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As the trend of owning a pedigree dog in Greece grew, it was only a
matter of time before somebody decided to set up a 'puppy business'......
Help is urgently needed! The biggest expense is the cost of the kennels to which most of the
dogs have been moved to (16 are in foster homes), followed by veterinary costs, because many
dogs required urgent treatment.
Below is a report about a puppy farm that was recently uncovered near Athens in mid Nov 2009,
from which all animals (mainly dogs, but also a few cats, rabbits etc) were removed, after
being officially confiscated and handed to the Athens based animal welfare society Stray.gr
Please help in any way you can. Stray.gr is a small society with
meagre resources and while the lawyer acting on their behalf (against the 'owners' of the illegal
puppy farm) is not charging for her services, the bill for taking care of the animals is
mounting.
Please consider making a donation!
Although Stray.gr is in a very difficult situation regarding financial matters,
it did not hesitate to take in and care for the animals rescued from puppy farm in Alepochori.
The motivation of this effort
were 58 underfed, dehydrated suffering dogs that were found there, behind the bars of the cages
or kept chained, condemned to a life of neglect and misery and no hope of ever
knowing what it was to have a warm loving home, people to love and care for them....
The animals are now in a safe place, but the people who are responsible for caring for them
need your help. Stray.gr are in urgent need of financial assistance so as they can continue to
give them the care they need and deserve.
To send a donation: it can be sent directly to Stray.gr bank account
NATIONAL BANK OF GREECE
Stray.gr
Bank Account number: 059/296009-54
IBAN: GR9001100590000005929600954
SWIFT BANK (BIC): ETHNGRAA
Alternatively you can make a donation via Paypal to Greek Animal Rescue which will be forwarded
onto stray.gr
Please indicate that your donation is for the appeal by typing 'Puppy farm appeal' in the 'add special instructions to seller' field.
If you are a UK tax payer you can increase your donation by 28% simply by clicking on the Gift Aid logo and completing a declaration form
and returning it to us at the address above.
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Illegal Puppy Farm in Alepochori
Thursday 19/11/2009
About an hour's drive from Athens, the quiet beautiful area of Alepochori hid a very ugly
secret.... a hell-hole puppy farm where 58 dogs were found (and subsequently rescued from)
a terrible situation. They were malnourished and dehydrated, lying on cold concrete floor, often in their own urine.
Apart from dogs, there were several cats, 100 chickens (kept inside a smelly dark shed),
a number of rabbits and even some fish and birds.
Dogs of many breeds, such as Rottweiler, Boxer, Pitbull, German Shepherd, Cocker Spaniel,
Pug, Chihuahua, Pomeranian and Bobtail were imprisoned in these horrible kennels, knowing
that the day of their salvation will only be the day of their death.
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Police support was more than amazing; we were speechless by their politeness and will
to co-operate with us. Today, two police shifts will be supervising the place until noon
tomorrow. They thanked us for bringing to their attention this horrible puppy farm which
they were not aware of,. They not only helped us in the recording of the animals and the
microchip numbers afterwards, but also with feeding and watering them.
Saturday 21/11/2009
On Saturday, November the 21st, after the prosecutor’s decision, 58 dogs, 10 bunnies as well
as chickens of the illegal puppy farm in Alepochori were confiscated and handed to Stray.gr
volunteers of the organisation and a number of other people who were deeply touched by our
urgent call for help came to offer their help in the transportation of the animals to their
final destinations.
The most severe cases were transported to vet clinics while the weakest of the animals were
transferred with great attention and care to a safe place so as to become strong and gain their
lost confidence.
Many 'kennels' had no fencing/doors.
Dogs were kept chained inside, forced to lie in their own
urine.
What is quite impressive is the mobilisation and the interest that a great number of volunteers
have shown as many have offered to foster a dog; within hours, 16 of the dogs were under the
care of foster families.
Among the 58 dogs, there were 2 Pugs that were stolen from their family a year ago.
These two little dogs were the luckiest of the day and they were given temporarily back
to their owner who could not believe that he has actually found his beloved pets.
The Greek justice system is now responsible in deciding the outcome of the case and we believe
and hope that in a few days’ time we will know if the confiscation will be permanent so we can begin
to find new loving homes for the animals. The court case is due to start on the 2nd December.
UPDATE ON COURT CASEJANUARY 2010
On the 13th January 2010, Calliope, the operator of the puppy mill (pictured here on the right smoking) was found guilty on two charges - breeding without a license and torture of animals.
Her defense was that she needed the money but loved the 56 starving and half dead dogs that were seized. She claims that she has dreamed of having a
puppy mill since childhood and was just living out her life's dream. She will be back in court for sentencing but she has already appealed to have the dogs returned
to her.
The dogs seized must be fostered while the appeal process is carried out, which is expected to last between 2 and 4 years. It will be costly
to continue providing care for the animals that were confiscated so please consider making a donation to the appeal!
This was the first trial in Greece for a puppy mill operator and this is the second puppy mill discovered and closed. It is the first GUILTY verdict.
(Her possible sentence is 4 months in jail).
We will continue with updates on this story when they happen so please check back soon!
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Updated: 18th January 2010
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Pet shops have been cropping up all over Greece, especially in the last 10 years
and of course the majority of them sell puppies.