After the Olympics Were Over
February 2005


Pre-Olympic Promises....Post Olympic Reality

The Greek authorities and their PR machine managed to convince the international media that stray dogs would be taken care of during the Olympics by placing them in specially organised shelters. It was claimed that after the Olympics the sterilised and vaccinated dogs would be released back to 'their natural environment' (their description and a somewhat inappropriate one if we are talking about the streets of Athens!!). Nobody has been able to discover the exact number of dogs who were actually collected and kennelled, or even an approximate number, but it is irrelevant whether it was a few hundred or even a couple of thousand (unlikely, unless there are kennels nobody knows about). What matters is how many dogs were 're-released' after the Olympics, where they were released to and of course, how many are still alive today.

The tongue-wagging continues

The allegations against several Greek and 'foreign' animal welfare organisations which help animals in Greece and the malicious lies, claiming that thousands of dogs are being sold abroad for vivisection and fur trade, are still circulating widely. Despite the wealth of evidence that rescued dogs from Greece (and some cats too) are re-homed with caring families in Germany, Holland, Switzerland, Denmark, UK and one or two other countries, the 'rumours' persist. There are certain individuals who

are obsessively determined to make it as difficult as possible to get stray dogs, living in appalling conditions, out of Greece and into good homes. They claim to have the animals' welfare at heart, but they haven't been able to prove (with evidence - not mere words) that anybody is exploiting or selling Greek animals for financial gain. They appear to be driven by an intense dislike of foreigners and their proclamations are peppered with racist comments. They also harbour a deep resentment towards anybody they consider is 'slandering' their country. Most of those making the unfounded claims are not actively involved in animal welfare and have little if any practical experience in caring for stray animals.
Banner - Greece Wins Olympic Gold For Cruelty to Animals
They are nothing more than self proclaimed authorities in the field. It is worth mentioning that the majority of Greek animal welfare workers are only too pleased to co-operate with animal welfare organisations abroad, as they realise that by re-homing animals in other countries they are able to help more animals in their own.

 

GAR Contact:  Email:info@greekanimalrescue.com  Voice: +44 (0)20 8203 1956  Fax +44 (0)20 8202 8809
Address: 69 Great North Way, Hendon, London NW4 1PT

Revised: 28 May, 2002,  Updated:   2 March, 2005 , Webmaster: Wendy Pain, Please contact GAR if you discover any broken links etc