Thomas Rescues Shelter

**Free places from 10 December ***

If you love animals and want to have a deep connection with them, this is the place to be!You will live in a guest house surrounded by the shelter dogs , that roam free in designated areas. That will give you immediate and everyday access to the dogs and you will be able to learn quickly their characters and interact with them all day. You will also have opportunity to observe the dogs in socializing and their interaction and the dynamics of the groups. There are also other animals as cats and goats and chickens and you have the chance to interact with them. Living in the shelter is a learning experience and an in depth tour in the animal welfare work of volunteers in Greece. Challenges and difficulties exist but immense rewards too. The shelter is located in a non residential area and you can do walks with the dogs in nature. In 15 minutes car ride you can visit the sea and the organized beaches of a highly touristic area of Greece. There is bus connection with Thessaloniki and with other cities in Chalkidiki, mainly with Nea Kallikratia, the bust stop is in walking distance from the shelter.
The airport is a 15 min car drive from the shelter. We provide pick up from the airport, during the week at daytime.
Nea Kallikratia is the seaside city, which is nearest to the shelter, it is a 12 min car/bus ride. There are organized beaches and local restaurants and social events available there.
There is also a village in a 15 minutes walk from the shelter, where there are bakeries, mini markets, coffe shops and pharmacy.

We are a small animal welfare organization and we are dedicated in helping the animals in need and treat them like family. We expect to become a big family with the animals and as a team to help running thes shelter and changint their lives. To participate in the project, you do not need any previous experience. Only the joy of working with animals and the ability to work well in a team is necessary. We expect our volunteers to be punctual, flexible, physically fit, attentive and keen to learn. In return we will be there to support you and to show you how to complete your daily tasks to get the most from your stay. No special equipment is required. Only clothes and shoes appropriate to the season in which you are travelling. Winter - conditions can be cold and wet and therefore muddy. Summer - the weather is hot and humid and much time is spent outdoors. Whatever the season - ALWAYS wear sensible shoes that give support and comfort. Typical day The dogs are divided into 5 sections –and we also have goats Each of our volunteers take part in the daily duties, based on their experience. For example: • Food preparation,Feeding, Pick up the feeding bowls • Administering medication • Cleaning the living areas • Providing water throughout the day • General observation and daily caring • Cleaning and feeding of the other animals (goats, cats, chickens) • Walking the dogs - Supervising the goats on their pasture The sanctuary is situated in a rural/ non residential area so it's generally peaceful and tranquil. There are simple cooking facilities and in the 60 qm house is where the 6 foster cats of the shelter live. So expect to have cat therapy sessions while you are staying in the shelter house. The guesthouse has no TV and no Radio - on purpose. But is has good and free internet. (wifi) You are expected to be quiet and not noisy. We are always looking for skilled craftsmen, artists, photographers, social media specialists or caretakers - there is nearly nothing we won't find helpful. Your stay will be 2 to 6 weeks - time to leave your footprint here. Essentials are honesty, truthfulness and reliability. We expect you to communicate open and non violent. We prefer quiet and clean people. It is a non smoking area and house, no drugs, no noise, no excess of alcohol. If you are in a camper, you have the opportunity to camp outside the shelter , it is a safe area.


Reviews

3.5
(6 reviews)6

Staff & Host

3.5

Hours & Tasks

3.5

Hostel

3.5

Learning & Fun

3.5

Canada

4

I stayed for a month at the shelter, it was a great way to experience Greek food made by Diamanto everyday, the contact with animals but also learning all the work that comes with owning a shelter! Diamanto is good at explaining everything you need to know in order to help them. You will get tested by the goats (evening shift) the first week which honestly is just constant effort, but after that they listen to you very well. Due to the language barrier, I had very little interaction with Thomas that resumed in him telling me the job to do. I wish I had learned Greek to be able to interact more

about 1 year ago


Diamanto replied

Thank you Lia for your amazing contribution and your positive presence at the shelter. We wish you to continue your travels with the adventures you desire and to be able to climb all the mountains you want!!!!

United Kingdom

2

This couple love what they do and invest all their money into the project. However:
- 3 hour wait due to ‘car being fixed’ at the airport
- facilities were incredibly basic if not very unhygienic (dog food in same room as food and mouldy fridge)
- food not nutritious, fed ourselves
- they wanted best value workers, not providing us with positive experiences.
- no public transport connections, only taxi
- far from town (it’s not in nea kallikretia, it’s in Lakoma, a village 20 minute taxi away)
- bedroom was good
Wouldn’t recommend for single young women just as safety and being alone

over 1 year ago


Diamanto replied

Charlotte said that she had two dogs at home and that she had experience with animals in her studies. This turned out to be untrue. The dogs turned out to be her neighbours' dogs and she had no experience with dogs. From her first time at the shelter, she avoided all contact with dogs and animals like the plague. She wouldn't even let them touch her. If they approached her to greet her or even entered the area and accidentally touched her, she would push them away, avoid them and yell at them in anger and we found that she would threaten them with a stick when she thought we weren't looking and we were afraid she would hit them when we weren't looking. Gradually she began to get angry at the slightest thing. She would only wear our jackets and boots because she didn't want to get hers dirty. She wouldn't follow the safety instructions we gave her for the animals and would burst into tears afterwards. She resented having to go out and stand in the pasture and just look after the goats we have.
It's a lie that there is no public transport. While there are buses all day to both Kallikratia and Thessaloniki from 7.20am to 8pm, costing 1.70-3.50 euros a ticket, and all our volunteers use them regularly, she chose to use taxis for her commute.
While we cooked homemade food every day, traditional Mediterranean dishes with extra virgin olive oil, vegetables and legumes, and desserts, she left them mouldy in the fridge and bought snacks to eat.
Unfortunately, she did not clean the place where she lived, which is by no means unhygienic.
The area where the shelter is located has security cameras and security guards patrolling the whole area and no one has ever reported a safety problem, nor did she ever report a safety problem.
She told us she was leaving 3 weeks early, she said she was leaving because of family problems and that she was not happy. In general we found that she lacked basic animal care skills, that her personality was not adaptable to anything different and that she had bad intentions towards her hosts while expressing veiled hostility.

Brazil

2

This didn’t work for me because the hosts don’t really care about the volunteer’s experience. I feel like the hosts want people to work for free and that’s it. The schedule was 8 - 11 and 14 - 18 (5 days/week), which is more hours than what was agreed before. When I talked to the host about this, she said that I didn’t need to do the afternoon shifts then (but in this case the other volunteer would have to work for both of us, which is unfair) and that I could do the job faster if I was more “muscular”. I left earlier but I wish all the best to the hosts, I know they really love the animals.

over 1 year ago

Italy

4

My experience was great! Diamanto and Thomas are two really kind and patient people who show you your part of work and patiently wait for you to learn it. In every moment of difficulty, even outside of work, Diamanto helped me and had a lot of patience with me for all the troubles I got into with the buses during my days off.
The place is nice and during my entire stay I had the opportunity to have a strong contact with nature and animals that were lovely and friendly, especially the dogs!
It is an excellent experience to have as first volunteer like I did and I highly recommend it.

over 1 year ago

United States

5

Amazing experience! Hosts were very welcoming and comforting to me especially when I was missing my family. All the animals are amazing and I will miss them so much. I love that I was able to play a part in helping all the animals live a happy life and be well cared for. That's all Diamanto and Thomas want is for their animals to be
happy and healthy! Volunteering will help them so much in being able to achieve this goal even if you're just staying for a short time. Don't expect the work to be easy, but rather fulfilling. You will learn and grow so much through this experience as I did!

over 1 year ago


Perfect for you if you're looking for

Contact with nature

Rural

Contact with animals

Family