claimed that the microchips carried by the dogs were German, and that this was illegal. In the end, even a visit to the toilet could only be made in the presence of the police."

Through TV and press, Garagouni continues to attempt to systematically destroy good-cause operations of animal groups in Greece by giving false impressions about the fate of the rescued and transported animals. She claims that these animals are sent to north and west Europe for fur and experimentation. Greeks are generally very patriotic in nature and for the sake of pride prefer to believe stories like Garagouni's that twist truths to their favour. They are not happy that the rest of the world cite them as cruel to their animals, resulting in mistreated dogs and cats being transported to "safe" countries, like Holland, Belgium, Germany, UK and USA. Garagouni plays on Greek jingoism to claim that she is doing the right thing for Greek animals. However, when these animals are stopped by her and the authorities from leaving the country, the rescue groups have no choice but to return them back to the streets, leading to ultimate starvation and death.

In the case of the 58 unwanted dogs from Crete, Garagouni has seriously upset what should have been a straight forward exportation of properly micro-chipped and vaccinated animals from Greece to new homes in Germany. They are now stranded in Athens and are not allowed to continue their journey. As Arche Noah Kreta say, "These dogs are legally the property of our charity on Crete, until they are handed over to their future owners in Germany!"

See below for a further statement by Arche Noah Kreta and also details where you can send protest letters to.

To read the full story about Greece and their strays read the LGGN special feature:
Pride, Poison and Prejudice around the Parthenon

A Statement from Arche Noah Kreta as from March 1st 2005

There are no legal grounds for stopping our vehicle:

All the animals, amongst them many puppies which have been brought up by private supporters of our charity in their own homes, would have a secure and good home to go to in Germany. Their fate in Athens is uncertain. According to the latest information, the animals are to be taken to a big Greek animal pound.

At present, a German journalist (from the Bild-Zeitung) is accompanying the Pyromane and our three drivers, Anna from Paleochora, Gaby and Steve Hoffmann. Despite hour-long telephone conversations, no conclusion had been reached on Sunday.

According to our lawyer the whole procedure is – even in Greece – illegal, because it took place within the country and not on its border to another country. Apart from this fact, we are obviously deeply concerned about the welfare of the animals in our care. The drivers Steve, his girlfriend Gabi, and Anna, who accompanied them to help tend the animals, will try to at least stay near them. However, they were so far only allowed to attend to the dogs once. In the meantime, accompanied by the police, they have arrived in an "animal home" in Athens, where the dogs were unloaded.

Furthermore, Mrs. Garagouni has, under the pretence of being an official, taken possession of all our transport papers (statutory declaration, legal certificate and a letter of support from the German Embassy in Athens). As in the past, she justifies her actions by claiming that we want to sell the animals for animal experiments, and thus violate Greek animal protection laws.

We ask all animal lovers to act together, and to bring the Greek authorities to adhere at last to their own laws, and to stop the dubious actions of those opposed to animal welfare!

UPDATE 16 MARCH 2005 - please follow this link to the Arche Noah Website for full details of the lastest updates with this story. The situation has become critical - PLEASE help us by writing to any or all of the people listed - sample letters supplied. It will only take a few minutes of your time and could help save lives........

The future of countless strays in Greece depends on Arche Noah's success in securing the release of the 58 dogs and this is why we must all give them our full support. To add insult to injury, the kennelling costs are being charged to Arche Noah at 580€ PER DAY - money which should be used for the rescue and care of other needy animals on Crete. It's an absurd situation and one which must be resolved as soon as possible. Pass this information far and wide; PLEASE continue to bombard the authorities with emails and faxes, write to your Euro MP, the newspapers etc. The situation really is VERY serious, which you will see from Arche Noah's update below.

If you send a fax or mail please let us know, so the mails and faxes will not disappear, but we can also inform you what is going on in Athens. info@dierenhulpzondergrenzen.com

Anna Pouliou wrote this letter to the Ministry of Agriculture in Athens in response to
this incident:

Dear gentlemen,
I am sending you the below letter and I sign it myself as I agree with its contents. It is worth to note that the extent to which our country is rendering itself ridiculous outside its borders is very worrying. The total lack of state animal welfare and the low educational level of the modern Greek citizen (the unfortunate has been left at this level by the greek state), which combined together result in a national barbaric situation in the forms expressed in the below letter, are shocking. Were the olympics eventually all about some bouzouki show and nothing else? As a greek citizen and lawyer living abroad, I am ashamed of my own country and stopped saying that I am greek. Despite "our bright past", let's admit that other nations went far above us. Will the greek authorities ever wake up? Let me remind you of the saying : "the behaviour of a nation towards the animals reflects the level of its civilisation". We should all feel ashamed!   

Kind regards, Anna Pouliou