Kalamaki, Greece, Dog Aid
I first visited Kalamaki last year when I met an English lady who had lived here for 28 years. She told me about how she’d helped feed and care for the dogs here for years. This year I returned and really got to know and understand the issues they have here with dogs including people dumping litters of puppies and in particular bitches, due to the natural cycle where they cannot be bothered to care for them having a high volume of reproduction.
During the summer the stray dogs are in fairly good health because they are fed by the local restaurants and tourists but during the winter these dogs are totally reliant on caring people who live here and who have a conscience. So during the winter my friend will cycle around and feed them morning and night, keeping an eye on their general health. The solution here is not necessarily capturing the dogs and flying them to the UK for rehoming. But instead castrating and spaying the dogs to reduce the number of dogs on the streets. When you see the dogs here they are the most sociable and gentle dogs I have ever seen. The issues here are general health and malnutrition, not behaviour as in the UK.
So, with this in mind we have decided to set up a sustainable programme with the support of the local Greek vet here to establish a reduced cost sterilisation programme, where if people wish to, they can make a one off donation or set up a monthly direct debit. However small the contribution it can make a huge impact on controlling and reducing the number of stray dogs and most importantly reducing the litters of unwanted puppies being born. Take for example the fact that one bitch will mother at least 40 plus puppies in her lifetime ….. Sterilisation is the way forward.
I truly believe in this programme being the answer to improving these dogs lives because most of the stray dogs here are actually happy living in their natural environment, and my Ethic is based on working with nature, but in this case the overbreeding here just needs to be reduced.
