A Greek Stray dog's life

A Greek stray dog’s life in the streets is nothing more than a slow and agonizing sentence to suffering… With the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, my country realized that it is facing an uncontrollable stray population problem that had to be “swept clean” in order not to disgrace its image… A population control program commenced and as the law states “stray dogs will be sterilized and then released back to their natural environment”… In which civilized part of the world are the streets considered as the natural environment of a dog???? A Greek stray dog’s average lifespan is 2 years…. 2 years of survival not living. Conventional shelters exist, they all suffer from great lack of funds and volunteers and are all outnumbered from the dogs in need… the few left with the will to sustain such shelters are acting way beyond their limits in order to make ends meet. Enthusiastic volunteers come but mostly leave as this physiological trip is overwhelming… A dog’s place is in a home, not in the streets nor in a shelter….the shelter is just a “click” better than the streets it offers the dogs a safe haven, I see this everyday in the eyes of the dogs I leave behind me when I close the shelter doors… they are all longing to follow me and they are devastated that the few humans they interact with have to go.  Next time you see a dog lying by the street don’t just walk away…. Remind yourself that you can make the difference, DON’T BUY a dog, ADOPT a shelter dog, SUPPORT an animal welfare association, SPREAD the word, they will be waiting patiently… there is no wonder that they are considered the most loyal and unconditional loving creatures of all…