When 16-year-old Anita Valkova first saw the dog in her schoolyard, she was afraid. She had always been scared of dogs, but this one needed her help.
Some kids from her school were taunting the dog and throwing rocks at it. Valkova, despite her fears, knew she had to step in.
She reached out to different members of her family, her mom and grandparents, but no one seemed to think it was a good idea to pick up the stray. The poor pup was clearly suffering from a skin condition, and she was wounded from the cruel children that abused her in the schoolyard.
Valkova didn't give up. She saw an opportunity to help a desperate animal, and she had to take it.
Scroll down to find out what happened to the injured stray dog, and let us know what you think of this incredible little girl in the comments!
Note: Several of these photos may be a bit disturbing to our readers. But if you'd like to see just how far this pup has come, keep scrolling through below.
[H/T: The Dodo]
"She was in my schoolyard when I first saw her," Valkova explained on her Reddit post.
"A group of kids were throwing stones at her and when I saw this little pooch all covered in blood, I knew I had to take action."
Her mother and grandparents, whom Valkova lives with in a small apartment, refused to pick up the dog. They suggested she leave it be and move on.
Determined, Valkova reached out to her estranged father.
He agreed to meet her and the dog in the schoolyard in two hours.
She sat waiting with the injured stray in the cold until her father arrived.
He saw the condition the dog was in and refused to allow the dog in the car. He gave Valkova some blankets and told her to walk to the vet.
With the help of a friend, Valkova carefully picked up the dog and carried her all the way to the vet.
There, she was cleaned up and her wounds were tended to.
The next day, Valkova's mother stopped by to meet the pup.
With a lot of convincing, she agreed to let her daughter take the dog home.
The first day at home was nerve-racking for both Valkova and the pup she named Alfeiya.
"I gave her a bath, we were both very scared. She of the water and I of her biting me," Valkova explained.
"After I dried her fur, she got her claim on my bed."
As time passed, Valkova and Alfeiya grew very close.
Alfeiya's skin condition went away and her fluffy fur began to grow back.
Even though Alfeiya is capable of making quite a mess, Valkova has no regrets.
"I've always been scared of dogs, but I couldn't leave a creature to suffer when I could help," said Valkova.
"I hope this story gives you hope and inspiration to be a better person."
Have you ever gone out of your way to help a stray animal?
Let us know in the comments, and don't forget to SHARE with anyone who has ever taken an animal in off of the streets!
These stories are based on posts found on Reddit. Reddit is a user-generated social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website where registered members submit content to the site and can up- or down-vote the content. The accuracy and authenticity of each story cannot be confirmed by our staff.
