Olivia was found wandering through the old village of Ermioni of the early hours one particular morning. We saw some children tormenting her the next morning, but without any reactions.   We brought her in and found that she was blind.  Smokie was found on the roof top of an old house with his mummy at about 5 weeks old. He didn't look well at all and had red spots on his eyes.  We nursed him and did what we could, but he was blind too, and village life was certainly not ideal for either of them. Thanks to the kindness of an English family, who agreed to long term care for them, they are now enjoying the family life they deserve, together with many other furry friends.  Smokie's mummy went missing shortly afterwards. Not knowing the reasons is always heartbreaking.  However, our grateful thanks will always be with this family for their kindness, in taking Olivia and Smokie into their care, and giving them a decent life.

There have been a few Europeans who have rescued stray dogs from the streets of Ermioni.  Sadly, some of these pets have in turn been poisoned, as in the case with an English couple.  They have a home on the outskirts of Ermioni, idyllic, but recently encountered a spate of poisoning, which claimed the lives of two beautiful dogs, one which was brought from England, and the other rescued from the streets of Ermioni.  A third dog was poisoned a few days after the first attempts, but luckily they managed to get him to the vet in time to save his life.   This is the reality of owning pets in Greece, where the attitude of most of the the local population has been cruel towards animals in general, but thankfully things are starting to change with the younger generation.  

MICHAEL & ANGELO (above) were found in a large metal bin close to Ermioni by a passer-by, who luckily was an animal lover. Horrified by what she found, sadly it is common practice in Greece.  If it is not poisoning, then it is throwing them into bins.  When will it all change?  Some are lucky and do survive as they are given an loving chance of a new home and lots more.  But for many, the reality is many die.  Lack of foster carers within this region also impinges on the chances of survival for any stray.  Michael and Angelo were small and one had a broken leg.  Had they been in the bin much longer, their survival would have been slim.   The passer-by who found them, took them home to nurse, but didn't know what to do next.  She rang round to see if there was anybody who would foster for a short period, until a permanent solution could have been found.  There was no-one, which wasn't surprising at all.  Even the local charity could not help.  My opinions are that everyone is occupied with their own needs, that sometimes one forgets that others need immediate help too.  So it was decided to euthanize them!  How cruel and unkind could one be?  So they were taken to the local vet, but he refused to euthanize.  Then they were driven over 100 kms to another town and the vet there also refused to euthanize. Eventually the third vet did euthanize, but they did not deserve to die.  They deserved to live!!!! Because someone decided they could not look after them, or even try for a few days, the only option was this.  What was going through their little minds, being passed from one vet to another is beyond me.  Also the trauma of the journey would have been very distressing for them too.  From this terrible, emotionally experience, I vowed that this will never happen again.  There has to be a solution.

This morning, feeding the stray cats by a large metal bin, there was a noise coming from inside a large metal bin.  Upon further investigations, there was a large brown cardboard box, with a plastic bag inside, with 5 tiny puppies inside this plastic bag.  It was a very shocking sight.  Sadly one puppy was dead.  How can people be so cruel and do this?   Sights like these are pretty normal in Greece, and one dares not walk past any bins, because of what might be found.   Two of the tiny puppies were rescued, but 2 were never found, as once the puppies had been rescued; a female dog came and was sniffing the puppy box.  In the time we went to get a suitable box and returned back, the remaining 2 had vanished.  I only hope that the female dog took them to a safe haven.  Situations like these traumatic, as there are hardly any foster carers, which are so desparately needed.  There is a charity close by, but sadly there is very little support.  There are a couple of good people who do care passionately, but they have limited resources and space.  Luckily for the 2 that were saved, as time went by, they were re-homed.

SHEBA (above) was a very friendly fawn and white female dog.  She was spotted in a field with her four young puppies on the outskirts of Ermioni.  As time went by, they went missing, which is what we knew might happen.  The puppies vanished first, then Sheba.  They were a bundle of fun, knew our car and came running when we approached.  We fed with food and water daily, and hoped that somewhere, someone would consider re-homing them.  Sadly, this is a huge task here in Greece.  Sheba was dumped like many other GreekSTRAY animals, which are left to fend for themselves.  

LUCY (above) is a wonderful white and black loving female dog, very placid and calm and likes playing with cats and kittens.  One day she just turned up in a field, no doubt being abandoned by her Greek owners.  The only future Lucy has at the moment is our care, love and the food and water that we give her.   She waits for us everyday, together with all the cats and kittens, runs down to meet us and has a great temperament.  It is unfair to keep her outdoors all the time.   She is so loving and deserves a home with a loving family.  Sadly, this will not happen, as the economic crisis is causing much hardship and pain for many innocent individuals.  

STOP PRESS . . . Lucy has been offered a new loving home abroad.  She left Ermioni on 25th January 2013 and arrived safe and sound in Germany a couple of days later.  Lucy has settled in quickly with her new owner and is enjoying being a 'pet' for the first time in her life.  After many years of a happy life, Lucy sadly passed away at the end of October 2021.  

LARA (above) is dark/light brown female dog.  One particular dark morning, there was a rustle in the bushes in the field where Lucy was found. Expecting the worst, I did not image I would find a dog in such appalling conditions.  She had a metal chain around her neck and a rope, which was obvious that she had broken away.  She has been nursed back to health following some terrible cruelty and open wounds she'd received.  Lara is very playful and has a good friendly temperament.  Sadly because she was overlooked twice in terms of re-homing to Germany, she is missing.  She had been sterilized, but shortly after, she vanished. Not sure, whether she went on her own, or whether someone took her. These are just some things that one has to live with, not knowing, which is heartbreaking.

LUCKY (above) turned up really starving, so thin, so boney and to add, she was pregnant.  She had a rope round her neck, which showed that she had been tied up recently and had got herself free.  Gosh, a female pregnant dog. What is going to happen to her and her puppies?  She just ran around scavanging for food, to try and eat as much as possible.  Not one cat liked her, but they would have got used to her.  I rang the vet to see if he could sterilize her even though she was pregnant.  But no, this was not possible.  So for the next few weeks, she was fed.  However, she is another one that just vanished.  No sign of her at all now, and we never saw her again. 

Donations are hugely needed for GreekSTRAYS

Account name & bank: GreekSTRAYS - Lloyds Bank   Sort Code: 30-65-22   Account Number: 78074260

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