I was swimming at Kavouri on Saturday afternoon when I was a big, short haired, stray black dog nearing the beach. He stood for a minute, sniffed around and walked carefully in the shallow waters. He did a few careful steps on the sliding stones under the water. When he found a place he felt he was safe, he simply sat in the water. He didn’t swim, he just stood there for a couple of minutes with only the head outside the water. Then he rose on his legs and slowly and carefully walked out of the cool sea. I was waiting him to shake the water off his fur. But much to my surprise he didn’t.
He just took his way back. While we were leaving the beach a couple of hours later I saw the dog near a group of private guards and policemen securing a hotel. I am sure somebody would offer him a piece of food, a bowl of fresh water. He was old and lucky enough to reside near the sea and know how to take advantage of it during the hot summer days. The black dog was lucky in his unluck to be born as stray.
However not all of his stray colleagues can share the luxury of the black stray dog: food, water, cool swim. Especially those living in the city, the city of Athens. A place where stones are melting and the asphalt is boiling. A forest of cement trees absorbing the summer heat and striking it back with a powerful force. The high temperatures combined with smog create a dreadful cocktail for the residents of the city of Athens. Many people suffer and if they are poor they can take shelter in air conditioned places, provided by the Athens Municipality.
empty water & food facilities
Water for Strays in Athens
Lat year the story of Aristos made it through the internet world.Aristos, a stray dog with asthmatic symptoms and slight heat stroke was saved at the last minute by animal lovers when they found him trying desperately to drink water form a dripping gutter.
For another stray dog, Stavros, famous among the Athens strays, every help came too late. He had died out of dehydration in the National Gardens.
Last year we had an action of e-mails and phone calls to the then Mayor of Athens to provide water to the strays through the many water places that were standing empty. Nikitas Kaklamanis ignored the desperate calls of the animal lovers. Kaklamanis was replaced by Giorgos Kaminis who won the Municipality elections of November 2010. The new major disappointed many animal lovers right away through some statements showing he doesn’t give a dam for the stray population in his city.
Animal lover and active supporter of strays Moly Mason wrote in her renewed appeal to the Major:
In the soaring heat of the summer months this facility MUST be provided in all areas of the city, without this , animals lives are at risk. Many caring residents and traders in the city have taken it upon themselves to provide drinking bowls but the fact is that there are large areas where there is no provision. The municipality in 2003 turned off the water supply to the water troughs provided by public donation and this has never been reinstated.
Athens municipality excuse has always been the possibility that water will be deliberately contaminated by those intent on willful poisoning BUT this possibility has never been addressed with education or enforcement of the law, posters, warnings or prosecutions.
By denying street animals access to a water supply , the municipality inaction does nothing but ADD to risk of death via dehydration, and heat stroke.
Therefore, we call again for an e-mail action, before it will be too late for the stray dogs and cats living in the Athens municipality!
E-mails can be sent to :
mayor@cityofathens.gr
also – telephone +30 210 5277077 or -76 or send email copy to press@cityofathens.gr
Be polite and request that the water supply for the strays MUST be reinstalled immediately!
Apparently phone calls work better, so if you have the chance PLEASE DO THIS and follow up with an e-mail!
Be the voice of the voiceless, now! Tomorrow may be too late!
Please, share, crosspost and forward this post, let as many people know about the situation and send e-mails.
Very good initiative! We even have some extra water bowls outside for the birds. They also suffer.
And don’t, please don’t forget to keep an eye out for your own pet. Make sure they are drinking enough and keep them out of the sun! Don’t take them with you in the car these days and make sure to keep them cool by cooling their head, nose and ears down with a damp cloth once in a while.
I forgot this aspect of protecting pets from the heat~ Thanks!
dont forget the strays they need us!!!! good idea to bring them water, they should not starve nor die from thirst!