Another Unfortunate Dog in Our Care

Baloo

Oct 2010—One day in May, near the area we call “The Rubbish Dump,” a young, frightened dog appeared, chained to the wall where a local goatherd keeps some of his dogs. We named this new dog Baloo, after the lovable gray bear in “The Jungle Book” by Rudyard Kipling. He was left there without shelter and insufficient food and water, and so he became one of the dogs in our care. Although there have been many reports and complaints filed against the owner by visitors who were appalled by Baloo’s living conditions, so far no action has been taken.

In the summer, Baloo was moved to another wall at a deep pit below the road, where he was meant to bark at the goats or sheep whenever they would come close to the road. Fortunately for Baloo, he is visited by Lamia, co-founder the new local animal society, who gives him food and water and takes him on a walk every other day. He has also been given vaccines and anti-parasitic medicine. Happily, he has visibly improved under her attention and care. Our work is not done until dogs are free from this kind of abusive neglect.

Vressí

Vressi

Oct 2010 — In July 2010, the dog we now call Vressí (which means “hey you”) fell into the hands of a goatherd who is known for neglecting his animals. Vressi was originally owned by another local shepherd who used him to drive cattle, but this shepherd died unexpectedly in the summer and the dog was inherited by the goatherd. Thus Vressi had to adjust to living on a chain all day, all alone, hardly noticed by the passing traffic. During the high season, tourists would stop at the sight of the poor dog and share with him something to eat or drink. Vressi welcomes the daily visits from a volunteer. He has been wormed and vaccinated and is currently under the watchful eye of the local animal society.

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Abandoned Puppies

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Kouros
Zo

Oct 2010 — In September, three tiny puppies were found, abandoned in a parking lot in Katapola. Members of PMAA, the new animal society, took them in and are caring for them. Our new vet Dr. Despoti has given them a check-up and will be vaccinating them as soon as they are ready for them. We would like to find homes for them as soon as possible. In fact, one already has been adopted to someone on Amorgos. The other two (pictured below) will be listed for adoption with our friends in Holland. If all goes well, we hope we will soon be filling out passport applications for the pups to travel to their permanent homes!

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Bios and His Mother

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Bios when he first arrived

Bios and his mother

Bios and his mother

August-September 2010 - During the month of August Bios' mother brought him to the garden of Animal Society co-founder Manolis and left him there. Bios needed immediate attention: swollen belly, infected eyes, parasites, etc. His mother comes back daily to check on him and play with him. One eye was saved and his general welfare is improved immensely.

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Johnny Depp

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September 2010 - This is the story of Johnny Depp. In 2009 when he was a few days old, Johnny Depp  was found in a garbage bin by Vangelizza, one of the founder of Philozoic Merimna Association of Amorgos (PMAA) and a driving force behind the movement and its organization. Named after Vangelizza greatest love, he responded with great enthusiasm to the requirements of his role. He is now a happy member of the  Azi family.

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Pocopico, Greek for "Cheetah" (Tarzan's monkey)

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Pocopico wasfound outside Chora's town hall. He was brought to Sophocles Prekas, one of the founding members of the local animal association, whose reputation for caring is known throughtout the island. Now cleaned, vaccinated and properly nourished, Pocopico is now beginning to enjoy his life and the company of his friends.

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An Affectionate Master

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August 2010 - Animals in general are all too often the victim of their master's cruelty and carelessness. Shepherds in particular are notoriously mean to them. Yet there are exceptions. Here an affectionate master in love with his dog contacted Dr. Vassalakis to treat a tumor growing on the animal's paw.
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The Continuing Work of Dr. Vassalakis

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Summer 2010

Dr. Vassalakis, our traveling vet from Naxos, went to the island of Amorgos three times during the year 2010, to continue his work of sterilization, vaccination and emergency surgeries for the dogs, cats and other animals of Amorgos. He also provided passports to those lucky dogs who were to be adopted in Holland. To prepare a dog for travel outside of Greece, we must micro-chip, vaccinate, and apply for a passport for the animal. All of this adds up to about 350 euros per animal.

On the road, treating a dog with a broken leg

Setting up AZI clinic in Xilokeratidi

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Holland is a Happy Home for Two Amorgos Dogs!

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July 2010 — As many of you may know from earlier updates, two dogs from Amorgos had been relocated to Holland. Here is an update on the lives of these special dogs:

Charley in his bike cart.

Koutcho is now called Charley. He is living the good life with a young couple who generously adopted him after he arrived in Holland in Dec 2009. They could see beyond his lame front leg  and saw the goodness inside. Charley now gets to go travelling all over Holland, when he accompanies his new owner on his business trips. He also loves going out for bike rides in his special bike-cart with his new family. At home he feels safe and loved and has become friends with two fellow cats. A happy ending for a deserving dog.

Fovitziari was a fearful, traumatized dog when we first met him. We worried that being separated from his pal Koutcho would be difficult for him. It turns out that there was no need for concern. He made a lot of progress while being fostered with Mariette, and when she saw that he was relaxing into his new life in Holland, she found a permanent home for him not far from where she lives. Now, “Fozzy” is cherished member of a family and best friends with a teenage autistic boy. The boy and the dog, both with their handicaps, have bonded and seem meant for each other. It turns out that Fozzy loves being the center of attention!

A Couple of Stray Cats in Lefkes

Kokino

July 2010 — This is an update of two stray cats, Kokino and Cyclopina, who live in the area of Lefkes. In June 2010, Kokino had a very serious infection on his head and shoulder. It was so bad that the vet Dr. Vassalakis had to remove part of the skin from his head and shoulders.

At the same time, while he was operating on Kokino’s infection, Dr. Vassalakis took the opportunity to neuter him, in hopes that this will help prevent him from getting into cat fights in the future. A local volunteer kept Kokino indoors while he recovered, as the wound had to be completely closed before he could return to his life outdoors. Cyclopina was so named because of a deep crater on her forehead, which looks like a third eye. Over the years the crater becomes infected, produces a lot of pus, then closes again, only for the cycle to begin again. We have tried many antibiotic creams and pills but so far we have not had any luck in treating her. The problem of course is that Cyclopina is not an ideal patient, as she disappears at times for a few days in a row. The infection has now spread to the eyelids, which is a cause for deep concern.

Too Late

July 2010 — While on her way to visiting a dog named Doulos, Lamia was confronted with two tiny pups. One was dead, the other one dying. Both were covered with ticks and mouth and tongue were white due to lack of blood. Where did those two puppies come from, and how did they get there, in the middle of nowhere? Unfortunately, this is not such an uncommon occurrence. Lamia rushed home with the pup that was still alive. Sadly, it was already too late and within a couple of hours the puppy died.

An Unsolved Mystery

July 2010 — Two dogs, Palavos and Iroas, belonging to a goat/shepherd, were chained at opposite sides of the road to Egiali just outside Chora—Iroas downhill, Palavos uphill. On June 12, 2010, both dogs disappeared. Chains and collars were still there and intact, so they can not have freed themselves. The goatherd is convinced that someone has done this to spite him and the dogs have been killed. He has reported the 'theft' to the police.
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Anna Shares Spaghetti - A Change for the Better!

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Anna and her family visit Amorgos every summer to take a break from their busy lives in the city of Athens. Anna’s mom also believes spending time in Amorgos is a wonderful chance for the children to experience life closer to nature. But in the past, the cats of Amorgos looked so sickly that Anna’s mother would not let her children near them for fear of disease. Now, after three years of AZI’s work in Amorgos, the cats are noticeably healthier. And with that knowledge, Anna’s mom is happy to let little Anna play, feed, touch and hug the cats near their summer home. Anna is pleased to have the opportunity to play with her furry four-legged friends!

Last year, when she was only 1 1/2 years old, Anna shared her bowl of spaghetti with a couple of cats from AZI’s program. This summer, see how much Anna has grown and the cats are happier and healthier too!

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Updates on Dogs

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August 2009 - Though much fewer in number than cats, dogs do not lead a healthier or happier life in Amorgos. Several dogs are kept tethered to a tree or post, completely isolated in very remote areas of the island, subject to mudslides, with no food, water or shelter. Their masters misuse them as shepherd dogs and believe that a mistreated dog responds more efficiently to their needs. They have no idea that properly trained sheep dogs do exist and can perform their duties routinely without having to be tortured and kept isolated. Eight of them, semi-abandoned by their masters, are cared for by Lamia, a very active volunteer. She visits them daily and gives them food and water. Animal Zone has provided wooden dog houses so the animals can have shelter from the weather which can become quite severe in the winter months. But upon visiting them and observing the unhealthy conditions in which they live, it is clear that much more needs to be done.

Let’s take a look at the life of the dogs under AZI’s care. There are some little lights visible in the dark, one only has to make quite an effort to see them and evaluate them. For instance:

The manager of the municipal camping where, thanks to the mayor, we have set up houses for the stray dogs Koutcho and Fovitziari, complained at the beginning of the tourist season about the presence of the dogs. He claimed that they barked so much that the camping guests could not sleep. Luckily, the mayor was not so easily convinced and replied that he would handle any complaint that would come from the camping guests themselves and no sooner. So our two dogs are still living their happy camping-life and even enjoyed some extra attention and/or food from camping guests. Fovitziari, the frightened one, definitely has gained more confidence and courage.

Where most passers-by (in their car or on their motorbike) enjoy the beautiful Amorgian landscape without a second thought for the chained dogs in the view, Vicky, a Greek woman from Athens, while enjoying her holiday on Amorgos, decided to file an official complaint about the situation of those poor dogs she saw chained-up along the road. She had done the same on the island of Karpathos and that case will be brought to court there soon, we hope (after three years!).  However, within 2 days after the complaint was made, the dogs disappeared from their place and were found in a dirty, barren and desolated field, where the shepherd who owns the dogs often ‘parks’ a dog he doesn’t use for a while. Two out of the four dogs there did not have any shade and were forced to endure the burning August sun. When we saw the situation, we improvised some protection for them with some crates and pallets. They could hardly wait until we were finished to crawl into their shady spots.

Mules and Donkey

The other animals of Amorgos that are in need of urgent attention are the mules and donkeys. The European community has called for a census of their population, as it clear to all that their numbers are rapidly dwindling. In Amorgos the mules are typically kept with no shelter and with their legs tied to impede their movement “so that they do not trespass”—the official excuse. In reality, in an effort to obtain some freedom of movement, the animal causes hideous self-inflicted wounds which, if not properly treated, can easily become infected and brings the animal to an untimely death. Carelessness and die-hard habits are the rule. When found sick or of no use, they are abandoned with no food or water.

The EU has a plan offering a census and free assistance for the mules who, at this rate, will soon find themselves on the list of endangered species. The Mayor of Amorgos has so far refused to submit an application for the free program, despite the repeated suggestions of some members of his staff. AZI intends to put pressure to the municipal council to submit an application for this program.

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Dewey, Huey and Louie

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Dewey, Huey and Louie (all female) were found in a garbage can in the area of Rachidi when they were only 1 day (!) old—their umbilical cords were still on them. One of AZI’s volunteers took them in her house and did her best to keep them alive. She followed the veterinarian’s orders on how to bottle-feed them every 2 hours, how to take care of their closed eyes so that they wouldn’t get infected, and how to keep them clean, warm and safe. Her efforts was a big success, as now all 3 cats are now 2 months old, can eat by themselves, and are very healthy, active and playful.

A Mass Murder in June

Aug2009_poisoned_cat1Aug2009_poisoned_cat2 Poisoning is a traditional method adopted by some of the islanders to curb the animal population. During two weeks in June 2009 in a specific area of Xilokeratidi, in the immediate vicinity of a restaurant bearing the name of its owner, a large number of cats were poisoned. Dr. Dimitri Vassalakis, a Naxos-based veterinarian who is part of AZI’s Scientific Committee, investigated the deaths and discovered that a fertilizer was used as poison, which causes a slow and painful death. More than 25 cats died, the majority of them part of AZI’s program. Most of these cats had been treated, sterilized, vaccinated and fed through AZI’s support.

In the past, such an event would be tolerated by the local population. This year it caused uproar. Letters of reprimand were sent to the suspected poisoner (the owner of the restaurant in whose backyard the poison was found and photographed) and the police was alerted. An indictment against an “unknown” was deposited with the Mayor’s office who proceeded to print a flyer which was posted all over the area. What was remarkable is that the Mayor for the first time acknowledged—without naming AZI—the existence of an authorized program of curbing and treating stray animals.

Two more cases of poisoning had occured in the Spring: in Katapola, near the port, approximately 15 cats were poisoned. In Raxidi a small group of cats was eliminated during the month of May.

On August 22, representatives of AZI decided to speak with the owner, who declared himself extraneous to the event. It was explained to him that the association of his name with the nefarious event was not only immoral and useless but could reflect negatively upon his business, in so far as tourists would be discouraged from patronizing a restaurant where poison is handled.. A visible change in tone occurred at this point: the restaurant owner went as far as pledging help towards the future development of AZI. It was made clear to him that for any “cat problem” he may have in the future, he should request the intervention of our vet, Dr. Vassalakis.

It is hoped that this strategy of enlisting former enemies in the workings of a local association for the protection of animals and the environment will yield better results than hostile confrontation.

Dr. Vassalakis visited Amorgos three times from Fall 2008 through Spring 2009. During each visit he vaccinated a vast number of stray cats and neutered a good number of them. A little ‘V’ mark on a cat’s ear signifies that they have received treatment. Compared to previous years and other areas of the island, Dr. Vassalakis’ intervention in the three aforementioned villages has radically improved the situation in those areas.