Rescued Is Our Favorite Breed

At Costa Navarino, compassion isn’t just a value—it’s a way of life. The Navarino Pet Community stands as a heartwarming testament to this, offering a second chance to stray animals and the people who welcome them into their homes. Through tireless volunteer work, community involvement, and unwavering dedication, this initiative has transformed lives proving that rescued truly is the best breed.

One of the most touching examples of the Navarino Pet Community’s impact is the story of Karma who went from abandonment to belonging.

Κarma doesn’t have the language skills to communicate her ordeals, but her body tells the story, she was found abandoned on the side of the road near Gargaliani, some 15km from Costa Navarino. She had spent over six months alone and undernourished, resorting to stealing chickens from henhouses to keep herself alive. She’d developed growths in her eyes and had become alternately skittish and aggressive as farmers and locals began to see her as a threat and chased her off.

But Karma was eventually saved, thanks to volunteers who ensured that she was spayed and vaccinated, and they arranged for her to get eye surgery. Now she’s a lovely, healthy dog who’s been adopted by a family from the Peloponnesian city of Tripoli, where she is loved and appreciated.

Karma is one of 250 very lucky animals to have found a home since Costa Navarino began addressing a problem that’s tarnished the reputation of many Greek regions for years.

The seeds that were sown with the Navarino Pet Community, an animal adoption center operating on a volunteer basis, soon grew into an initiative of unprecedented scale by Greek standards, one that involves the local community and authorities, and ranges from field work and veterinary services to educational programs.

Visit the Navarino Pet Community animal adoption center where, at any given time, several healthy, neutered, house-broken and adorable dogs are waiting for the right person to take them home. Volunteers will help you with all the necessary paperwork and, if required, make travel arrangements to get your new best friend to your place of residence.

In numbers

• 250 stray animals have found a home in 13 countries
• 137 have been sterilized
• 3,500 hours of volunteer work invested in the program
• 22 offer their services for free
• 10 tons of pet food have been served to the four-legged guests of the program.

[Edited version of an article published in Costa Navarino Stories, Issue 09]