Field report from the animal protection project with dogs

Arrival | arrival

We flew to Crete from Berlin via Munich and Athens. Since it was not a tourist session, the flight connections are less plentiful and there were also time changes. We were greeted in a friendly manner at the airport and taken to our accommodation, and then to the deployment site. We were introduced there and off we went.

Orientation program

There was a sufficiently long training period at the deployment site – you can quickly work independently, you know where everything is and how everything works. But if there was a question, they were very friendly and helpful. We were also shown the surroundings, shops, restaurants and short distances from A to B.

Areas of responsibility

At the beginning of the day, a thorough cleaning was necessary. It has been rightly made clear to us that a clean environment leads to fewer animals getting sick. That was very important and means: every day anew! We were able to quickly make the cat enclosures on our own. With the little puppies it could take a little longer because you always wanted to use cuddling times. We believe that the dogs quickly got used to us, they barked less and less.

The dogs had to be refilled with water regularly. We enjoyed walking the dogs, the beach was just down the road which was nice to run around. It was also nice when interested people came to adopt an animal. We also took a lot of photos and videos for the websites of the animal protection associations while we went for a walk and sat in the outdoor enclosure where other dogs were always able to run around. We could play and cuddle with them there.

Everyone who was there worked very hard, it's really not easy work and it can get pretty loud when almost all the dogs bark at the same time. But there was also time for cat purrs, some were very cuddly.

Home & Living

We stayed in an apartment/flat which was very modern and spacious and which we had to ourselves. However, our contacts were not far away and could always be reached by phone. It was only a 10 minute walk to the shelter. Due to the winter season, it was rather cold, even in the house. We had a lot of rainy days - it took a while for anything to dry out. There was a power outage here and there. Anyway, we could cook for ourselves and had our own rhythm.

Essen

Of course, the supermarkets have the same things as in Germany, but the fruit and vegetables are regional products: apples, oranges, lemons and tomatoes. A bakery around the corner had delicious specialties. Of course there are also restaurants and take-aways with sandwiches, burgers and pizza. If you like cheese, you can of course choose between many types of sheep's cheese.

leisure

There was an aquarium nearby, the coastline is beautiful and Heraklion is not far either. We didn't go on any major excursions because of the weather - but there are definitely plenty of water sports on offer in the summer.

Special experiences

It was a nice change of scenery and paying attention to the cats and dogs was worth every minute. Then walking again wasn't so easy. It was also special that you didn't have to be afraid of the big dogs, respect should remain - but they were all rather nice and mostly very active. Of course we fell in love with a dog that we now want to adopt.

It also became clear that such a shelter relies on donations: blankets, toys, food bowls and food were often in front of the door, a photo for the website and then clear into the camp! Many dogs stand on the inside of the bars and want to be scratched, so you just have to take the time. Outside the shelter there were also food and water bowls for the stray animals, very touching!

The gratitude of the on-site staff, which was shown to us because we helped, was also special. Most of the time we were able to converse in English, but a smile and a thank you gesture are international and do us good!

Why RGV?

RGV has promised a lot on the Internet and kept everything! There was good communication and support right from the start. The Corona situation limits the offers / destinations a bit, but we were very satisfied with the final offer. In the long term, it opened the door to animal welfare organizations for us, being a flight sponsor had never crossed our minds before.

Field report by Petra and Cedric, February 2022