Wandering the streets of Sarajevo, Bosnia, Mark, who asked that his last name not be used, heard a strange whimpering noise. His eyes settled on a cardboard box off to the side of the road, nestled among the trees.

Nearing the box, Mark finally saw them — four abandoned puppies huddled together in the dirt, crying out for help.

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“The idea of leaving them there never crossed his mind,” Mark’s wife, Lisa, told The Dodo.

The pair, who left the workforce and sold their home in 2019 so that they could travel the world, had been staying at a rental apartment in Sarajevo when Mark saw the puppies. The couple, who go by the moniker, The Nomadic Canadians, were relieved when their rental host allowed them to keep the puppies while they figured out what to do.
However, keeping up with four puppies in a cramped space was not easy.

“[The puppies] were up every few hours, so we slept in shifts,” Lisa said. “We did our best to keep them occupied.”

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Mark and Lisa knew they couldn’t take the puppies along with them on their journey, but they had no idea how to get them adopted in a foreign country.

“My head was reeling with what we were to do next,” Lisa said. “For the next six days, we felt many things all at once: heartbroken that they were abandoned, thankful we found them, panicked about what to do next, joyful to spend time with them, sleep deprived, fearful and stressed that we would not find a solution, yet hopeful and focused.”

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The pair, who lost their beloved dog, Kelso, three years ago, knew that they couldn’t give up on the dogs.

“We know how much a dog can enrich life, and we absolutely adore them,” Lisa said. “How on earth could we consciously walk away?”

Miraculously, a local father and his two children saw the couple walking the puppies outside the apartment complex. Charmed by the dogs, the family introduced themselves, and soon they were busily helping find the puppies a place to stay.

“We are convinced this entire story is one of fate,” Lisa said.

The couple connected with Save The Animals Now, a local shelter with plenty of space.

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Once at the shelter, Lisa immediately relaxed when she saw the competent, expert care that the puppies would receive.

“We were incredibly relieved to see that the puppies would be in good hands,” Lisa said. “There was crying.”

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A few weeks later, the couple got some exciting news — all four puppies had been adopted and would soon be with their new families.

Thanks to their help, these puppies, once all alone by the side of the road, will get the lives they deserve.