theinsideandout.com

26 June 2009

We have arranged with another local rescuer to pick up an abandoned puppy near the village of Tripoli, approximately 2 1/2 hours form Athens.  This is a town in the center of the Peloponnese which also happens to be very near the small village where my great grandfather raised his family and my grandfather, and the old home still exists.  So we decide to venture down, pick up the puppy, visit another dog that had been adopted through Anastasia and the local animal welfare organization she belongs to in Patras, and visit the old family home site.

The home is very old and no one has lived there for some time, so there is a local couple who has been keeping an eye on it and has been somewhat of a caretaker for the property.  So, we’ve needed to make arrangements with them to see the house in advance and were able to coordinate the rescue of this puppy and the home visit at the same time.

When we arrive in Tripoli, Maria, the woman who has rescued the puppy, meets us to guide us into the village of Partheni, which is a few km away.  We arrive there shortly and Christofilis, the caretaker, is waiting at the bottom of the village for us.  It is an idyllic scene, this small village nestled in the hillside and the old man standing at the road.  It is difficult to think that these places are so often the ones where much of the animal welfare issues are so grave.

Maria transfers the rescued puppy to us, we thank her and say goodbye and follow Christofilis into the village for a glimpse of my family heritage.  After a visit to the home, we sit for coffee with Chrisofliis and his wife Kouila at their home, hear some neat stories and memories about my family from them, and also talk about why I am in Greece now.  It seems that the concept of animal welfare is lost on them, even though they are dear, sweet, caring people.  This is common with the older generations of Greeks.  Hope lies with the young people of Greece, but even so, we distributed some educational literature about positive health impacts of living with dogs that will hopefully reach the minds and hearts of older folks as well.

We head up to the other side of Partheni to a village called Steno to visit Chili, a German Shepherd mix adopted out last year to a couple in the village.  Adoption to Greek families is rare, most dogs are rehomed overseas, to Germany and the UK primarily, so this is an exceptional experience.  The little puppy we have will be on her way to a home in Germany on Tuesday.

Chili is doing great and has another shepherd mix named Gina as a sibling.  They have a wonderful fenced area and a young couple who seems to take really great care of them.  This is a heartwarming scene, one of the success stories that gives me hope for change in Greece.