Our Rescue Work
We select dogs onto our Rescue-Rehabilitate-Rehome programme following a behaviour and health assessment to determine their potential to be re-homed. Some dogs are previously owned within the UK, whilst others were once stray dogs in Greece.
Our rescue story
The Dog Trouble Foundation rescues, rehabilitates and rehomes dogs within the UK and Greece. Each dog that we admit is assessed and health checked before being matched to the appropriate owner.
Jo Cottrell, first visited the Greek island of Zakynthos in 2013 where she got to observe and understand the issues with stray dogs on the island. Over the years The Dog Trouble Foundation has supported the rescue shelters in Zakynthos and in 2026 also developed a rescue partnership with Dennis Shelter in Krestena, mainland Greece.
The Problems
​The main issue in Greece is the number of owned and stray dogs that are roaming unsterilised and therefore reproducing. With female dogs giving birth to an average of 6 puppies, sometimes twice a year, it doesn’t take long for the population to increase! Mothers and litters of puppies are often born in the wild or discarded, being dumped or even drowned due to the costs involved in caring for them. Adult dogs are often abandoned when they are no longer wanted or of use.
The Solution
The solution is obviously sterilisation and education however this is complicated due to a lack of government funding and cultural beliefs! Some impact on numbers can be made through capturing stray dogs, sterilising them and then either releasing them again or placing them with the local rescues for adoption in Greece and across Europe.
How We Help
The Dog Trouble Foundation provides support through fundraising to rescue, rehabilitate and rehome pre-owned and stray dogs.
Jo selects the dogs that most people would not want to adopt due to their age, behaviour or physical health and brings them to The Dog Trouble Foundation for rehabilitation. This involves improving their physical and emotional health which can sometimes take months before they are suitable for adoption.
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All the dogs that we offer for adoption will have had a full vet health check including a blood screen for Tick born diseases that can be present in dogs from abroad.
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You can read our current dogs' stories on the Dogs for Adoption and Sponsor a Dog pages, and our Happy Endings page has details of the many dogs we have rescued.