Dog Shelter
The shelter is located in the hinterland of Aegina Island, in a wooded area overlooking the sea.
It was built with private funds and hosts about 100 dogs. It is run and maintained exclusively thanks to donations from "animal-loving" citizens from Greece and abroad, without any State funding.
The shelter has spacious pens with indoor and outdoor areas, a quarantine area, a puppy wing and playground for puppies, open zones for dogs to play freely with each other, and a clinic. Electricity is generated by solar panels which were funded by the Niarchos Foundation in 2011, as was the puppy wing (2004) and the clinic (2007). Two pre-fab houses are used as a visitors center and storage area.
The shelter is distinguished by the beauty of its location, the devotion and professionalism of its staff and the level of care given to the dogs. The atmosphere is happy and serene, largely because many dogs are able to spend the day outside their pens and interact freely with others in open zones, under staff supervision. Not all dogs possess enough self-assurance or steadiness of character to be left in free zones, but most can enjoy some hours of supervised freedom before returning to their kennels. The dogs that do not mix well with other dogs are taken out for walks outside the shelter by dedicated volunteers who come up regularly to walk them.
All dogs are neutered, vaccinated, treated for injuries and diseases and when dog have been socialized enough to ascertain that they are ready to leave the shelter, they are put up for adoption. Most of the adoptions are carried out in Germany where our sister organization Aegean Dogs handles the necessary procedures. APAA also works with the UK charity Friends of the Strays of Greece who handle the adoption program procedures in the UK.