Takis Proestakis may not have as much financial wealth as he used to a few years back, but his life has never been better and he has never been happier. The same can be said for the hundreds of dogs he has rescued from abandonment and taken from the streets around Crete, a Greek island, to give them safe shelter and love.
When Greek was affected by the financial crisis, a lot of families had to say goodbye to their pets. However, instead of finding them a new home or transferring their care to shelters, a lot of people decided to just abandon their pets. Some of them left them at garbage dumps or just out on the streets.
Someone Had to Do Something
One day, Takis was visiting a dump to throw out his garbage and he was shocked to find dozens of dogs who looked emaciated. Additionally, a lot of them had awful injuries on their bodies. It was a heartbreaking sight to see, as you can imagine. He said that every day, he would find more dogs at the dump. People just threw them out because they couldn’t afford to feed them or because the dogs were ill.
Takis decided he wanted to do something about it, so he set out to bring each one of those dogs homes. He scooped them up one at a time and, soon enough, his home felt so crowded that he decided to purchase a plot of land. The land was located in an olive grove and it became Taki’s Shelter.
This new land wasn’t just a home for dogs, it also became Taki’s home. He bought a shipping container and converted it into a space not just for himself, but also for the more vulnerable dogs that needed an area to adjust and heal before joining the rest of the four-legged buddies.
Taki’s Devotion to His Dog Shelter
Taki became so devoted to his shelter that he decided to sell everything he owned to give this project his all, including his nightclub. As you can imagine, that left Taki with very few resources for himself, so he started to have trouble paying the bills.
At one point, his financial situation got so dire that he thought he would be forced to shut down the shelter. However, destiny would reward him! Around that same time, a reporter wrote a feature story about what Taki had done for abandoned dogs and all he had sacrificed in the process.
Soon enough, word started to spread and donations started coming in from all over the world. Taki’s Shelter has been fully operational since then, with the help of kind souls around the world who are willing to give a little bit of what they have to help support Taki and his mission.
His current schedule at the shelter is not that different from the hours he used to keep when he was working at his nightclub. He starts to work around the shelter at 8 o-clock and he sleeps when the dogs are sleeping, which is between 2 and 6 in the afternoon. When 6 pm arrives, it’s feeding time for the dogs, which is when the party starts.
If you have a dog or you’ve been around them, you know how much they love their food. They go bananas when it’s feeding time and they love to play to use the surge of energy they get after a good meal. Taki plays around with them, makes sure everyone is okay and enjoys the day.
When the sun comes up, the dogs are in their most relaxed state. So, in a sense, they’re not that different from the people who used to go to Taki’s nightclub. They party all night and then they sleep in!
Rehabilitation and Adoption
When the dogs become fully rehabilitated and they’re given clean bills of health, they enter the adoption stage of the process. This is the best part because they get to find their forever home! Though they will surely miss Taki and their other buddies at the shelter, Taki is happy to find them loving homes. They can always come back and visit the shelter!
Taki says that his dogs that live in the shelter have a good life and he loves them very much, but it doesn’t replace the feeling of having a home. After all, a home is a home and every dog out there needs one.
Finding those dogs in such an awful state, many of them at death’s door, and helping them, seeing them getting healthier and stronger to the point where they’re running around, happy, playing, and giving so much love in return; that’s one of the most fulfilling things for Taki. Then, finding them a good home is another amazing part of the job he does.
According to Taki’s estimations, he has saved around 500 dogs and he says he doesn’t plan on slowing down any time soon. Taki is committed to saving as many dogs as possible. Running his shelter is not a job for him, it’s his reason to keep going and it has given his life a lot of meaning.
Hit play on the video below to listen to Taki and learn more about his life. Be warned, you will get emotional! Please share to continue spreading the word about Taki’s mission and spread gratitude for this wonderful man, and many others like him, who dedicate their lives to saving all the good boys out there.