Lumos

Lumos spent years on the streets of Turkey, cared for by dedicated volunteers (see the last photo from her time on the streets). When she was eventually captured and taken to a government shelter, everything changed. She shut down, stopped eating properly, and became alarmingly thin.

The volunteers couldn’t bear to watch her fade away and brought her to a private sanctuary. She was finally safe, enjoyed lying in the sunshine and being free from the shelter, but she stayed quiet and a bit withdrawn even though she always offered a little tail wag and silently enjoyed pets from us. But she remained a picky eater and didn’t put on much weight.

Everything began to change after she arrived in the Netherlands in June in a foster home - first ever home enviroment.

Lumos started eating more, gaining weight, and showing more presence. She is still a quiet and a bit reserved dog, but every week she becomes a little more active.

She might be a sight hound mix (looking at her slender built) which can also explain her quiet and reserved appearance.

Lumos is fully house-trained and has never had a potty accident. She is wonderfully calm indoors, doesn’t chew, and rarely ever barks. When left alone for up to four hours, she simply curls up in her bed and sleeps. She can be best explained as a couch potato indoors.

Outside, Lumos is a dream to walk. She walks beautifully on a loose leash, responds gently to guidance, and enjoys taking little breaks to lie in the grass and soak up the fresh air. She is currently unsure around unfamiliar dogs while on leash and prefers to avoid interactions, but she shows no aggression whatsoever (she is very submissive in general). Back in Turkey she happily lived alongside many dogs both on the streets and in the sanctuary, so we believe this hesitation comes from insecurity of being on a leash.

If she is a sight hound, it would be expected that she will have some burst of energy and desire to run really fast (zoomies) now and then.

She is also living peacefully with a cat in her foster home and has always been respectful of cats, even allowing stray cats to share her space on the streets. She has shown no desire to chase cats, birds, or other animals.

Lumos isn’t interested in toys yet (never had toys before), and isn’t particularly food motivated (most strays learn not to be lured by food as it ends up in bad situations for them). At the moment, she comes asking for a few gentle head scratches before happily returning to her favourite bed. She greets her foster family with a little wag of her tail. She may become cuddlier as she settles down or it may just be sight hound characteristic to remain an unobtrusive companion.

Her ideal family should give her time and space to feel more confident but don’t expect her to become the center of the show.

Instead, Lumos is looking for people who love peaceful walks, lazy afternoons in the garden, picnics, and simply enjoying nature together. As her confidence continues to grow and she puts on more weight, we hope she’ll discover her playful side and eventually experience the joy of running freely in a safely enclosed area.