Meet the Dali Team
Dali Dog Rescue UK Team
Our Dali UK team head up the UK adoption process and provide ongoing support to Dali families and our UK foster network.
Jackie Mackenzie
Jackie was one of the founding team members in the UK and if you ask her, she’ll say that she adopted her first Dali dog and got a whole new world along with him. With a little bit of love, one dog became three and she now lives with her 5 rescues in sunny Scotland!
At the shelter, Jackie manages our 3 f’s: finances, fundraising and fostering. She’s also a huge supporter of our new adopters.
Kyriacos Spyrou
Having worked in the charity sector for many years, Kyriacos became involved with Dali dog rescue when he adopted his pup Kyra 9 years ago and was one of the founding members of the UK branch of the charity.
At the shelter, Kyriakcs is a trustee for D.O.G and acts as a liaison between the UK and Cypriot charities. He’s also responsible for maintaining legal/ regulatory documentation.
Brigitte South
Brigitte adopted her first Dali dog Johno 7 years ago and has been an active supporter ever since. Her pack now extends to 3 rescues, all from Cyprus.
Brigitte started helping Jackie 4 years ago, primarily with vaccination Appeals for new pups and dogs coming into the Shelter, and now Brigitte is looking forward to working alongside her fellow Trustees in assisting the rescue in Cyprus and providing support to our dogs in the UK.
Linda Portman
Linda's passion started with her first rescue German shepherd cross, Tessa, who was found wandering the streets of Birmingham after having been abused. After her death, she adopted her first 2 Rhodesian Ridgeback Rescues, Peggy and then Jake. Linda was introduced to Dali when Jackie posted a picture of Ellie in a Ridgeback Group. Ellie joined their family and Linda became more involved in the UK team.
Linda is now working actively behind the scenes to assist with the welfare of Dali dogs in the UK.
D.O.G Rescue Cyprus
We work in partnership with D.O.G (Dali Organised Group) Rescue Cyprus. The team in Cyprus care for our rescue dogs in their dedicated kennels, manage the application process for prospective new owners and support the local community, by lobbying for legal changes around animal welfare.
Marilena Peppou
Marilena founded D.O.G Cyprus in 2010 when she was just 22 years old, after accidentally coming across the original Dali pound with her husband. Seeing the terrible condition of the dogs, she felt compelled to help and petitioned the local mayor to assign control of the pound to her.
Since then, she’s tirelessly worked to give as many Cyprus rescues as possible a fresh start abroad. To date, Marilena has helped over 3000 rescues find their forever families. What would we do without you Marilena!
Stalo Papantoniou
Stalo joined Marilena in 2011 and has taken a central role in managing the adoption process. From assessing dogs to advertising them online and handling the logistics for our freedom flights, she does it all!
Stalo also supports smaller rescues on the island with flights and transport to mainland Europe.
Alongside her work at the shelter, Stalo is a history tutor and has her own pack of Dali rescues to take care of.
Monica Mitsidou
Monica joined the team in 2014 and has been instrumental in growing our resources and capacity. As one of our adoption coordinators, Monica promotes our dogs to the adopter community, conducts home checks and manages events and fundraisers in Cyprus.
Monica is passionate about improving animal welfare standards in Cyprus and frequently speaks on TV, at events and to the local community to promote sustainable breeding practices, neutering and proper care.