Goodbye BARNEY - TRIXIE - BOUBO - ARGOS - ELENI . . .

Towards the end of October, 5 doggies were rescued from Ermioni, Greece.  Plans were in place for transporting them to Germany at some point in November.  Some might express an opinion and say that this is not the answer, but as far as I am concerned, it is the only answer, otherwise there is chance of them being harmed, poisoned or starved. They now have chance of a loving home, a loving family, food, warmth and much more.  In an ideal world, maybe it would be far better to leave them where they were, but only with a planned feeding programme in place.  Sadly this would never happen, because of lack of commitment from individuals.  Equally Greek winters can be bitterly cold and wet for the strays.

Early November, the day arrived and it was all systems go.  They might have lived together on leads in a garden, but putting them in a car and travelling with them, one really didn’t know what might happen.  It poured it down with rain, which dampened the spirits.  One by one, into the back of the jeep  they went.   Lots of biting and barking was going on amongst themselves.  The space really wasn’t suitable.  But we were assured that the transport was going to be big enough.  Sadly it wasn’t.  There was no turning back either. 

The first part of driving was from Porto Heli to Patras, followed by boat from Patras to Ancona.  A journey of cold weather, with very strong winds.  Such a long boring journey, with facilities on board, but how did the doggies feel?  They were in the upstairs part of the boat, protected from the cruel cold weather.  Probably pretty comfortable too.  Once the boat docked at Ancona, it was the start of the long journey to Munich.  Overall, it was pretty emotional seeing them hugged and loved by their new owners.  This made the long journey, so worthwhile in every way.

https://www.facebook.com/Greekstrays?ref=hl
https://www.facebook.com/Greekstrays/app_362564237108797
http://www.ermioni.info/content/animal-welfare
http://www.ermioni.info/things-to-know/greekstrays-donations

Cat neutering . . .

I have been fortunate, as due to my work with GreekSTRAYS within my region and my active networking, I learnt of a European vet who wanted a new challenge in Greece, which would turn into a long term project. Naturally I wanted it to be my region.  Who wouldn't?  We communicated for a few weeks and luckily for me, we started our working relationship at the beginning of November, which for me was superb, as there are so many animals that need neutering/sterilizing and castrating, besides medical attention.   

However, my problems are that I don't have anywhere suitable for these operations to take place. Some friends offer their homes, then I am turned away.  With this, I am reluctant to ask further.  It is up to me to find somewhere suitable. Equally I don't have suitable recovery places for doggies for post-op care.  But I am not one to give up, so with careful planning, we decided and agreed that our first session would focus on the needs of the cat. Cat neutering to be precise and this would take place in an open field.  No electricity and no running water. Thankfully, on this particular weekend, the weather was just glorious.  It is surprising what one can do with a gas burner and a pressure cooker.  The day didn't start without any hiccups either.  A person who said would help, wasn't contactable, so that delayed things. But never mind, we managed.  In total, 42 cats were neutered, which is a huge help to control the over population of the furry friends.

https://www.facebook.com/Greekstrays?ref=hl
https://www.facebook.com/Greekstrays/app_362564237108797
http://www.ermioni.info/content/animal-welfare
http://www.ermioni.info/things-to-know/greekstrays-donations