You usually see them strolling the streets or lying in the sun for hours in the squares around the country. The stray dogs and cats are, for good and evil, an integral part of the urban landscape of Greece.
What would a trip down to Greece be without the hundreds of cats and dogs you meet at taverns or in the city’s alleys? For me personally, that image and symbiosis with dogs and cats around me has meant a lot. My Greek uncle Nikos has for many years taken care of and fed all the stray cats around our neighborhood and this, along side other life experiences off course, has meant that since my very young days I have been taught to respect all life around me, to take care of those who need it most. Both humans and animals.
The truth is that things have changed in Greece in terms of how people relate to the stray animals. When I was little in the early ’90s for example, I remember how many older people kicked cats and dogs, how they hurt them. Today you see a completely different picture. An increasing number of Athenians and Greeks feed and take care of the stray cats and dogs. It has also become more and more common with pet adoption through the different animal shelters we have around the country.
I personally think it has to do with the fact that the economic crisis has made us all more humble, more understanding of what it is like to live a difficult life. As well as more in need of companionship and love, something these animals can provide us with.
In a Greek article from 2017, it is estimated that there are about 1.8 million stray dogs and over 2 million stray cats in Greece and of all these animals, only 23% have been chipped by the municipalities where they live. Somewhat interesting is that 70% of the stray dogs appear to come from a home or have been born by a dog living in a home while 72% of the stray cats come from already stray cats.
How many times have you not fed or patted astray dog or cat onyour holiday and thought “if I could just bring you home!”? Unfortunately, the truth is that you can’t help every cat and every dog, but you can always do something.
In today’s Greece, there are about 120 animal welfare organizations that actively feed, neuter, care for cats and dogs, and try to adopt them to loving families in Greece and in other countries around the world. Almost all of these organizations are private and operate primarily through donations and voluntary efforts.
If you are an animal lover and would like to make a difference for these animals in Greece, please do contact such an organization. You can usually become a member and pay a membership fee per year if you want to support them and of course you can also donate money. Or why not take the step and adopt a cat or dog from Greece? I am actually myself thinking of this in the moment.
Here is a list of some of these animal welfare organizations pages you can turn to if you want to help:
http://www.filozoiki.gr/arxikh
https://www.ninelivesgreece.com
http://lostandfoundanimals.blogspot.com/
https://saveagreekstray.org/en/
https://www.skiathos-cats.org/
If you are interested in bringing a furry companion home the next time you go to Greece, it is actually easier than you think. You can get all the information about what is needed to bring your dog or cat home from the adoption center or animal welfare organization you will visit but here are some simple first tips on what you must have done to travel home with your dog or cat to other countries in Europe.
- The dog or cat must have received an electronic chip.
- The dog or cat must have received their vaccines, especially against rabies. It may also need a few weeks from the vaccine date before it can travel.
- The dog or cat must have an issued EU passport where its chip number and all vaccinations must be stated.
So your new pet can very easily, usually within three weeks from its first veterinarian visit, travel home with you and become a part of your family!
