Who let the dogs out?! The first day at the shelter

After my first day at the shelter, I am truly overwhelmed. It's such a beautiful yet sad experience at the same time. But let's start from the beginning...

... early in the morning just after 7:00 AM, we were picked up near our apartment by Caroline. She comes from Sweden and came to Crete four years ago to work at the shelter. Back then, she only intended to stay for one year... but now she has already been here for four years. Upon arriving at the shelter, it was unbelievably noisy. About 100 dogs are barking at you all at once. However, the shift started very nicely, because the first stop was to feed the puppies. Since they were brought to the shelter on Valentine's Day this year, they all received names related to love (Cupid, Valentino, Valentina, Corazon, and Aphroditi). They are really adorable, but quite wild, and they also have super sharp claws!!! Scratches are definitely a given, so wearing long pants is definitely sensible.

Afterwards, I was 'trained' and started cleaning the kennels because that also needs to be done. Currently, around 100 dogs live in the shelter. You can definitely calculate at least 15 minutes of work per kennel. However, there's still plenty of time to cuddle, and the dogs really enjoy that to the fullest. Only three dogs on my side are afraid of people. To help them overcome their fear, I sit in their kennel for 5 - 10 minutes several times a day, giving them treats or feeding them directly from my hand so they can learn to trust. Narobi (see picture) and Palermo are doing quite well so far. Narobi was adopted a few days ago, but unfortunately she was brought back because the woman who adopted her could no longer take her. This is unfortunately not an isolated case and is not particularly nice for the dogs.

Throughout the day, the dogs are allowed outside in different groups to run around and play. They can play with one another or take a little dip in the pools. But woe to you if you sit on the floor and cuddle one dog too much – then five others come running, who obviously also want some of that attention. You get surrounded and don't even know where to start and where to stop.

When everything is done, it’s time to feed them next. You have to be mindful of various allergies and intolerances as well. Additionally, there is often food envy, or the dogs have their routines and will only eat at specific times. For example, Naomi only eats her food from the roof of her dog house; if you put it on the ground, she won’t touch it. Others get their food in the dog house, and you have to sit in front of it because they eat faster than their housemate.

Shortly before clocking out yesterday, a mother cat with 3 kittens was brought in. Unfortunately, the mother cat did not survive. She was in very poor condition, and the kittens all have slight eye infections. 20 minutes after the cats arrived at our shelter, she passed away, almost as if she had been waiting just to go once she knew her babies would be in good hands. The kittens now have to be bottle-fed. I really hope they make it. Here, you actually see more stray cats than stray dogs. Unfortunately, the shelter cannot take in cats. There are a few cats that still live in the shelter, but the capacity is just too limited.

Between 14:00 and 15:00, we finally finished for the day. Once back at the apartment, the first thing is to take a shower and then have some lunch. There’s hardly any time for a break at the shelter, but time flies anyway. How could it be any different? You're surrounded by about 100 dogs all day – it’s like Heaven!