Andy and I saw a lot of dogs and cats during our couple weeks in Greece. Most were strays, many were injured or hungry, and almost all of them broke my heart. A couple times to the point where I simply was unable to emotionally handle it. When we first arrived back to Alaska and I was deciding how to structure my blog posts, I was simply going to include the few millions of pictures I took of these wonderful animals in some of the different blogs and weave them into the posts about our adventures. I’ve been thinking about it more since our return home. I’ve been doing some research on the status of animal health and legal rights in Greece and I believe their current plight deserves its own blog post. And here’s why.
Most westernized countries are accustomed to a more community-involved approach to animal welfare and rights, demanding accountability from pet owners and harsh punishments for those who abandon or abuse animals. We are serious about hunting regulations, humane consumption of meat, and endangered species preservation. We neuter and spay our animals, give them yearly shots, and abide by state regulations that require us to do so.
I think that, for the most part, Greeks themselves are no different. I strongly doubt Greeks have less of a moral compass or believe any less in the welfare of a living creature. This is especially evidenced by the plethora of animal welfare and rights groups that exist in Greece attempting somewhat in vain to turn the political and social tide towards honoring the lives of animals. The uphill battle they face is the fact that it is not a legislative priority in Greece; an almost habitual abandonment of animals is omnipresent and any laws requiring neutering and spaying are simply non-existent.
Since there are no spaying or neutering requirements in Greece and abandonment of animals is not a crime, individuals are not incentivized to ensure their pets do not stray from the home and breed with other animals. Many animals, even those that started out as pets, roam free on the streets of Greece and end up birthing a litter of kittens or puppies that are subsequently left on the sides of highways, abandoned in parks, or even thrown into dumpsters. If the puppies and kittens manage to survive, they join the ranks of the thousands of strays already existing on the streets and the cycle of non-neutering/spaying and unwanted litters begins again. You can read more about this on this site here, and on this site here.
These animals are forced to live a fighting, desperate existence that involves the random feeding of scraps from local restaurants and tourists such as myself. At one point I scarified Andy’s entire bag of beef jerky to this little dog we met in Crete. Andy took a couple pictures of him but I couldn’t stop crying when I saw them, so Andy decided to delete them (“too sad for Tiny Wife”).
Rumors abound that the animals are often poisoned to control populations. During the Olympics, animal rights activists accused Greece of poisoning large numbers of cats and dogs in an attempt to clean up the streets. As far as I understand this accusation remains unsubstantiated but I imagine few would be surprised if it was determined to be true. Many animals are hit by cars, starve, or even get attacked by large dogs hungry enough to overpower smaller ones.
As a tourist in Greece, what makes this issue bearable, at least most of the time, is the fact that these animals, at least all the ones I met, are loving, anxious for an ear or belly scratch, and non-threatening. All of them melted my heart and I wanted to bring every single one of them home with me. Here’s a introduction of some of these cute, loving, and amazing little friends we met on our trip (and of course, Andy’s names for them):
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| Kitty hanging out at the Acropolis in Athens. |
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| Katrina the Kitty sharing my pork and strawberry ice cream with me. |
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| Two dogs in Athens enjoying the shade from the department store overhang. |
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| Dog in Santorini |
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| Dog hanging out in front of Atlantis Bookstore in Santorini |
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| Don the Donkey |
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| Dog in Santorini |
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| Another dog in Santorini |
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| This is Katarina the Kitty. We shared a gyro. |
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| This is Kathy the kitty. I was taking a nap on the chaise lounge and woke up to this little lady laying next to me. She needed some hugs and ear scratches and got plenty from me. I shared my omelet and cheese with her. |
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| This dog was likely a pet as he was sitting on someone’s private porch. I just thought his inquisitive pose over the side of the porch looked funny. |
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| Cute pet on the ferry. |
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| Another irresistible face on the ferry. |
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| This is Dixie the Dog. |
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| This is Dixie and Dorothy the Dog. You will notice they have colored collars on. We think this is an indication they received rabies shots, likely from one of the many animal support groups in Greece that work with limited funds and resources to keep these animals healthy. |
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| Andy with a sleeping Dixie. |
To be honest, I took a billion more, but was forced to delete a lot. Most I deleted out of sadness and the fact that I simply couldn’t look at them anymore. Others I deleted because I ran out of space on my camera. I should have brought a separate camera just to take pictures of the thousands of dogs and cats that roamed the streets. They were all adorable and just needed some love.
Part of the challenge that animal welfare activists in Greece face is turning individual perceptions towards the importance of helping animals. Donations, volunteers, and animal adoptions are low, and animal support groups need all the help they can get.
If you have any interest or desire to help these guys, please look to this site here. It lists every major animal rights and welfare organization in Greece that work tirelessly to help these animals, keep them healthy, and maintain their safety.
Here are a few that I have “liked” on Facebook and will donate to, and I would encourage you to do the same. See below links to their Facebook pages and how you can help:
– Friends of the Strays of Greece –
– Santorini Animal Welfare Association –
– Hellenic Animal Welfare Association –
– Greek Cat Welfare Society –
– Pet Food Bank in Greece –
– Greek Animal Rescue –
– Greek Animal Welfare Fund/Animal Action Greece –
Seeing these animals brought me the greatest amalgamation of joy and heartbreak I’ve ever experienced. These dogs and cats of Greece need love, protection, and political/financial support. Consider helping them in whatever way you’re able.
And, if you ever are blessed with being able to travel to Greece, give a few of these animal friends some hugs, scratches, a few scraps, and lots of love. Sometimes it’s just what they need, and I promise you, their little faces will melt your heart for life.