Limpy – My Brave Bulgarian Rescue Who Changed Everything (Dec. 2025)

2025 became the year I finally got a dog of my own. It was not at all planned – but that’s how the most wonderful things in life happen, isn’t it? Limpy is a rescue dog from Bulgaria, and adopting him is the best decision I’ve ever made. 

During my stay in Bulgaria, I witnessed how massive the problem with street dogs is in this country. Limpy was one of those dogs who needed a second chance. He was named like this by the people in the village because he was born with a deformed front paw and he limps every now and then, depending on the surface. But this does not prevent him from playing wildly with other dogs, being happy and showing lots of affection towards everyone. He has an adorable "three-legged hop-skip” which only adds to his charm. Limpy spent last winter locked up at the municipality shelter, as it happens with a lot of street dogs so that they don’t disturb the skiing tourists too much, and he was released back on the street in April 2025. He was in a terrible condition when he then decided to follow some new friends of mine back home from their walk. He stayed in their garden since and I met him during the summer, as I was then volunteering to take him for a walk every afternoon. This is where he little by little stole my heart. He has such a special personality, is affectionate even towards strangers, gets along well with all other dogs, and he never barks at anyone. The most incredible was that even though he had never lived in a real home before, when he came to stay with me in an apartment, he behaved better than any other dog I have ever known! I have not at all had to train him or teach him anything – he has just had a flawless behaviour from the beginning. 

Having Limpy has taught me so much about resilience, trust, and unconditional love. He reminds me daily that a little patience and kindness can heal the toughest starts. I have been a dogsitter for so many different dogs that belonged to other people, and I thought that I fully understood the emotions they had for their dog. But I only see now that actually I didn’t. The bond that forms between you and your dog is something you can only fully understand once you have a dog of your own. I couldn’t have imagined that it could be this strong. Yes, it all comes with huge responsibility and complications too, but it is worth it all. Limpy makes me smile every day and he is my best friend that is always there for me. 

With time, I will see if something can be done to make him limp less, as it inevitably affects his back and his bones, but for now despite his deformed paw, he moves with surprising speed and confidence and does not seem to be in pain. 

That’s big news to announce for the beginning of this new year; the name DOG-MUM finally makes sense 😊. It will of course mean no more catsitting (even though Limpy likes cats and is nice to them, I don’t think the cats would appreciate him) and less dogsitting (it will be possible in some cases where the dogs and their owners can accept that I bring Limpy along). Limpy has turned my lifestyle upside down, and I will always see my life as a “before and after”.