Who Would Do This To Zachary?

     The call is made and I hear the voice on the other end…can you meet me in half an hour?  When we meet we begin to do what needs to be done. 

He was wandering in this condition for who knows how long until he was spotted by two of our volunteers. 
  Where did he come from?  Who tied the rope around his neck?  By the size of the loop, the rope had been tied when he was considerably smaller and younger.  As he grew, the rope began to cut into his throat. About one to  two years old, he is very thin and half the weight he should be.  He is covered in prickly burrs.  

   

Rebecca - The Rope around her Neck.

     Rebecca, an adorable girl about one years old, grew up at the end of a short rope.  Her owner tethered her next to a make shift house and that was all Rebecca knew.   She ate there, she slept there, she sat there, she baked in the sun there, she did her doggie business there and paced back and forth.  Yes, she had food and water but that was it.  Her owner didn’t bother to pet her, touch her nor walk her.  Her owner didn’t even consider that as Rebecca grew the rope around her neck would have to be adjusted for her size.  Rebecca grew and the rope that was now her noose began to cut into her neck, choking her. 

Calling out Help for Cairo!

Cairo was transfered to the vet for x-rays.

Some have a harder start in life than others! MEET CAIRO ... TOO YOUNG TO BE TAKEN FROM HIS MOTHER;  Two and a half months old, WANDERING ALONE HE WAS HIT BY A CAR!! 

Magda - Hit and Run!

 
 July 15, 2014

Earlier this evening, we get the call…emergency….a dog hit by a car lying on the side of the road. I have named her Magda. She is very wary towards humans and she put up a bit of a fuss. The x-rays show; bones in her pelvis are broken on one side. She can’t walk nor stand. The break is in a spot that will mend itself. There is some pressure being placed on her bowls increasing her discomfort.

Tiny and Vulnerable ... Yet Abandoned

     They are so vulnerable and tiny.  They can’t fend for nor feed themselves; they won’t survive alone.  Someone who has a female dog, allows her to get pregnant, to go through the whole process of giving birth; to start raising them and then when they are just shy of 2 months they take her babies away from her and dump them somewhere not knowing or caring about their fate.  The dangers are numerous. 

The Final Days of Finn

 I named him Finn, I don’t know why … it just came to me.  A few days back, my pack created a huge commotion as I barely heard a car drive off.  I am leery of people dumping dogs close to my house so I suspected as much.  I made my way out to the road and there, opposite me, he stood frozen; a ghost of a dog.  He looked so fragile.  I didn’t want to scare him so I approached accordingly to make him comfortable.

Viva Virna!

After two days of barely moving, she finally started to eat and drink on her own.

     It has been quite a week.  Wednesday morning Virna was found, in her excrement, on the side of the road, her entire body twitching uncontrollably.  Someone had laced food with poison, a common practice here in Greece, with the intent to kill her.  After all we and our vets could do (pumping her stomach and the required inter-venous medication) it was up to her to fight the poison that had made its way through her system. Weak and unconscious, she was put on IV and cortisone. All we could do was wait and hope for the best.

Mission - Kitten Rescue

   Spending my summers in rural Greece as a child, I had witnessed various appalling behaviours towards companion animals. These behaviours were common practice then, some 30 odd years ago, and unfortunately still around today.  One such practice is abandoning new born unwanted puppies and kittens in fields, either in plastic bags or in boxes, to die of starvation and exposure or in garbage bins to be mulched up by the garbage truck. I have been made aware of other methods such as drowning the newborns in a pail of water, squishing them to death with a hoe or burying them alive. In a conversation years ago with someone, he explained to me he puts unwanted newborn puppies from his dog in an area he knows foxes live so that the foxes will eat them.  

A Case of Zoophilia

   For the past 10 days I have been dealing with a disturbing case of zoophilia.   An 84 year old man was literally caught with his pants down in the town square where I live.  He was seen early in the morning, of April 28^th, by another man sitting on a park bench. 

Elpida (hope) Needs Urgent Help

May 01/2014

   Elpida was abandoned most likely because  her owners didn't want to deal with her illness.  She wandered alone getting worse and worse. Thank goodness she came to my attention after a phone call from the principal at a local public school.  He wanted to have a dog that was causing a commotion removed from the playground.

Not Enough Words - The Amazing Human Dog Bond

    I have been trying to find the words to explain the miriad of feelings I get from the dogs I have around me.  I can never quite find the right way to define the joy/satisfaction/contentment/peace that comes over me when I am with them. It is everything about them that mesmerizes me

Puppies, Puppies Everywhere!!

This little guy was abandoned a few days ago with three little sisters (below).

     This time of the year is the worst for abandoned puppies.  Over the last few weeks, we have been faced with trying to accommodate 29 puppies, ages from 2 ½ months or less!! We don’t have a shelter; we are volunteers who find space in our homes and yards.  To start, if they are in a dangerous spot we move them somewhere less dangerous.  If our homes are full we start asking people we know if they can help in any way.  If our friends can't help we have to find a place to put them away from cars or people that might harm them until something better can be found.

Help Them Don't Hate Them

     There are some people who can’t stand the sight of stray animals.  These people will kick, shoo or scare a stray even if the stray animal itself has done nothing to provoke them.  I have witnessed people purposely wake up a stray dog curled up in a corner on the street just for the sake of disturbing him.  I have seen people start yelling, kick or throw things at a stray dog as he, minding his own business; unknowingly passes near. Of course, I have to mention the anonymous people responsible for countless stray dog poisonings. What is going on inside of them that they would make a deadly concoction and feed it to an unsuspecting dog?    

Rose Will Get Better!!

  Rose wandered alone, her appearance and the foul smell that came from her mange infected body offended many people.  She was shunned.  She ate from the garbage what ever scraps she could find.  I am not going to ask the questions regarding why or how she got to  this condition.  I will never find the answers.  This is a time to move forward.  Mange is curable. Unfortunately it doesn't stop there and the blood test at the vet found she also has Leishmania.  This, too, is curable .  There is no need for Rose to have suffered so much.  

Niki - On the Road to Victory

  Niki roamed, I was told, for years like a ghost. Terrified of humans, she could not be approached. Her companion in life became the rope around her neck that caused her unbearable pain every living minute. When I heard about her case there could be only one goal; to help Niki at all costs. 

(Warning:some graphic images.)

Daphne's Woe

  

   She was found in the middle of a dangerous road wandering alone.  Another hunting dog abandoned!  One look at her eyes and the problem is evident.  Did her owner not think she was worth the trouble to help her condition?  What ever her story, she was lucky the right person saw her that day.  Her future from that moment changed for the better. The procedure is routine; a worm pill, food, a visit to the vet as soon as possible and a safe place for her to receive her therapy.  Once she is on the road to recovery … maybe someone will want to adopt her.  Is Daphne worth it…damn right she is!!  

Modo's Happy Retirement

Wed. February 19, 2014

This crooked, thin, and tired old soul, entering the last phase of his life, was abandoned a little over a week ago.  Luckily he was abandoned at the right place so we could spot him. His condition pulled at every sentiment and left us speechless. His front legs bent outward. His right leg, obviously an old break around the ankle, had mended crooked. The left leg was twisted in a peculiar way, perhaps after carrying the weight of the right leg.  His tail was the shape of an upside down capital L and you could count every rib and vertebra.  Inside of this body was the most gentle of dispositions; old eyes looking for warmth.  Watching him, the way he moved and interacted with us, I couldn’t help but think of Quasimodo. How could I not call him ....Modo. We spent this time feeding him and trying to figure out what to do. 

Ilia the Hound Dog.

Ilia is a Greek hare hound known as Gekas.  She was abandoned, most likely, because she isn't good at hunting.  Hunters will abandon their hunting dogs so that they can replace them with one that will do the job better.  I first noticed her around the middle of December.  She kept her distance but started to warm up to me. Of course food always does the trick.

Meet My Pack

  How would you like to meet my pack; seven dogs and three cats?  I tell them everyday how lucky I am that they are in my life.  They have a great deal to give.  They are listed here in no particular order. Neither one is lesser nor greater than the other.  Each one has his/her own personality.  Each one has something different to bring to our family.

So without further ado....

Kanellos was abandoned as an adult.  He was hit by a car and left on the side of the road.  Luckily he only had minor nerve damage to his hind legs.  After approx. 20 days of not being able to get up, he slowly made his come back.  That was over six years ago.  He is roughly 9 years old. Kanellos is a permanent resident pack member.

A Little Background: Greece and Animal Welfare

This puppy was found wandering alone at the beach.   She was very thiin and covered in mange and fleas.

Greece, an E.U. country, has clear set animal welfare legislation. Law 4039/2012 applies to pets and strays, where by acts of cruelty are punishable with 6 months imprisonment or a fine of between 300 – 30 000 Euros or the imposition of both penalties. These sentences, however, are rarely enforced and animal cruelty and neglect is a common phenomenon. 

     

Dias Needs to Fly....with Dixie

Dias as a puppy.

    

      Dias is a wonderful and lucky dog. He was abandoned along with four of his siblings on the side of the road when he was about a month and a half old, in the spring of 2013.  He stood out from the rest of the litter right from the start.  He was bigger, fluffier and feistier.  Unfortunately, not all of his siblings have a happy ending but Dias is about to.  A family from Canada has fallen in love with him and they want to give him a forever home.  There is a problem, however, Dias, right now, is in Greece.  On February 7^th he needs to be on a plane to transport him to his new life of bliss.  He and I need all the help we can get to put Dias on that plane.  

Chains of Burden

                                                           

Lefki was tethered 24/7.  I was able to start helping her; - walking, straw, a blanket.

     A great point of distress for me are the chained dogs in Greece. A drive through any rural area and one can not help but notice the large number of them. They are known as barrel dogs; their only shelter from the elements is a tipped over metal barrel that over time becomes rusted and full of holes.  Barrels, however, are not the only items used but whatever the material, these structures are often inadequate.  Sometimes I see dogs chained with out any form of shelter, making the barrel dogs lucky.

I Love Dogs.

     Simply put, I love dogs.  I am involved in their rescue where I live, when I can.  I have seen a great deal of cruelty and indifference towards many of their kind. When dealing with these types of issues one gets to see the dark side that certain people can have.  It frustrates me to no end.  The reality is that cruelty has lurked in the darkness as far back as humanity goes; whether it be towards animals, nature or each other.  I ask myself why and will we ever evolve into a more humane species?  Obviously, this is a rhetorical question.  However, I can’t stop doing what I do, hoping that my own actions are a step towards that evolution.