Marilyn’s World

Ο Γιωργάκης

Γεια σας,
Με λένε Γιώργο και με παράτησαν στο δρόμο στην εθνική μας εορτή (28 Οκτωβρίου) όπου παραλίγο να με πατήσουν τα αυτοκίνητα. Τώρα μου μένει μόνο να βρω μια καλύτερη κατάσταση για τον εαυτό μου. Ακούστε λοιπόν…….Είμαι ένα υγιέστατο ημίαιμο λαμπραντόρ 3.5 μηνών και είμαι πολύ παιχνιδιάρης. Θα γίνω μεσαίου μεγέθους. Δεν μπορώ να μείνω με τους ανθρώπους που με βρήκαν οπότε θα σας ήμουν ευγνώμων ακόμα και για φιλοξενία. Περιμένω νέα σας.

Σας ευχαριστώ
Γιώργος

Hello my name is George and I was dumped on the street on the day of our national holiday (28th October) where I was so lost I almost got hit by the cars. I have no choice but to find myself a better situation. So here goes………….. I am a 3.5 month old labrador mix puppy and am very playful. I will be a medium sized dog. I cannot stay with the people that saved me so I would be as grateful for a foster home as I would be for a permanent one. I am waiting to hear from you.

Thank you
George

If indifference is a crime,
what characterises those who prevent us caring for animals?

Dear families and friends of the animals,

If you believe that every EU citizen has the right:

-         To adopt a stray animal from the street or from an animal welfare organisation,

-         To pick up an animal from the street in order to find the family who lost it or to find somebody to adopt it,

-         To be allowed to own more than two dogs and cats,

-         To be allowed to travel with all his animals

Then join with us and lend your voice in support of those rights.

The Greek Ministry of Rural Growth and Food, is trying to deprive EU citizens of these rights  by publishing a circular which deliberately misinterprets both Greek and European law and provides misleading directions to the relevant authorities.

Help us support these self evident rights and participate in our protest campaign entitled “CONDEMNED BY YOU; SAVED BY ME.”

All you need do is send a photo of yourself with your animals, with your hand  raised in greeting, as shown in the example. The uniform pose will confirm the moment in time and the aim of our photographs.

Thus we will prove that our adopted Greek animals live happily with their families, despite claims to the reverse by those who wish them to remain on the streets to die.

Send us your photographs by e-mail to:  protest@pfo.gr

I proudly present to you the MCR (Mouse’s Cat Rescue)!!!!!!!!!

Why Mouse’s Cat Rescue of all names for a rescue project?!!! This project is dedicated to the only animal that I have tragically lost in the hope that helping other cats will keep his memory alive. This is dedicated to Mouse, a beautiful soul who left me too soon due to a tragic mistake on my part. He knows that I am sorry and I know that he has forgiven me. Therefore this is the beginning of a big project in his memory and all help is welcome!!!!

What is the Goal of the MCR

The MCR is primarily interested in spaying and neutering all cats in Benitses Corfu and Kifissia Athens. In addition medical help and vaccination will be given to all cats that are in need.

The situation in Benitses is beyond imaginable. Currently around my house in my neighborhood alone there are 5 mothers (2 are sick) and they each have an average of 4 kittens. Most of the kittens (now around 3 weeks old to 2 months old) have herpes conjunctivitis in their eyes and I am currently treating them with topical antibiotics in the hope that they will not lose them. Unfortunately I alone do not have the funds to even begin a program such as this, therefore I have begun looking for funding. I am also looking for any advice or information that you think may be of help to me as this is something that needs planning and organization and especially FUNDING.

Please feel free to contact me via e-mail (that you will find in my profile) if you think that you may have something to offer (even ideas are welcome at this point).

For more information in this project please visit www.mousescatrescue.com

There is even a scientific name for it……..HAC (Human Animal Conflict). The HAC describes the worrying rise in animal attacks on humans and is a field of science that is growing with demand.

It has been reported in the Daily Telegraph’s article ‘Mad Cows (and livid lambs)‘ and in the Greek newspaper TA NEA in their article ‘Τα ζώα παίρνουν το αίμα τους πίσω‘ that animals are taking revenge on humans by their increasing number of attacks on them for everything that humans have put them through.

How does this make me feel? There have definitely been documented attempts of revenge on humans by animals, however, I feel that it is important not to assume that the whole animal community of this planet is planning revenge on the human species (although in my mind they should!!!!!).

This phenomenon can be explained although it is important to previously categorize animals and the types of attacks on humans. It is dangerous to generalise so much as this could lead to great misunderstanding and increased levels of fear towards animals.

The wild animals that live in groups are, in my opinion, overexposed to human greed and brutality and have suffered greatly as a result for many many years. I believe it to be true that many of the animals, that are now adults, lived a childhood witnessing brutal killings of their families or stress due to lack of land or food. They suffered a lot of stress and disruption leading to distressed adult minds that recognise humans to be the source of their pain. ” When you see reports of elephants running into crops or attacking people, they’re highly stressed,” and “there are multiple stressors - violence, lack of food, lack of water; their families are being broken up; their society is collapsing. All of these things are human-derived.”

I also believe that wild animals have been living too closely to humans for a number of years which gives them the ability to observe and understand us better but also to realise what we can offer them.

When it comes to domestic animals I think that the story is very different though. As far as domestic animals are concerned I can say with confidence that problems arise due to lack of knowledge of their natural behaviour and ethology and lack of their specific needs being met. This is where anthropomorphism is taking place, not when discussing wild animals that have blatantly had enough of the long years of abuse.

People are still not realizing that cats and dogs are descendants of wilder animals and that they are not humans and cannot be treated as such without severe consequences. Pet violence against humans is, therefore, for the most part, human derived as I guess is also the violence shown by the wild animals!!!!!!! Draw your own conclusions!!!!

Πανελλήνια Φιλοζωϊκή Ομοσπονδία

Ερμού 118,Αθήνα-ΤΚ 10554,Τηλ.210 6753533,info@pfo.gr,www.pfo.gr

People wonder why he is still with me. Sometimes so do I!!!!! He has caused such upheaval in my life that, I will not deny, has been very challenging. There have been days when I have gone as far as to put adds looking for a new home for him. I knew that he wasn’t going anywhere though.
Tommy came into my life long before I adopted him. He was roaming the streets of my neighbourhood for 3 years pior to attaching himself to me, probably checking out the ins and outs of his future home. Actually he first attached himself to Nin running directly at us when he got the slightest clue as to our whereabouts on the street. He would come whining and crying as he galloped towards us. We would walk together and play together and he would finally end up outside our house leaving only after he had made sure that we wouldn’t come out again. Towards the end of his stray life he had actually started coming up to our front door at random times and pawing it while whining to get his friend out to play with him.
One day it was heard amongst the doggy world of Kifissia that someone had viciously poked the eye out of one of the stray dogs!!! Not knowing who it was I asked around and found out that it was Tommy. I felt sick to my stomach and although wanted to go and see him feared that I would only upset him if I showed up at the vet clinic he was held at. His eye was removed and closed up and then he was left out on the street again. I found him as thin as ever (as they don’t feed the strays properly at the vets so that they don’t dirty their cage!!!) roaming the once familiar streets while bumping into cars. His eye still had stitches and noone had bothered to take him for them to be removed and was, therefore all swollen and sore.

I took one look at Nin and said ’should we?’ and he clearly replied ‘Yes’ so he came to live with us. Life instantly became more complicated. I never thought that there was a difference between owning one dog and owning two. Suddenly you are an attraction on the streets, access is denied where it otherwise was clear, and you feel a lot less powerfull once they start lunging at other animals etc……

Tommy had a lot to learn. He had to learn to relax and enjoy life with out being so uptight all the time. He was scared and insecure and had to learn to trust me. He clearly wanted to say goodbye to street life, though, and so he was very co-operative.

Things Tommy has learnt (after a lot of hard work on my part and many many sets of essential oils for the release of trauma):

1. You can sleep through a whole night without jumping in your sleep
2. When a face comes close to you and touches you it feels good and you don’t need to back away (kiss)
3. Being on a leash provides security
4. You don’t need to worry about food and water
5. You don’t need to grab the food that is being given to you
6. You can walk through another dog’s territory without getting attacked
7. You can hold your bladder for a lot longer than expected
8. There is peace and quiet
9. There is play
10. There is love
11. One needs to sit to be given things
12. Rules, bounderies and limitations (Cezar Milan)
13. You can exist with one eye
14. There is a better life
15. Life is carefree
16. It isn’t allowed to chase cats ( a little too late unfortunately (future post))

It has taken 4 very eventful, stressful, and long months for Tommy to learn all of the above and to begin to relax and enjoy life. Such is the trauma of an abused ex-stray of Greece. Rehabilitation will be long, as he is nowhere near balanced yet. But there is light. I never believed with the amount of damage that he has suffered that he would make so much progress so soon.

I always believed him to be special and this thought is what has stopped me from sending him away. He has come with a lesson. A serious and important lesson for me and although I had to pay a severe price (the loss of my beloved cat to his jaws) I know that there will be a reason.

This is for you Tommy. I am finally ready to embrace you wholeheartedly and to accept you as my own. We are sticking together for better or for worse. I love you.

Για όσους δεν βλέπουν: Στις 28 Οκτωβρίου, το Stray.gr και το Coffeecatz, διοργανώνουν συναντηση για καφέ και φαγητό. Τα έσοδα θα διατεθούν για τους αδέσποτους σκύλους και γάτες που αναλαμβάνουμε σε όλη την Αττική. Ελάτε να γνωριστούμε, να φάμε και να πιούμε, συζητώντας τις ιδέες μας για να βοηθήσουμε καλύτερα τους αγαπημένους μας άστεγους τετράποδους.

Τιμή εισόδου: 15 Ευρό και Ώρα 12:00

Λεωφόρος Δημοκρατίας 90, Αγ. Ανάργυροι (απέναντι απο την αστυνομία, δίπλα στην Αlpha Bank). Δείτε χάρτι παρακάτω
Τηλ: 6981 593 946

For those of you who don’t read Greek: On the 28th October 2007 stray.gr and Coffeecatz (2 large animal welfare organisations), are organising a meeting for coffee and lunch. The money will go towards the stray animals of Athens. Come to eat, drink and discuss ideas for more efficient action regarding the strays with like minded people.

Price: 15 Euros
Time: 12:00

Place: Leoforos Dimokrateias 90, Ag Anargirous (opposite the police station, next to Alpha Bank). See the map below.
Tel: 6981 593 946