Stray rescue
We take in the injured, sick, and abandoned cats and dogs of Sarandë — starting with the ones nobody else stops for.
Our story
Nastya, Tony & Sage
Two burnt-out Americans, one very well-traveled rescue dog, and a town full of strays who needed a hand.
The short version
We didn’t plan any of this
In 2021 we were living in New Hampshire and running on empty. So we did the sensible thing: sold almost everything, packed the car, and moved to Europe with Sage, our Lab-mix rescue and the only non-negotiable on the list.
Leipzig was supposed to be home base. It didn’t stick — the residency paperwork fought us, the winters were grey, and something about it never felt like ours. So we kept driving.
We chose Sarandë for its palm trees. That was genuinely the whole vetting process: Tony saw a photo of the promenade and decided he wanted to live somewhere with palms. Two and a half years later we’re still here — with residency, an apartment, neighbors who hand us fruit over the fence, and a lot of local strays who’ve become our second full-time job.
The team
Nastya, Tony & Sage
The work we do
Three jobs, one goal
We’re not a shelter and we don’t pretend to be. We’re a small volunteer effort that does three things well.
Medical care
Every rescue goes to Saranda Paws Vet Clinic, where DVM Tiziana Sina and DVM Mario Gurma handle everything from emergency wounds to spay & neuter.
Rehoming & travel
We sort the health records, microchips, and pet-passport paperwork so a Sarandë rescue can safely reach a family here or abroad.
Progress so far
Small team, real numbers
1
small team, no shelter
100%
volunteer-led
3
years living in Sarandë
1
life at a time
Want the full picture — every year, every milestone? Read our history.
Help us help the next one
We fund every rescue out of our own pockets and yours. A gift or a few volunteer hours goes straight to the animals of Sarandë.