Once upon today...in Europe Once upon today...in Europe | Page 14

THE STORY OF DŻOK
In summer 1992, an elderly man with a dog, was walking on the busy Grunwaldzkie Roundabout in Krakow. At some moment the man fainted and fell
down. He was soon surrounded by people. An ambulance was called. The doctor diagnosed a heart attack and the man was brought into the ambulance
and the dog, which was uneasily running around, was left behind. Unfortunately, despite resuscitation, the man died in the car. The story not unheard
of, but it was at this moment another one began. The story of a yearlong ordeal of a dog, left behind while his dying master was driven away.
In the beginning, he wandered aimlessly in the vicinity of the site of the incident, unable to understand what had happened to his owner. He was
escaping from passing cars, not knowing what to do. It lasted many hours. Nobody cared about the dog, drivers cursed him. Night came, traffic eased,
and the dog did not leave. Next morning the dog was there. Another day passed, and another and the dog was still there, choosing the lawn in the very
middle of the roundabout as a place to sleep and rest. Hundreds of cars and lots of trams went passed him every hour. The dog remained on his post. A
week passed, than another. Neither thunderstorms nor heat could make him go. At night, when the streets were quieter, he ate from bins at the close
tram stops.
Finally, Krakow Animal Shelter was called. A few attempts were made to catch the dog and take him to the shelter but they were unsuccessful. Dżok,
because that is how he came to be called, cleverly avoided the oppressors and came back to his post. He became thin and dirty but he never stopped
waiting for his late master to come back.
Weeks and months went by. Rainy autumn was followed by cold and snowy winter. Dżok became part of the landscape and people came to
Grunwaldzkie Roundabout on purpose, just to see him. Someone built an improvised kennel for him on the lawn. Many fed him but he was careful. He
cought the food and ran away instantly.
He trusted only one person, an elderly lady, who lived in the neighbourhood and regularly brought him food. It was Mrs Maria Miller. She was not
rich, but she shared with Dżok what she had. Thanks to her help, the dog survived the frosty winter, never leaving the place where he saw his master
for the last time.
Dżok became more and more popular. Newspapers wrote about him, radio programs