“We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals.”
Takis Shelter Pays for Spay and Neuter Surgeries for Low-Income Pet Owners
In 2020, Takis Shelter began covering the cost of spay and neuter surgeries for low-income pet owners in the Ierapetra community.
For a long time, the people of Crete resisted spaying and neutering their companion animals. Sometimes this was for religious reasons; however, for many local people in the Ierapetra community it is an income problem. These elective surgeries can be very expensive. This has created a crisis of unwanted litters and an overpopulation of abandoned strays.
Because of this, Takis Shelter has had to grow in size to accommodate over 400 animals, and there are so many more in need. If we can help owners spay and neuter their animals, we can dramatically reduce the pressure on our shelter and other shelters in Crete.
The shelter will cover spay and neuter expenses at a local vet in Ierapetra. All you need to do is contact us below and apply for assistance.
For more information:
If you have a question that is not answered here, you may contact the shelter through our Facebook page for the fastest answer.
Ready to spay or neuter your dog or cat? Click the button below:
Why spay and neuter?
Left intact, a female dog or cat can have two litters per year. On average an un-spayed female will have approximately one litter of puppies or kittens each year over the course of their breeding lifespan. The breeding lifespan of a pet can easily be 5-6 years.
So for every female dog or cat that is spayed, it prevents approximately 35-40 unwanted puppies or kittens from being born into the community.
In 2020, approximately half of the procedures that were paid for were on female dogs and cats, preventing over 12,000 unwanted animals over the lifetime of these pets.
Takis Shelter pays for spay and neuter surgeries for low-income pet owners.
About the Black Campaign
In 2020, Takis Shelter partnered with Bonfire to launch our first t-shirt fundraising campaign and honored our beloved Black as the first Superhero Rescue Dog.
The campaign was a huge success, raising over €27,000 in the first round. Takis directed the funds to go toward providing spay and neuter surgeries for low-income pet owners in the nearby community. These owners could not otherwise afford the very expensive procedure, which usually costs about €60-120 depending on whether it is a dog or cat or male or female.
The campaign was so successful and sold out so quickly, our followers asked us to continue it indefinitely. To date, we have raised over €87,000 and have paid for 411 dogs and 260 cats to be spayed or neutered.
For every female dog or cat that is spayed, it prevents approximately 35-40 unwanted puppies or kittens from being born into the community.
In 2020, approximately half of the procedures that were paid for were on female dogs and cats, preventing over 12,000 unwanted animals over the lifetime of these pets.
Sadly, Black passed aways from his cancer in May 2020. But his legacy and his love lives on to benefit all. Get your Black Superhero Rescue Dog t-shirt!
Our Latest Campaign — Meet Grioula!
Takis found Grioula in the first year that he ran the shelter. She was chained for 10-11 years to a barrel. Takis freed her and they became inseparable. Grioula was not spayed because she was too old. The doctor said she is too old to have puppies. But in 2016 Grioula surprised Takis by having a puppy, Valentina. Unfortunately Valentina died from parvo.
Grioula continued on with a lot of energy even though she is very old. And in 2019 she surprised Takis again by having another puppy, Grioulaki. She had Grioulaki at age 16!!! Yet another reason why spaying and neutering is so important.
Get your Grioula Superhero Senior Dog t-shirt!
