Aristos is one of  the dozens of strays living in Greece’s capital Athens. He spends the hot summer days and nights  wandering through the streets, trying to find shadow, food and precious water. Aristos had a difficult day today.  He was exhausted and was lying thirsty in a small footpath on water that ran from a building gutter. He was trying desperately to drink from the dripping gutter. 

 Aristos had asthmatic symptoms and a mild heat stroke. He was lucky this time! Animal lovers found him. They splashed some water on him and put a container with fresh water for drinking.

Aristos drank a whole bottle of 1,5 liter! He even went so far to embraced the water container fearing somebody will take the water away. He was so exhausted he needed some time before he would  get a bite from the food.

Only 10 days ago one of the Athens down town stray dogs died of  heat stroke.  Animal lovers hope that soon the Athens Municipality will keep its promise and put the drinkers back. Also they have to be regularly checked for poisoned water.

 Some animal lovers write in their facebook page  that “it  can become tedious to repeat the question. But in Greece, promises are easy and even easier to fail and die. Only constant pressure can bring about change”.

Animal lovers put the blame on Mayor of Athens, who apparently has had the water containers for the strays removed. There are reports that the Athens Municipality does not refill the water containers and municipality workers pick up the water and food bowls placed by animal lovers. 

Animal lovers in Athens are appealing to the Municipality of Athens to reinstall water stations for the strays in Athens. Even though the hot month of August is coming to an end, temperatures are still over 38 degrees C. And apart from summer time,  stray dogs and cats need water all of the time! Please, read the whole appeal in English here

You can join the action and call at the municipality: 

there has been a small change in the contact persons:

Deputy Mayor for Environment and Waste Management Yiorgos Dimopoulos. Tel: +30 210 347 0761-2    

Mr Yiannis Papodemos direct line is 210-372-2181 and 210372 2163

Papodemos speaks English!

You can also send polite e-mails to Mayor Nikitas Kaklamanis   E-mail:  mayor@cityofathens.gr

Be polite and ask them that the water supply for the strays  have to be reinstalled immediately!

Apparently phone calls work better, so if you have the chance better call than sending e-mails.

In the meantime, there is  a new directive issued by the Ministry of Agriculture asking  police stations to investigate all reports of animal abuse, neglect and cruelty. 

Please, share and forward this post! Thank you!