A former bank manager from the UK, who is now living in Cyprus, was so concerned about the fate of the stray dogs there that she ended up starting her own rescue center.
She shelled out money from her life savings to keep it afloat.
Dimitra Andreou, 37, settled down in Larnaca, Cyprus, with her family after quitting her job in the UK. The number of stray dogs there saw her fostering dozens of the canines but she didn’t want the dogs to ‘die of starvation’ so she put up her own rescue center last year after years of fostering them.
Watch to find out more of her inspirational story below.
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Video credit: Rumble
Although the shelter receives donations, ‘there is never enough’ so Dimitra has had to dip into her own life savings, around £40,000($51K) worth, to keep the shelter running.
Since then, the shelter has managed to find forever homes to 52 dogs. Some of them have been sent to Europe and the UK to meet their new family.
Dimitra, from Leicester, says: “When I first moved to Cyprus, I felt extremely upset every time I walked past a stray dog who didn’t even have a drop of water.point 359 |
Unfortunately, the locals would rather see them die which is why I could never walk away.point 74 | I have seen dogs living in horrendous conditions, cooped up in small cages covered with excrement and dirty water.point 170 | 1
“Hunters will use their dogs until they can’t physically work anymore and then dump them in appalling conditions or even worse shoot them. It doesn’t get any easier seeing dogs who are skin and bone every day and scared of everything and anything. We have dogs who are covered in ticks and fleas but it more upsetting to see the ones who are mentally suffering.
“We called one dog the ‘broken boy’ as he was too frightened to look up for three days, I couldn’t even imagine what had happened to him. As much as it breaks you to see them like this, it is so rewarding when they find their trust in us and see that we are here to help.
“Before I moved to Cyprus, I worked full time and was the type of woman who would get my nails done and wear make-up but now half the time I am covered in dog poo. I never thought I would invest all my time and money into looking after and re-homing dogs, but it is the best thing I ever did.”
Dimitra’s original plan was to open a dog hotel to earn extra income and only have some extra kennels for strays. But once the structure was built, she named it ‘Doggie warriors rescue sanctuary’ and is totally dependent on donations.
Dimitra is not alone as her husband Paul Kofteros, 42, a real estate agent, pours ‘everything he earns’ into the shelter for the sake of the dogs.
She adds: “I quit my job at Alliance bank and moved to Larnaca to be with my husband and help him with his admin but I have stopped doing this to give the shelter my all.
“During my walks to the school, I would see mistreated and neglected dogs and I had to do something about it. I used to bring them to a local rescue shelter for check-ups and had fostered approximately 30 dogs before I decided to open up my own shelter. My husband was sick to death of me bringing them back so when I proposed my initial idea of setting up a doggy hotel with some kennels for the strays, he was very supportive.
“I never opened the hotel as I couldn’t turn my back on the strays, the locals don’t care about them but I do. I love helping them and seeing them thrive with a little love and the medical attention they need. We have kind donations, but it is never enough.
“Everything my husband earns goes into looking after the dogs and my sons Andrea, 6 and Sotiris, 5, volunteer during their spare time. I wouldn’t be able to do this without my volunteers who help in Cyprus and the voluntary workers in the UK who carry out home checks and help promote my social media page.”
Replaced!