Further Information

The story and the mission

We are Bjarney and José and right now we are on a mission to bring five puppies from Crete and find them homes in Iceland, as well as sharing their stories in an illustrated book, using our favourite tool - creativity.

The puppies are the Fabulous Five – Kala, Kissi, Funi, Chania and Balos, siblings of four girls and one boy. They were taken from their mom when they were around 5 weeks old and left on the streets of Crete. They were alone and lost on the highway when an amazing couple, Nuki and Yiad, found them and provided shelter in their hotel room. They named the puppies after beautiful places they had visited on the island.

Nuki and Yiad were on a vacation and had to go back home, so after 3 days they had to part. But just before that, through an animal rescue association, our paths crossed. We did what we thought was right and provided the puppies home and have been fostering them ever since.

We are animal lovers and believe that every life deserves respect. Crete, like in many places around the world, animal welfare gets no support from the government and therefore is not a good place for animals to be.

The Fabulous Five inspirational book

We both work in the creative field and this experience has been a great inspiration to share their stories in a way that can inspire others to do good for themselves and for everyone around them, our ultimate goal is not just to find a safe home for each of them but at the same time create an illustrated book and publish it in April of next year. Once the book is published and for sale, 50% of the profit will be donated to different animal rescue organisations across the world. With this project we are also launching our organization Be the Change, aiming to support and promote projects that inspire positive change in the world.

Early on when we started to get to know each puppy’s character we noticed how they all had their own particularity. We saw those characteristics as superpowers and that inspired us to write about their adventures and create an illustrated book suitable for all ages. This book, with the five dogs as our heroines, will be a book about life’s big questions, challenges and how to overcome them, about kindness, family & friendship, wisdom and love. We draw on our own study of mindfulness, our own philosophy, values and experiences, using our skills as illustrators and designers to draw and layout the book ourselves.

Why are we here?

The cost of bringing an animal to Iceland is super high, let alone bringing home five dogs. The reason why we are looking for sources of financial support to accomplish both; the mission of finding the puppies a nice home in Iceland and to be able to publish the illustrated book of The Fabulous Five.

Meet our Heroines: Kala, Kissi, Funi, Chania and Balos

I am Kala “the Kind”. Kala means good in Greek. I’m the leader of the gang. I have heard that I can melt human hearts with my eyes! I have been the first of my siblings to learn almost everything that is necessary to survive since I was very little, but as sometimes happens with geniuses, I can be a bit of a trouble maker too, since I love to spend most of my time playing.

I am Kissi “the Curious”. The couple that found us named me after the beach town of Kissamos. I am the smallest of my siblings, but the most courageous. I love to explore all the time! I like to take time for myself and stay quiet while the others play, I guess I’m just more of the quiet type. I’m a great listener and therefore a really good learner.

I am Funi “the Loving”, and my name is inspired by the beautiful island of Elafonissi, Crete. I’m really a lovely girl, trying to get out of the habit to jump up and lick people’s faces. I just do that because I want to show that I love them. I have a fun, energetic and sweet personality and go along with everyone.

I am Chania “the Valiant” (pronounced Hania), named after the beautiful town of Chania, the second-largest city in Crete. I’m really smart and a quick learner and also the biggest of the girls. When my humans took me in, my back legs didn’t work very well, but I was very brave and overcame that in a short amount of time. Now they work perfectly. I have quite a lot of energy and my favourite thing to do is playing chase with my siblings.

I am Balos “the Wise”. My name derives from the beach-lagoon Balos, Crete. I am the only boy in the group and I’m super chilled. I like to chew my awesome chewing toys, eat, take long naps and get scratched behind my ears, or my belly, or pretty much anywhere. I’m the biggest and wisest of my siblings and have taken on the part to protect the group and my humans.

When we were young ...

For more information about us, our projects and the Fabulous Five visit: https://www.brightsite.is/be-the-change

Follow up on the Fabulous Five journey on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/thefabulousfiveiceland/

Thank you so much for your support!

Bjarney & José