We are DASH

Our mission

DASH stands for ‘Dream of a Safe Haven’ and it’s our sole mission to provide a safe haven, in our shelter, for hundreds of homeless, starving and abused dogs that could die without our help and refuge.

Our shelter is in Messini, in the Peloponnese region of mainland Greece.

Why we help Greek Dogs?

The number of stray dogs on the streets of Greece runs into the millions!
 
Due to the Greek economy, many citizens have found it necessary to abandon family pets due to the cost of feeding them.
 
Today, these once loved family pets have bread and millions of stray dogs now live difficult and unhappy lives on the streets.
 
Starvation, disease and abuse are an everyday occurrence for street dogs all over Greece.
 
Thousands of stray dogs die of heat exposure and thirst in the summer, and freeze to death with no warmth, shelter or food in the winter.
 
Worse still, many stray dogs fall victim to a slow death by poisoning, in an attempt for some Greek villages to control the number of strays.
 
Many stray dogs are treated as vermin and are horrifically tortured.
 
These are just some of the reasons we at DASH are desperate to do all that we can to help Greek Dogs.
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We need your help

We operate solely as volunteers and rely on public donations in money and in kindness.

At DASH, we provide love, care, food and veterinary treatments, as well as facilitating adoptions for as many dogs as we are able.

Our long term aim is to work alongside the local municipalities to ‘neuter, chip and release’ healthy dogs so that they can be monitored and protected.

We are also committed to changing the Greek attitude towards stray dogs, by delivering educational programmes in local schools and churches.

Meet our team of volunteers

Katerina

Katerina, one of the 2 founding members of DASH, is the very heart and soul of the shelter and knows each of the individual dogs at DASH.

Katerina oversees daily operations at the shelter, regularly goes out on rescue missions, and conducts the DASH education program, which reaches out to local communities, endeavouring to change the outdated culture and attitude towards animals in Greece.

Patrick

Before joining the small team at DASH, Patrick worked in Construction. 

His DIY skills come in very handy at the shelter, which, combined with his love for dogs, makes him invaluable.

Patrick owns 5 rescue dogs and one rescued pig – who he has named Bacon!

Miranda

Miranda is an ambassador for DASH, having discovered the shelter after rescuing a poorly pup from a local beach on her family holiday. In her other life, Miranda is a Fashion & Beauty Editor, Celebrity Stylist and TV Presenter. She visits the shelter regularly and runs awareness campaigns across the media.

Morgan

Morgan is a veterinary nurse. As well as this, she also assists with DASH social media.

Morgan is a lover of big dogs and owns a rescued St Bernard & a Great Dane.

Ian

Ian was also a mental health nurse in his previous life. 

Today, Ian arranges UK food donations, coordinates logistics in the UK and regularly travels to Greece to carry out maintenance work at the shelter.

Nik

Nik is the son of Julie and Ian – it’s a family full of dog lovers!

Nik was inspired to help by his parents and, as well as volunteering at DASH, also works as a trained drugs counsellor.

Anna & Andrea

Anna lives locally in Kalamata and works at the shelter almost every day.

Anna often brings her daughter, Andrea, to help out too! Besides caring for the dogs at the shelter, Anna assists us with our educational program, by teaching children to care for and respect animals.

Vasiliea

Another local, Vasilea, is instrumental in supporting the shelter by being out and about in the local area.

Vasiliea liaises with vets and suppliers, goes out on rescues and even does the accounts.

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Thank you for your support!

We’d also like to thank the support of these organisations:
 
• GAR (Greek Animal Rescue)
• PHOK verein der Tierfreunde Kalamata
• KAWS (Kalamata Welfare Society)
• Friends of the Strays of Greece
• Thompson Pet Transport
 
Could your company help too?
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