Greek Animal Rescue

Greek Animal Rescue is a registered charity (No:802243)

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How it all started

It all began with a holiday in Greece in 1987. My husband Paul and I drove to Greece and intended to travel around for one month, but as we crossed the border, we encountered the first stray, not realising at the time that he was just one out of hundreds we were to see during our so called holiday.

We spent ten days of our holiday on Crete and that’s where we witnessed appalling neglect of animals ... dozens of hungry stray dogs and cats begging for scraps, ‘guard dogs’ chained to rusty oil drums or to a tree, countless dead dogs and cats lying by the roadside, donkeys and mules left tied in barren fields with no food or water, often hobbling or barely able to move.

The last few days of our so-called holiday found us helping at an animal shelter near Athens and it was there we realised that sterilising of dogs and cats wasn’t a common practice in Greece, but abandonment of unwanted litters of puppies and kittens was.

The few decent shelters there are in Greece, should be there to help and to provide a sanctuary for the neediest cases - the starved, sick or injured animals, but unfortunately they also become a dumping ground for unwanted litters of puppies and kittens and for older dogs, who have been replaced by ‘younger models’.

Our fund-raising to help animals in Greece began as soon as we returned home from that fateful holiday in 1987 and a few months later, we also set the wheels in motion to apply for a charity status, which we finally obtained in October 1989.

Every year we receive dozens of letters, emails and phone calls from people who have returned from their holiday in Greece, distressed and unable to erase the sad memories of hungry and sick strays, often witnessing deliberate cruelty being inflicted on them. Some decide to ‘adopt’ a stray dog or a cat they had befriended and we help them all we can (though not financially), since we have considerable experience with the ‘Pet Passports’ procedure. We have in fact rehomed in the UK many dogs and cats from Greece that we have helped to rescue, either through the shelters we support or in response to a call for help, often involving an animal which requires urgent surgery (leg amputation, removal of an eye etc).

Animal suffering knows no frontiers, language or creed. Please help us to help animals in Greece.
Vesna Jones Founder of Greek Animal Rescue

What is the purpose of this slide show?

To show the world the side of Greece few holidaymakers see and to protest by writing to the relevant authorities who are responsible for implementing the animal welfare laws they all voted for, but which are blatantly ignored.

I feel that we owe it to the voiceless animals which feature in the slides show to let the world see their pain, their pitiful existence ..... and, in some cases, their death. The slides show is accompanied by two sad yet beautiful and very appropriate songs ("Is it bad enough for you?" and "Rescuer's Prayer), by Maria Daines and Paul Killington, used with their permission.

All the photos used in the slides show are genuine and I would also like to point out that many of the featured animals have recovered from their injuries/neglect and have been rehomed ... like Sef, in the group of pics from Ioannina (the one who had a piece of wire tied around his leg, causing a deep wound, literally to the bone) Well, he's living happily in the UK and the dog who was shot and needed to have a leg amputated will be homed in the UK when all the paperwork etc is completed. The dog who had been set on fire by teenage thugs in Thessaloniki, is also being 'prepared' for homing in the UK. 4 of the dogs in 'Patras group' are 'living happily ever after'...

IF YOU DO DECIDE TO GO TO GREECE ON HOLIDAY, PLEASE CONTACT A LOCAL ANIMAL WELFARE SOCIETY (if there is one) AND OFFER TO HELP

PLEASE WRITE TO THE RELEVANT AUTHORITIES LISTED BELOW

Minister for Tourism: Mr Aris Spiliotopoulos: [email protected] Tel: +30 210 8707 605-9 / Fax: +30 210 8707 626

President of the Greek National Tourism Organisation, Mr Athanasios Oikonomou: [email protected] Tel: +30 210 870 7571 / 7573 Fax: +30 210 6442 926

Minister of Agriculture: Mr Alexandros Kontos: [email protected] or [email protected] Tel: +30 210 2124 387 ~ Fax: +30 210 5230 955

Veterinary Department of Ministry of Agriculture: Mrs Chryssa Dile: [email protected] Tel: +30 210 2125 734 ~ Fax: +30 210 8231 267