The little dog from Vanuatu who won over my heart: Hobart woman rescues pooch

A HOBART woman who fell in love with a stray dog in Vanuatu, is bringing the pooch home to save him from a life of suffering.

Taxi the dog with his soon to be owner Liza-Jane Sowden in Santo, Vanuatu

A HOBART woman who fell in love with a street dog in Vanuatu, is bringing the pooch home to save him from a life of suffering.

Liza-Jane Sowden, 41, of North Hobart, met Taxi on a trip to Santo in Vanuatu for a recent destination wedding.

Miss Sowden fell in love with her furry companion when she signed up for Santo Horse Adventures during her trip. Taxi was being temporarily cared for at the tourist attraction after he was found under an abandoned restaurant.

Taxi took an immediate liking to Miss Sowden, following her everywhere. When the street dog lay between her feet one night, she knew that was it. He did not leave her side for the rest of the trip.

“We weren’t looking for another dog. He isn’t the most beautiful; he is a street dog so I didn’t take much notice of him at first,” Miss Sowden said.

Taxi the dog with his soon to be owner Liza-Jane Sowden in Santo, Vanuatu.

Taxi the dog will soon be brought to live in Tasmania.

She emphasised that she could not leave Taxi in an environment where she said he could be killed for food.

“I thought to myself, ‘he has picked me and I can’t just leave him’,” she said.

Since her trip Miss Sowden has set up a gofundme page to help pay for moving him from Vanuatu to her home in Tasmania.

“We are so overwhelmed by the support. Strangers care about Taxi and are donating for him. The smallest amount goes a long way,” Miss Sowden said.

However, it is an expensive process to get Taxi back to Tasmania, costing more than $2500. A gofundme page to support the cause is up and running with $1765 raised in just three days.

“I want to give him his forever home,” Miss Sowden said.

Taxi is now in Port Vila in Vanuatu getting the necessary vet checks while a permit application is being processed. You can follow Taxi’s heartwarming tale on Instagram @taxisride, Facebook at fb.com/taxisride18 and the gofundme page called Taxi’s Fare.