In times of growing insecurity due to the war in the Middle East, pet owners in Greece got very angry to discover that pets are not allowed in the shelters in the case of evacuation and air raids.
On social media they lash out at the regulation and declare they would rather die together with their pets than leave them scared to death behind.
Δεν επιτρέπονται τα σκυλιά στα καταφύγια; Στα @@ μου. Θα κατέβω στο υπόγειο με τη Χιόνα αγκαλιά, κι αν χρειαστεί θα την σκεπάσω με το σώμα μου. Δε φταίνε τα ζώα να υποστούν την κτηνωδία των δίποδων.-
— Thomas Mavrofides 🇵🇸 (@blacktom1961) March 8, 2026
“No dogs in the shelters? Don’t give a dam! I’ll go to the basement with Chiona in my arms, if necessary I’ll cover her with my body. It’s not animals’ fault to suffer for 2-leeged’s brutality.”
Άκου δεν επιτρέπονται τα ζώα στα καταφύγια. Δηλαδή τι; Θα αφήσουμε την Ήρα και θα τρέξουμε να σωθούμε χωρίς αυτήν, ούτε σε εφιάλτη.Θα μείνουμε μαζί όλη η οικογένεια κι ότι γίνει.
— Panagrod (@Panagrod21) March 8, 2026
“Wait, what? Animals are not allowed in shelters. Meaning…we’ll leave Hera and run for our lives without her, not even in a nightmare. The whole family will stay together no matter happens.”
Ε φυσικα ποιος θα αφησει το ζωακι του δεν υπαρχει περιπτωση, νομιζω ειναι κολπο για να μη φανει οτι εχουμε ελαχιστα καταφυγια, εως καθολου
— anthi (@_anthi___) March 8, 2026
“Well, of course, who would abandon their pet? There’s no way, I think it’s a ploy to avoid so it will not be revealed we have very few shelters, if any at all.”
Ελλαδα: Το κράτος που σε αναγκάζει να βάλεις τσιπάκι στα κατοικίδια σου και (προφανώς) να είσαι υπεύθυνος για την ευζωία τους αλλά σε περίπτωση πολέμου δεν σου επιτρέπει να τα πάρεις μαζί σου στα καταφύγια.
— Eleni ® (@akouzaki) March 7, 2026
“Greece: The state that forces you to microchip your pets and (apparently) be responsible for their welfare, but in the event of war doesn’t allow you to take them with you to shelters.”
At the same time, some appear to agree under certain circumstances:
Όταν λέμε ότι δεν επιτρέπονται τα ζώα στα καταφύγια εννοούμε και το όρθιο γίδι τον γείτονά μου; Γιατί αν είναι έτσι συμφωνώ.
— Marrie_Qrie (@marrie_qrie) March 8, 2026
“When we say no animals in the shelters we mean also the ‘standing goat’[Greek expression for ignorant and stupid people] of my neighbor? Because then I agree.
Ε ας μεινουν τα ζωα καλυτερος θαναι ο κοσμος. Τι μαλακιες λες. Σε κανονικες χωρες που ΥΠΑΡΧΟΥΝ καταφυγια υπαρχει και χωρος για κατοικιδια
— το γατί ^..^ ★ (@CatofAthens) March 8, 2026
“Let only animals survice and the world will be better. In normal countries where there a shelters there is also a separate place for pets.”
Animal protection …with limits
In Greece, in Cyprus and several other countries, these shelters are intended exclusively for short, temporary stays of people and their infrastructure is not suitable for hosting animals.
Important information for the protection of pets in an emergency:
Alternative spaces: In case of emergency, pet owners should seek other protected spaces, such as basements, garages or metro stations.
Preparation: It is recommended to have an “emergency kit” for the pet (food, water, health booklet).
At the same time, the Legal framework dictates: Although Greek legislation (Law 4830/2021) strengthens the protection of animals, this mainly concerns the management of pets and strays and their care in times of peace, not entry into emergency shelters.
In the event of an emergency, the Civil Protection planning focuses on the evacuation and protection of citizens, while the care of animals is often left to the responsibility of the owners.
PS another question is: where and how many shelters are in Athens, for example?
POLL: What would you do if you have to evacuate in time of emergency but your pet has no place in a shelter?
Loading ...*thumbnail picture: No, it’s not a frustrated Greek pet onwer not allowed in the shelter with his cat. It is a meme from the times of conspiracy theories 2 decades ago, when a toil foil hat made of aluminum foil was supposed to protect your and your pet’s brain from external threats like mind reading, mind control, or electromagnetic fields.
Who knows, it may protect also from modern warfare missiles…
Is this some sort of poor-taste joke? We all know that there are almost no air-raid shelters in Greece, and the places in them will go to the crooks who run Greece — politicians and possibly some billionaire friends. Although it is certain that pets will not be allowed in the few shelters, we can be sure that their principal occupants will be animals rather than civilized human beings.
I couldn’t vote, partly because I don’t have a pet but mostly because I’m certain there are no shelters anywhere near me.
PS An Aluminium foil hat will protect your pet from mind reading BUT it has to completely enclose the head. You would need to wrap the whole cat in foil or cut its head off and put that in a closed metal enclosure.
“I’ll stay home with them” 64% !!!!
50 cats, 5 geese, 1 dog… i stay too. Same dilemma in case of fire. Well, not really a dilemma, I made my choice a long time ago. But I’m glad to see this majority !