It’s official …. Luini is HOME!! Luini was in foster care with Stacy Lyszczek of Chicago, IL. Luini was rescued from the streets of Tunisia.
Woot woot! Luini has been living large enjoying life as a pampered pet and enjoying city life … including dining at some of the most posh pet friendly restaurants. Stacy told me yesterday that she thinks Luini is the perfect match for her and she can’t imagine life without him. Was I mad? Quite the contrary – I did a happy dance for this sweet guy.
Oh and she also told me he lost a much needed 7 pounds. He is on a health fitness program with his new mom. 
Thank you to all who have helped his special guy along the way and most of all thank you to Stacy!
You too can save a life.
My name is Liuni, which means “lion” in Sicilian, though in personality I’m more of a lamb. I’m a 5-year-old German Shepherd mix from Gammarth, Tunisia, and I’m a humble dog, but I will admit, I have paid my dues. Abandonment, near-death from police guns, followed by years in a shelter with 80 other dogs—if anyone deserves a nice nap on a comfy sofa with some kids and a cat cuddled at my side, it’s me.
When I was a cute little puppy, I was sold as a purebred German Shepherd to a family from a nice neighborhood. The first few months were wonderful: my human siblings carried me around, I was fed high quality food, and I slept in a warm, cozy bed indoors. When I grew bigger and the family realized I was a mix and not a purebred, I was exiled to a wooden doghouse and the caretaker’s leftover scraps became my meager meals. The children stopped playing with me, so one day to entertain myself, I rolled in the flowerbeds. For this offense I was chained to the doghouse where I stayed for a year. Then my life changed again. All of the house’s furniture was loaded into a big truck, and my family drove away. I was left behind, tied to a utility pole.
After watching me sit for two days, eyes fixed to the road, a kind neighbor unchained me and brought me food and water, but I refused to move from the front door, sure my family would return. A few nights later, I heard close gunshots and dogs screaming in pain and fear; I panicked and ran. The municipal police were killing all loose dogs, and if my good neighbor hadn’t caught me and brought me to safety, I would have been next. That’s how I arrived at the shelter where I’ve been ever since.
At the shelter, a wonderful animal advocate named Azza came to know me well. She’s the one who picked me to fly to America to find the family I crave. Now that I know my sad days are behind me, I’m looking forward towards my bright future. I’m no longer a puppy, but I’m calm and responsive, and able to learn lots of new tricks! I could stand to lose a few or 10 pounds since I couldn’t get much exercise at the shelter. I’ll be happy to be your regular walking buddy, and maybe one day we can upgrade to a jog! I am a modest dog, so let me share Azza’s words: “Liuni is the most loving, affectionate dog ever. He has never lost faith in humanity and he is looking for a family who will never abandon him. He gets along with people. With dogs. With cats. With everyone. He is a very easy dog to take care off. He just needs a nice family to hug him and love him. He is the sweetest dog ever.” Won’t you please share the sweet life with me?
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Tunisia is a country in North Africa, stretching from the Mediterranean Sea to the Sahara. Tunisia has more freedoms than its neighbors, but it’s not a lucky country for dogs. Few Tunisians keep dogs as pets, some are worked on farms or chained to roofs as guard dogs, but most are ownerless scavengers, roaming the streets, searching for food and risking death daily from disease, violence, and purposeful, inhumane killing by the police and city workers.
If you are interested in adopting LIUNI, please contact Dawn Trimmel at info@istreetdog.com. You can also find our adoption application here.