Organised by Saving Saints and St Bernard and Big Paws Rescue UKThe Happy Tails shelter in Nafpaktos, Greece, has relied on community volunteers to care for over 100 rescued dogs—many of them large breeds. We have worked in partnership for years and are now ready to step up to restore the shelter. Join us!
For years, the Happy Tails shelter in Nafpaktos, Greece has relied on community volunteers to care for over 100 rescued dogs; many of them large breeds that are abandoned, abused and overlooked for adoption; dogs who simply have nowhere else to go.
In April of this year, with our donors’ kind support, a group of volunteers from Saving Saints Rescue took the opportunity to step in and help. Over a period of ten days at the Happy Tails Shelter, we worked with lead volunteer Yiota and her team to feed, clean, carry out essential maintenance and improve the facilities; helping to give these dogs the environment they deserve.
A particularly special mission involved Django - an abandoned hound and notorious escape artist who had lived on a chain at Happy Tails for nearly three years.
Django is a super friendly and affectionate boy.Yiota and the team desperately wanted him to live unchained but didn’t have the means to build him a secure shelter. It became our priority to build Django a pen that was escape proof; one in which he could be off-chain and free for the first time.
The documentary film that tells the story of how we did it (Django Unchained) is now available to view on our You Tube Channel. Grab the popcorn and the hankies for viewing!
http://www.youtube.com/@BigPawsWelfarepartofSaving-y4n
Helping Django escape his chains was just the first phase of what we see as a long term, ongoing mission for The Big Greek Shelter Restoration project.
We are committed to continuing to fund future improvements and create lasting change at Happy Tails; building a more enriching, more sustainable shelter model; lobbying the Greek authorities to reduce the stray dog problem; offering unique opportunities to contribute in the form of volunteering, sponsorship and ongoing donor support.
If you’re good at fixing things or just eager to help, we’d love for you to register your interest in joining us on future trips to Greece and helping us build kennels for dogs in the UK too with our foster placements. We’re especially looking for volunteers with carpentry, construction, or general building skills to help rebuild and restore the shelter’s infrastructure and build UK kennels.
If you’re a business interested in sending staff on team-building experiences to the shelter, we would also love to hear from you.
If you can’t volunteer, you can directly support continued renovations and improvements by donating towards materials, tools, and essential resources. Every donation makes a real difference —whether you give £10 or fund an entire build project, your contribution will have a direct, positive impact.
💙 £100 helps repair 20 meters fencing to keep dogs safe
💙 £30 funds a full kennel repaint
💙 £25 buys a sturdy new bed for a large-breed dog
📢 Every donation makes a real difference —whether you give £10 or sponsor an entire kennel, your contribution will have a direct impact on the dogs at Happy Tails and our UK dogs in foster.
By sponsoring the Happy Tails Shelter, you’re helping to make a permanent improvement in these dogs’ lives. You can sponsor an entire, specific restoration objective or a portion of it - every pound raised goes directly to the welfare and protection of these dogs.
You can also sponsor individual dogs who are suitable for fostering or adopting in the UK.
We welcome opportunities to celebrate your sponsorship on our well-visited social platforms.
💙 Sponsor a dog for £25 per month
💙 Fund essential materials – Contribute towards safe enclosures, shaded areas, and secure gates
Leave a comment in your donation on what you want your contribution to go towards!
Looking to adopt a rescue dog? Many of Happy Tails' residents are ready for loving homes. Could you be the one to offer them that elusive second chance?
There are many adoptable dogs in need of forever homes - take a look at some of the photos on the page.
Help to give some of these dogs the future and family they’ve always dreamt of by offering to foster them on arrival in the UK. Please email us at savingsaintsrescueuk@outlook.com to register your interest in fostering and begin the process.
Every hour of work, every donation, and every sponsorship goes directly into the rebuild , ensuring the shelter is safer, stronger, and more comfortable for these dogs.
Your efforts will lay the foundation for future improvements and lasting change.
Will you be part of this journey? Join us, donate, or sponsor today.
Email us: savingsaintsrescueuk@outlook.com with whatever way you can help - by donating, adoption, fostering, sponsorship or volunteering
Charities pay a small fee for our service. Learn more about fees
