Maria (fostered in Sweden)

Gender: female
Birthday: July 2016
Castrated/Neutered: yes
Weight: 35 kg
Back story: Maria was saved in 2019 when a farm was raided by police and animal welfare people. The farm was a nightmare of a place with slaughtered animal carcasses next to living animals. 

Description/Updates/Pictures:

Update September 2025:

Maria is making progress here in Sweden. She’s enjoying her walks, her toys and of course all kinds of foods and treats. Breakfast is her favorite time of the day and she’ll be bouncing up and down when carrying her bowl. She’s got a long road ahead but she is the sweetest girl.

Update July 2025:

Maria is a special soul. Around 9 years old and weighing 35 kg, she’s a gentle senior who has been through far too much in her life. Her first couple years were spent in terrible conditions before she was rescued and brought to the shelter, where she lived for nearly 6 more years.

Now she’s in foster care in Sweden, staying with two dogs, and starting to get a glimpse of what life should be like. Maria is afraid of people, loud noises, and sudden movements. She needs an experienced and patient owner, someone who understands fearful dogs and is willing to work with her slowly and gently. A calm home, without young children, without cats, and ideally with a steady and confident male dog who can help show her the ropes would be the best fit. In her weeks in foster care, Maria has started going on short walks in quiet areas and has done all her potty business outside. She has made a lot of progress already but she still has a long way to go.

She’s not aggressive, just scared, shy, and unsure. She needs a home away from city noise, preferably with a secure yard where she can enjoy being outside at her own pace. Maria will require time, patience, and a lot of love. But she is so worth it. She’s beautiful, sweet, and gentle. She deserves to live out her senior years feeling safe, cared for, and truly loved.

Could you be the person she finally learns to trust? Could you give Maria the home she’s always deserved? Maria is looking for a home in Sweden.

Update November 2020:

As Elizabeth said, it might be the daughter Joni. She’s very shy with people but has gotten a lot better recently. Still, she needs a special person with lots of patience. She’s not aggressive. She’s great with other dogs and can be very playful. She loves all kinds of balls and toys and she’s very food-motivated. Maria is still shy, but she’s been making some great progress over the last few weeks.

Update January 2020:

What love does. What concentrating on the mental health of each animal, evaluating it every day does.

What the team at the Souda Shelter Project does.

Maria was saved when a farm was raided by police and animal welfare people. The farm was a nightmare of a place with slaughtered animal carcasses next to living animals, all on top of mounds of feces. The stench is what gave this place away. Rabbits, chickens, pigs, and dogs all lived on this terrible compound. All the animals were removed and placed in safe, healthy environments.

Maria was terrified and completely anti-social when we got her. Her skin was a mess, her eyes were a mess. She was a mess, curled in a ball, 20 of the 24 hours a day.

Look at this stunning creature now.

She is still timid around humans but not to the degree she was when she first came in. She has loads of potential and a road ahead of her.

In a one-on-one environment, she should bond quite quickly; she should excel even faster. Look how she has excelled till now. It has only been a few months.

Please consider her. She is a diamond in the rough.

Before and after photos below.