artur got out of his kayak and crossed the water as fast as he could to join the dog.
Just in case, he decided to shout loudly hoping to see, maybe, a fisherman or another person nearby, but the young man, while shouting, realized that he wasn’t. There was no one around, and the dog was really all alone here, waiting impatiently for a single living soul to come to his rescue nearby. Upon reaching the triumphant dog, the boy carried him into the kayak…
A little later, after warming and feeding the dog a little, the young man became worried: he was sailing on the territory of another country (Central America), which meant that there could be certain difficulties with the dog he had found. The pup, which he named Bari, clearly needed help, and Arthur wondered how he could help the animal further.
He was supposed to leave after a day or two, but he couldn’t leave the stray dog behind due to his moral code. And caring people came to actively help us! Some brought food, others helped escort Bary and his dog to the vet, so the lost dog could be examined by a specialist. Soon Bari was examined by a veterinary doctor, and she washed her body of dirt and fleas.
Unfortunately, after a few hours, the young man had to return to the hotel, while the dog was left under the supervision of the veterinarian. The vet promised to keep in touch with Arthur and keep him informed of the condition of the found animal.
Tests showed that there were no serious abnormalities in Bari’s health, and Arthur was happy to receive this and other news from the doctor regularly. The only thing that worried the photographer was that the dog had nowhere to go. The young man therefore had to find people to take Bari to a safe place.
A young woman named Melanie became Bary’s „foster mom“ for the next two months. She often sent videos and photos to Arthur to let him know how her friend Bari was doing. Undoubtedly, the growing and gaining weight dog was happy, well cared for, had a roof over his head, a warm bed, food and, above all, care and contact with people.
He had a new appearance; his ribs were hidden under fat, his frightened gaze was gone, and even his ears, which hung to one side, were now firmly perched atop his head.
A few months later, the dog, well established, went to Arthur in Dallas, who decided to keep him and welcome him into his home. The long-awaited meeting of the photographer took place at the airport.
„It was an exciting moment for me, I was thinking at the time: ‚What if Bari doesn’t remember me?‘ – the guy told later. And this is indeed the case, from the first minutes of the meeting, the dog did not really know how to react to Arthur and began to sniff his trainers. But after a few minutes, Bari jumped up on his hind legs and started hopping happily, wagging his tail back and forth.
Soon the master and his kind dog found themselves in Montana, where the young man lives and works, and the animal found himself in a real kingdom of snow. It was incredible: after the Belize heat, to be in a completely different place, a winter fairy tale, and the dog was visibly delighted with what he saw!
Arthur has said many times that meeting his four-legged friend changed his life, because they found each other by chance and now they will never part again!
