Abandoned puppy found sleeping in an old shoe finds forever home

A man who found an adorable abandoned puppy using an old shoe for shelter, has given him a loving home where he now lives like royalty.

Goran Marinkovic, from Kraljevo, Serbia, regularly feeds stray animals and abandoned pets.

In March last year, he was walking along a road on his usual rounds to help hungry animals when he stumbled across the tiny pup.

Goran also sadly found a dead puppy just a few metres away, and the pair were surrounded by rubbish and plastic bags.

The lonely little dog was using a shoe as shelter and was sleeping inside it to keep warm.

He was so small and weak that he struggled to walk.

Goran offered the tiny pup a meal, and he devoured the food in a matter of seconds.

‘I accidentally turned around and saw this little dog. His sister or brother was lying dead a few meters away,’ says Goran.

‘He was running out of strength. As I always have dog food with me, I immediately offered him a meal, which he accepted.

‘Words can’t describe the puppy’s size and how hungry he was. He was smaller than the size of a shoe.

‘He was thrown out by bad people who literally left him in the dump.’

Goran then took the puppy to the vet where he was checked over, and although he was hungry, he had no health problems.

After naming him Smesten, Goran slowly nursed him back to health.

Six months later, when he was much stronger, a woman adopted Smesten into her loving home.

‘I took him to the vet. Fortunately, he was healthy,’ he recalls.

‘After a few months, a woman who desperately wanted Smesten and adopted him, and he now lives like a king.’

Smesten has grown into a healthy and loving dog, who is full of energy and loves playing with other pets, but also enjoys his nap time.

Goran continues to feed abandoned animals on the streets of Serbia.

He usually works alone, but sometimes receives help from friends due to the cost of the food and vet expenses.

‘I feed abandoned animals on the street that are not getting food from humans and have no owners,’ says Goran.

‘Their numbers are constantly rising.’

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Abandoned puppy found sleeping in an old shoe finds forever home – and now lives ‘like a king’