Ten years ago, on 15th September 2015, our founder Amanda Maguire Deligianni opened the dog rescue shelter Compassion For Greek Paws. She wanted to help the many strays in Kozani, in Northern Greece, and the surrounding villages. The shelter began as a small, private haven for some stray dogs and pups and grew in size.

On 18th November, 2020 tragedy struck and Amanda, suddenly and unexpectedly, passed away. Her passing caused widespread devastation and heartbreak.

After Amanda’s passing a decision was made to keep her legacy alive and her supporters stepped up to carry on her work. Her memory is honoured by a small, dedicated team, who run Compassion For Greek Paws successfully and tirelessly. Each valued team member plays a role in fundraising, offering support and administration. Our heartfelt gratitude goes out to them!

The shelter is now run by Amanda’s loyal, close friend , Leanda Doyle who cares for the remaining 18 dogs in the sanctuary. Daily, she takes on the tasks of feeding, exercising, caring for and loving the dogs. She takes care of their medical needs and also maintains the shelter –no small task to perform single handedly!

Recently, Leanda and her husband relocated the shelter to nearer their home. They recycled materials from the old site and rebuilt an amazing new shelter. A huge achievement!

Various organisations also regularly support C4GP and without them the upkeep of the shelter, the medical welfare and feeding of the dogs would be impossible.

• The rescue charities Starlight Barking , ARGOS Greek Animal Rescue from Finland, Friends of the Strays of Greece , Milo’s Mission and Greek Animal Rescue (GAR), support C4GP in various ways and send donations whenever possible.
• In particular, with GAR’s help C4GP has been able to neuter countless shelter and stray dogs over the years. There has been a noticeable change in Kozani in the numbers of neutered strays, and a positive decrease in unwanted puppies.  
• Leanda also regularly feeds many strays in the area and looks after their welfare.

Throughout the year several volunteers from these organisations show their support by visiting the shelter. They shower the dogs with treats and love, help with daily tasks and assist with vet visits. The dogs and Leanda look forward to their visits! Their generosity and willingness to help, boosts morale and warms the hearts of those involved in the everyday routine of caring for the dogs.

Although the shelter has some supporters and some sponsorship a huge amount of fundraising needs to be done to cover vet bills, vaccines, food and regular blood tests. Plus, the maintenance for the shelter.