Our Story
– by Liisa, founder and owner of “Geri namai”.
It all started with shelter dogs
The story of “Geri namai” began long before our dog centre opened its doors.
In December 2016, relatives who had come to Lithuania from Finland wanted to visit an animal shelter. Together, we went to the “Lesė” animal shelter. We were surprised by how many wonderful, friendly dogs waiting for their homes were living in Lithuanian shelters.
We wanted to help.
That is how “Pet Rescue Finland” was born – a Finnish animal welfare organisation whose goal was to help Lithuanian animal shelters and find responsible homes for their dogs in Finland.
The first dogs left for their new homes as early as spring 2017. Since then, “Pet Rescue Finland” has helped find homes for more than 2,000 Lithuanian dogs. In 2019, we also started carrying out sterilisation projects in Pasvalys, as it became clear that adoptions alone would not be enough to solve the problem of homeless animals.
Pirmieji šunys į naujus namus išvyko jau 2017 metų pavasarį. Nuo tada „Pet Rescue Finland” padėjo rasti namus daugiau kaip 2 000 Lietuvos šunų. 2019 metais Pasvalyje pradėjome vykdyti ir sterilizacijos projektus, nes tapo aišku, kad vien įvaikinimais beglobių gyvūnų problemos išspręsti neįmanoma.
During the first years of its operation, I was the only representative of “Pet Rescue Finland” in Lithuania. There was a lot to learn – getting to know how shelters operate, studying legislation, and organising all kinds of tasks – from veterinary procedures to transporting dogs.
In order to carry out this work independently in Lithuania, I established the NGO “Geri namai”.
One of its most important areas of activity became providing temporary foster care for shelter dogs. At our home in Valakampiai, there were sometimes more than ten foster dogs living with us at the same time – wild Husky mixes, German Shepherd mixes rescued from chains, timid short-legged village dogs, dogs recovering after orthopaedic surgery, frail seniors, and other animals who, due to their health, age, or other circumstances, found it difficult to live in a shelter environment.
They were all different – each with their own story, character, and experiences. Yet they were all united by the same desire: to experience something many of them had never had before – love, attention, safety, and the warmth of a real home.
In 2017, I met Živilė, who at the time was running the “Tautmilės globa” animal shelter.
I was impressed by her knowledge – from dogs’ health, treatment, and various illnesses to caring for dogs with extremely challenging behaviour. But what impressed me even more was her sense of responsibility and care for every animal entrusted to her. So, when we began creating the “Geri namai” dog centre, Živilė was the natural choice to become its manager.
Over the years, the practical experience we gained, our work with shelters, veterinarians, dog behaviour specialists, and thousands of very different dogs gradually shaped our understanding of what kind of care dogs truly need.
Over time, “Pet Rescue Finland” grew into a large organisation, and VšĮ “Geri namai” no longer needed to act as an intermediary between Lithuania and Finland.
Our family life was changing too. After selling our house in Valakampiai, we moved into a hotel in Vilnius Old Town, so we could no longer temporarily foster as many dogs as before.
But our desire to work for the well-being of dogs never disappeared.
During my visits to Finland, I saw how many different and modern services were available for dogs there – from sports and training activities, quality dog hotels, and professionally equipped training spaces to rehabilitation services such as physiotherapy, massage, and hydrotherapy.
Together with Živilė, we visited dog hotels, swimming pools, and training centres in Finland, observed how they worked, and looked for ideas that could be adapted to Lithuania.
That is how a new vision for “Geri namai” gradually began to take shape.
The “Geri namai” dog centre was born
Our family’s investment company acquired premises in Bukčiai, and in 2022, the “Geri namai” dog centre began operating there.
Our initial vision was very broad: we wanted to bring as many dog-related services as possible under one roof – a hotel, daycare centre, training, training spaces, grooming, rehabilitation, and a large swimming pool for dogs, which was still relatively uncommon in Lithuania at the time.
However, as we grew, we learned another important lesson: more services do not necessarily mean better quality.
In order to become truly good at what we do, we had to choose where we wanted to focus our knowledge, people, and energy.
Therefore, we discontinued some of our activities, stopped renting out the training hall to external service providers, and handed over the rehabilitation and swimming pool operations to specialists in these fields.
We decided to focus on three closely interconnected areas: dog hotel, daycare, and dog training.
Our goal is to improve the quality of life of every dog. We want to get to know and understand every dog that comes to us – their character, emotional state, physical and mental activity needs, and their relationship with people and other dogs.
We want to keep learning, develop our employees’ skills, share our knowledge with dog owners, and bring good practices from other countries to Lithuania.
Our story began with dogs from Lithuanian shelters. That is why, even today, we feel responsible not only for the dogs of our clients, but also for broader animal welfare changes in Lithuania.
Over the years, the form of our work has changed, but one idea has remained unchanged: every dog deserves a good home, understanding, and a life that meets their individual needs.
That is why we are Geri namai.