Izzy Meets Baron the Brave: A DASH Story

Izzy loves all dogs, and when her mum tells her they’re going to DASH, a local Greek rescue shelter for hundreds of homeless dogs, at first she’s worried that it will be like other rescue centres she visited in England, with sad-looking dogs, staring out of small cages, but DASH is nothing like that. The dogs there live freely and happily together and Izzy is enthralled by the bright eyes, wagging tails and cheerful barking that greets them as they meet Katerina, the kind, red-haired lady who has given her life over to rescuing the stray and injured street dogs in Kalamata. Although Izzy loves all the sweet and friendly dogs of all shapes and sizes that she meets at DASH, it is the sad, beautiful giant dog called Baron who captures her heart most of all and whom she will never forget. Even though Baron has had a very difficult life before coming to DASH he still loves people and the bond between Baron and Izzy is immediate. Baron’s heart is as big as he is!

DASH Dream of a Safe Haven is situated on the Peloponnese in Greece. It is the largest dog shelter in Greece and one of only a handful that has a legal license. It supports many hundreds of dogs solely on donations.

‘Katerina Pesonis lives onsite and has been in rescue and an animal activist for many years. In 2016, I met Katerina and was horrified at the treatment and situation of the stray dog population in Greece, and through that, alongside the humbling dedication and passion that just “is” Katerina, I became involved and supported her in developing DASH as it is today. ‘ Julie Wilkinson (Author)