Emma's Journal
What to pack
Raincoat
Boots
Hat
Gloves
Shorts-just incase
Sunday 25th of January
​I haven't managed to explore the island much in previous visits so an organised hike was the perfect opportunity to do so .
Every Sunday (weather permitted) Ortwin leads a group hike around different parts of the island.
We started off in Koukounaries then walked to Agistro and Elias beach then walked back to the start through the pine forest .
The views were absolutely incredible!
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Monday 26th of January
​Working at the shelter in the winter means you get to spend more time with the dogs on a one to one basis, particularly on their walks. Dusty is always the first dog to go out on a walk in the morning as she is a clean girl and does not toilet in her pen.
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Sheba and Laser are next and these two love to get in to all the bushes . As you can see , Laser was not too impressed having to wait for Sheba to finish her sniffspection.
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Tuesday 28th of January
Twirly was going to be dog of the month for February so we had to get lots of good photos to show off his best side!
He was a perfect model and very patient . He did have lots of nice treats and lovely walk for his hard work!
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Wednesday 29th of January
Having lots of dogs mean s a lot of water bowls to keep clean. This is important as we don't want any alage or limescale on them. This is not such a big problem in the winter compared to the summer , but it's important to keep on top of it. Viakal is our best friend at the shelter and always gets off the stubborn marks.
By the end of the day all dogs had sparkling clean water bowls and I had serious arm ache!
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Thursday 30th & Friday 31st of January
My first day off did not start off well as the heavens decided to open but I managed to get out early afternoon for a quick run around the lake and a very windy walk along Megali Ammos.
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Friday was the complete opposite, lovely blue skies and I ended the day with a very nice treat from the bakery near my apartment in town!
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Saturday 1st of February
Back to the shelter today and I really did miss the dogs after not seeing them for two days ( the mess not so much ). Ronnie ans Sky in particular were keen to make up for lost cuddles!
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February
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Towards the end of my stay we started to prepare material for the new merchandise for season 2025 and one day I spent time with Jenny one of the other volunteers and we took pictures of some of the dogs for 2026 calendar! I managed to take soem "behind the scene photos
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Cookie with her puppies
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Aria in her element!
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I really recommend you try volunteering at the shelter, even if it is just for a few hours during your holiday! Make sure to read more and listen to the video material on the Volunteer Program page ( just click the button ) , for more information!
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Thank you for reading about my experience!
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// Emma Ashfield
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