Hi all,
Just seeing if there is any interest out there:




so we went on holiday last week to Santorini in Greece.
As some of you might now the street dogs there are a bit of a tourist attraction. well the truth is they poison most of them at the end of the tourist season.

So here I let my heart speak over my brain and I decided to adopt a puppy that was getting beaten on the street and attacked by all the others. I meet someone who makes it all possible to take him with back to CH and of we go.

we arrive at the airport tho and they see he is to heavy to take into the cab with us and to young (3 months or so the vet guessed) to be put below decks.

So now I paid for all his shots etc etc and he is better of than before but I had to leave him at the vet as he could not come with. all in all a good choice as he would have been to big for the appt after more and more consideration. But the sad truth is he will be adopted and left again unless I decide soon to have him flown over ( 140 Euros) .

So is anyone here maybe looking for a dog? It is a setter mix and will be rather large.
My goal was to have him be the restaurant dog but that deal fell through last minute.

I just feel so sad for the damned mud being there and am even considering moving to a bigger place just to have him here. His name is Ouzo (greek drink)

Nothing is stupid regarding saving animals. It was a very nice thing to do. A bit rash but not stupid

My advice is to bring him here regardless. I guess that if he is raised in a flat from a puppy, he will be fine even if it seems to be too small for him. And anw you dont know how large he is going to be since he is a mix. We thought Whiskey was going to be pretty big but in the end he stayed quite small even if he had huge paws. And you can take him for a run in a park anyday

you did something good actually.

following your heart is never stupid

That's a great looking pup. With a lot of interesting character and smarts. I would love to have him if our place wasn't too small for us. I love spunky muts.

Good luck to the pup!

I know, well he is better off than before but I have been feeling so bad about it, knowing its faith.

ughhhhh still debating (with the fiance) to have him brought over or not....

Have him over. She will love him!

Do it - you'll only be kicking yourself for the rest of your life, wondering what happened to him.

I know, but it would be soooo much work, he was already chewing on everything (cause he is a pup i know) and with our workschedules she would have to watch him the whole evening and night.....and she is not up for that.... . if I had the restorant it would have happened as he would have stayed with me all day......

Not true

The hard work will be toilet training him and thats for a couple of months or so. What we did with Whiskey when we first got him and had to leave him alone was confining him in a room with no furniture but with some toys to chew so he wasnt damaging anything. He had the cats for company though but im sure that as long as he has something to keep him occupied he will be ok. And he definetely did not need watching all evening. Whiskey was playing quietly with his toys in the living room when we were in the flat. Very well behaved mutt. Now im sitting on the floor and he is asleep with his head on my lap

Just bring him as a wedding gift..

How old does he have to be to fly as accompanied baggage or cargo? Maybe 4 months? That's not a long wait. Plus his b-day is only approximate since nobody knows.

If you live in a small apartment, that's not an issue for the dog. You just have to make sure he gets a long enough walk each day to be properly exercised and socialized.

Have you ever owned a dog before or raised a puppy? That's another consideration. If you've never had a dog before, his energy levels, especially in puppy hood, may be difficult for you to handle.

Regardless, the bond you will share with this dog will be something to treasure for a lifetime.

Sadly the downside of holidays in Greece (and many other places) is the pathetic condition of dogs and cats.

Essentially animals are not neutered and breed like fury in the tourist season when restaurants have plenty of scraps and die of starvation in the winter. Santorini is probably a year round resort with the cruise liners calling.

You're a softy and good on you for that. In the end one dog out of millions will make little difference...

Sorry, but I totally and wholeheartedly disagree with this statement. It may not make a difference on the whole, in terms of numbers of stray animals and the problems they present, but imagine the difference in quality of life that you're making for this particular pooch.

This pup was the runt of the streets and likely to die off in the near future. Instead, he'll get to experience love and compassion, food, water and shelter and, above all, trust. I personally commend OP for taking the initiative in doing something that feels right. Too often we can't walk the talk, although it only takes half of a month's rent, if that.

I see where you're going with that, though. The problem of stray animals is something that should be humanely addressed by the/a government, not the sporadic sentiment of passerby tourists.

Most of the dogs there are neutered. there is a lady that does just that and feeds them in the summer. tourist and restaurants donate her money. It unfortunately is a ghost island in the winter and they are poisoned for that reason (they get aggressive for food)

I do currently have one dog in the apartment that comes from the shelter here in CH (chihuahua mix) and have several dogs in Belgium ( with the parents) so experience is no issue. I am gonna reopen the discussion with the fiance I guess.

Also I hope it wouldn't be an issue with the gerance (locating agency) top have 2 dogs......

You definitely didn't do anything stupid.

If anything, bringing him over here he will have a FAR better chance of being decently re-homed........ and you still get the satisfaction that you did something good.

I say - see the deed through.


However, it's too much of a tough call to say you shouldn't have done anything at all, as only you know what prompted you to save him.

I have a mate here who has a dog he got from the streets in Costa Rica, and I have to admit, he's a loyal little bastard !!! .... I'm pretty jealous of that actually.

Sometimes the right dog is harder to find than the right restaurant (if you know what I mean).

Best of luck with whatever you decide......... and nobody should judge you for trying
(It's already more than what most people would do)

2 Dogs ya reckon ????

Dunno if I could give a chihuahua the credit of being a "full dog"


Debate that you will have 1.2 dogs

judging by his behavior and trouble he makes it would be 2.5 dogs haha

Good on ya for caring, Anthony.

It's very easy to let your heart rule your head when you suddenly come face to face with the suffering that goes on in countries where attitudes to animal welfare are different than our own. I've done the same; one look at what went on in a Spanish killing station and I suddenly had an extra collie in the car. It was not the most sensible thing I've ever done, but it turned out to be one of the very best.

I know the stats, I know that in the big picture there are perhaps other more effective approaches. But it's the old starfish story: "Until there are none, rescue one."

Now - bringing a dog over is a big commitment. Before going further you need to decided if you are indeed able to make that commitment, wholeheartedly. That is a decision you, your girlfriend, and of course Tank have to think through carefully.

If you decide to bring this dog over, you should do so with the intention of providing him with a forever home. If you can't give him a home yourself, before you bring him over you should first speak with a Swiss rescue to find out if a place is available for him. I say this because some rescues may have policies in place that would make it difficult. In any event before bringing him over, make absolute certain he has a place to go.

Why not speak with the shelter Tank came from, and ask their advice?

If you decide that you cannot bring him to CH now, perhaps you might contact Greek Animal Rescue (http://www.greekanimalrescue.com/index.htm ) - I don't know them myself, but this is a group some of my UK friends have worked with, and about whom I have heard good things. I have no idea if they are anywhere close to where 'your' dog is (rubbish at geography, sorry) but even if they are too far away perhaps they can advise you as to how you can best help, given that they have local knowledge.

Another thing you might consider: if you can find him a place with a good rescue in Greece, could you take this dog on as a sponsor?

I've gone this route. Given my neighbors , I cannot adopt any more dogs while I am living here. Nonetheless I want to keep on helping dogs in need in a more personal way than general rescue work - so I have decided to directly sponsor a few dogs who have particularly tugged at my heartstrings. These dogs may stay at the rescue as long as necessary - I pick up the cost of their care. Not all rescues have a sponsorship scheme, but you might ask.

ETA:

I just remembered that the lovely lady who used to sit for my mutts was once a volunteer with a Greek rescue - I'll see if I can find out more, and get back to you...

ETA 2:

Found this group in Santorini - is this the one you mentioned? Seems they mostly practice catch and castrate, the shelter is only for dogs too ill to be released - but perhaps a source of advice if you haven't already contacted them.

http://www.sawasantorini.org/

Wishing you, and most importantly the little pup - all the best. Whatever happens, good for you for trying to help.

I don't think you did something stupid!!

Our Liza is a rescue dog from Athens and we got her over this volunteer based Initiative

http://www.repage1.de/member/tier-sucht-dich

They are alike the lady you mentioned, they collect the dogs from the streets, get them vaccinated and neutered and try to find homes for them.

Maybe you could get in touch with Patty ( who set up the website) and she might be able to help you with some stuff/information etc on how to get the pup to CH.....Patty is German and speaks German and English but not french , or not vey well

HTH and also Hope you will in the end succeed !

sylv

So on holiday if some little old lady comes up to me begging for food/money I should explain to her that while I would like to help, on average I wouldn't actually be making a difference so I'm afraid she's on her own?

makes me think of this story http://andrew-ong.com/2008/02/06/the...-a-difference/