THE NICOSIA Dog Shelter is organising its fifth annual Dogathon charity event on Saturday, October 11.
The organisers described the event as “a fun and novel way to increase awareness about the Nicosia Dog Shelter and raise money for the food, treatment and facilities needed by its residents. It is an unusual event in that it is something that people and their dogs can enjoy together while supporting a worthy cause”.
Stacie Davidowski Tziortzis, co-ordinator of the event said “it is a 2.5km fun run/walk for people and their dogs around part of the old city”.
The Dogathon will take place at the Garaffa Moat behind the old city of Nicosia, below the Melina Mercouri Hall behind Famagusta Gate.
It is charged at €6 for adults, while children and dogs come for free.
Registration will occur on the same day, beginning at 2pm, and the run will start at 3.30pm with medals and prizes handed out afterwards both for the winners but also for some fun categories for pets and owners.
There will also be a coffee stand and bake sale full of tempting treats, as this is a fundraising event. “There are also many school kids participating, as we invite many schools to come,” she said.
Sharon Beckett, who runs the Nicosia Dog Shelter, said “this is an annual event and there is a very good turnout. It is normally held in spring but this year we are holding it a little later and it’s nice to see that people are quite looking forward to it.
“This is the shelter’s main event and it takes a lot of co-ordination,” she said.
The Dogathon aims to draw attention to the importance of the Dog Shelter and to encourage a greater response to it from the community.
“The aim is that with the publicity and through the event itself we hope to put the dog shelter in the minds of Cypriots. We are trying to appeal to the Cypriot community as well as the foreigners,” said Beckett.
“This is our biggest event. It is worth it and we hope it continues.”
“It is growing each year and becoming more popular,” she continued. “It is good to see responsible dog ownership and to see dogs we’ve re-homed over the years. It is also a chance for people to meet other dog owners. Overall it is a very good public event!”
In addition, the event will be held in order to raise money for kennel facilities, food, medicine, veterinary services and educational material which are all vital for the Shelter to continue protecting and providing for the abandoned dogs collected island-wide on a daily basis.
The Dogathon will also provide the opportunity for people to familiarise themselves with the Nicosia Dog Shelter as there will be information available as well as photos of some of the dog shelter dogs. The publicity of the event will thus provide the chance for some of these dogs to find a suitable home.
The Nicosia Dog Shelter is a registered charity working for the care and welfare of dogs in Cyprus. Tucked away within the UN buffer zone (near the disused Nicosia airport), the shelter offers an invaluable service to the Nicosia community by providing refuge for abandoned and stray dogs.
The Dogathon is open to all, be it just as spectators or runners, and promises to be a fun day out for all the family.
The fifth annual Dogathon is sponsored by McDonalds, G.Satsias and sons, and LTV, but the Nicosia Dog Shelter is currently looking for more sponsors.
n For further information contact Stacie Tziortzi at 99-337072 or Elena Christophidou at 99-434353.
