Stray Souls Ilia

There are places (unfortunately far too rare) where a manageable proportion of strays with appropriate behavior are tolerated by the population.

This does not apply so seriously to cats, as they often benefit people and keep the population of unpleasant rodents under control.

All of these homeless animals need water, food, parasite prophylaxis and, in the event of an accident or illness, veterinary help.

Strays are often most at risk when they get out of hand.
That’s why our goal is to be able to have every newly released animal castrated.

In addition, maintaining health and being free of parasites is important for the acceptance of the population, as many of them are worried that diseases could be transmitted to people.

Since we do not have the opportunity and capacity to take in this immense number of strays/abandoned animals in our small, still far too rare animal protection stations, we also feel obliged to install shelters and feeding stations in their frequently frequented places.

Imagine:

In Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, etc… large, unknown dogs would often inhabit the schoolyards to get a lunch, to sleep in cemeteries or even set up the “toilet”, endanger road traffic, and beg for food in restaurants …

Would the local population be tolerant enough to tolerate this in the long term?

What many people don’t know:
Greece is the country with the highest stray population in Europe.
This also poses major problems for the state and the people.
Especially since these animals are only abandoned by a portion of the population (repeatedly), but they also affect the lives of many.

Despite state castration campaigns and good animal protection laws, the situation has not eased in the past decades, especially in the predominantly rural regions.
There are not (yet) well-run animal shelters or aid organizations across the board like in Central European countries.

What can we do and help to get to the root of the problem:
First and foremost, offer help to the owners of the dogs, to support them with medical care and especially castrations of their dogs and cats, which mostly live outside, and to interrupt this reproductive spiral.

One of our goals is definitely to find new homes for friendly dogs that are compatible with family life.

We know each of these dogs personally, have even lived with them for a certain period of time and can therefore well assess their characteristics, characters and needs in order to find a suitable (!) home for them.
Gladly here in Greece, or abroad.
Our dogs are, of course, age-appropriately neutered, chipped, vaccinated, dewormed and treated against parasites and tested for Mediterranean diseases.

For dogs that are not suitable for adoption due to their characters or previous experiences, we try to find safe places to live here locally.

What is the best animal protection?
Actually any animal that doesn’t even have to be given up or abandoned.
That’s why we strive to provide private pet owners with advice and support in emergency situations and also to provide material support.
Be it with food donations, trips to the vet, shelters to improve the dogs’ living situation, medication, castrations, parasite prophylaxis.
Or the temporary care and support of your animals, e.g. during hospital stays.

Of course, we see it as our duty to help accident, injured or sick animals as much and as best as possible in order to save them further suffering.

First and foremost, the help is that we take you to a competent veterinarian for an examination and diagnosis, x-ray possible car accidents and, if necessary, have an operation, and treat illnesses with medication.
This requires that we have places available for them where they can be separated and recover undisturbed.
An important point here in the south is parasite prophylaxis in order to prevent chronic diseases (transmitted by ticks, sand flies, etc.) from developing in the first place.

Animals can also suffer in shelters if they lack equipment, weatherproof huts, sufficient food and medication, cleaning equipment, disinfectants and (very important in southern Europe) parasite prevention and treatment.

In order to avoid this suffering, it was important to us right from the start to build structures so that the animals entrusted to us would lead as species-appropriate, safe and healthy a life as possible in our care

Without your help and support this would never be possible.

For this reason, there is a permanent collection point for donations in kind on the farm of a club member in Germany/Münsterland:

Brüwer/Schulze
Geitendorf 3
48720 Rosendahl

Food collected there, accessories for dogs and cats, etc. are then transported to us in Greece as regularly as possible by club members or contracted shipping companies.

Of course, donations in kind for our animals can also be made directly in Greece at the respective stations (see map and contact details).

We always need:

– good food for all ages, puppies/adults

– chemical agents to ward off/control fleas, ticks, sand flies and mites

– Worm treatments

– Dog houses

– Transport and flight boxes

– Disinfectant cleaning products, disposable gloves, kitchen rolls, absorbent pads

– Material for repairs, screws, cable ties, (battery) tools, fencing material

Financial support and being able to cover the immense veterinary costs and food requirements are also essential for the survival of the local animals.
For this purpose, we have set up a PayPal and a bank account and are also launching additional calls for donations in emergencies.
We are very grateful for any kind of help.