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Rescue in Crete

Sam Wilson is a volunteer at https://www.facebook.com/GeorgeShelterCrete/ She is a former police inspector with Nottinghamshire, England police. She served on the force for 30 years and retired in September 2020. A week later, she flew to Crete, Greece to volunteer with George Orfanidis and his George Stray Dogs organization. Sam’s plan was volunteer for four weeks, improve her Greek language skills, and then return home. The return-home part of her plan became complicated. Her time there inspired her to book three additional flights to Crete over the following two months, with more planned in the future. Sam now has a very long commute to work and works side by side with George.

George Stray Dogs was founded by George Orfanidis, who has devoted more than 20 years to rescuing and caring for dogs and bringing about positive change for animals by changing people’s minds and hearts through education. George houses 100 dogs at his shelters, which lack electricity and water supply. Every day, without fail, he drives the 70 km round trip bringing water and food to the dogs.

Animal welfare is not a priority in Greece. There are estimated to be 8 million stray dogs and cats in the country. They are routinely abandoned in the rubbish, in the mountains, and on the street. Some dogs are chained to barrels for the length of their lives, with little food and fresh water, and riddled with ticks, fleas, and worms.

George has been reliant on his fellow Greeks for donations for food for veterinary medicine, but Greece has been in recession for a long time. Many of the people who care about animal welfare have little money to give. The struggle for funding was somewhat alleviated when Australian animal activist Stella Savvas set up the organization’s Facebook page. George has also received various volunteer assistance from his brother Nikos Orfandis, and volunteers Katerina and Debra. The organization also received a boost when George’s friend, well-known Greek rescuer Takis Proestakis, mentioned him on his FB page.

The access to a wider audience has allowed George to build infrastructure at one of the shelters, which will allow all of the dogs to be housed at one site. Fencing, kennels, and easy access to water will make the rescue work easier. George, Sam, and other volunteers are currently working to complete the site work before winter sets in.

Some of George Stray Dogs rescue success stories – Before and After:

Tommy – George found Tommy in the filth of an abandoned house. The sight of Tommy reduced George to tears. Tommy had little fur and wounds all over his face and body from the effects of leishmaniasis, a parasitic disease which afflicts many dogs in the southern Mediterranean. After months of care, love, and treatment, Tommy was transformed into a beautiful dog. Tommy and George are now inseparable.

Hara – Hara was abandoned in the rubbish five years ago. George was caring for her as a stray on the streets. One day, he was alerted that some men had her on a chain and were ready to hang her. George went to the location and fought with the men to save her life. (He has been attacked more than one occasion for his work.) The men damaged George’s car and bruised him, but Hara was saved and she now lives at the shelter. Hara is a contented dog with a sweet and gentle nature.  The deformed leg with which she was born causes her no issues.

Dias – Dias is known as the Gentle Giant. He is a 60kg Greek Shepherd found on the highway with shattered legs, unable to move. With two surgeries and care from George he is thriving. The puppies particularly adore him. He’s the alpha dog in his pen but  calm and even natured with others.

The transformation of dogs from when they arrive at the shelter in heart-breaking condition to health, balance, and friendly dispositions. They form close bonds with each other and adore George. George has a huge heart, dedication, and deep compassion for the neglected, abused, abandoned, tortured animals on Crete, Greece.

If you would like to make a donation to George Stray Dogs, their Paypal account is

https://www.paypal.com/donate/?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=YDFUP26WDRCBN&source=url

George Stray Dogs also have a Go Fund Me to raise money for a 4×4 car to provide consistently reliable transport to the shelter in winter.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/njrrqe-a-car-for-christmas?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cf%20share-flow-1&fbclid=IwAR2vvl5KnvdSCzzwc7f9owIRdB6hksCeBijO0SsaqkHNZKmG2T0EqByKnko
Hara
Dias

For further information: https://www.facebook.com/GeorgeShelterCrete/

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Click Daily & Corporations Will Provide Food for Animal Shelters – Free To You

Animal rescue – corporate food donation

If interested, you can make this you home page, so that when you log onto the internet, you can click daily. It costs you nothing.

Here are instructions to do so, for various browsers:

Firefox

  • Open Firefox, then select the three, horizontal lines next to the profile icon.
  • Select Options, then select the Home icon.
  • Under New Windows and Tabs, select the dropdown next to Homepage and new windows.
  • Choose the option you prefer: Firefox Home (Default), Custom URLs, or Blank Page.

Safari

  • Open Safari, then choose Safari > Preferences, then select General.
  • In the Homepage field, enter a wepage address. To simply use the webpage you’re currently viewing, select Set to Current Page.
  • Choose when your homepage is shown.
    • Open new windows with your homepage: Select the New windows open with pop-up menu, then choose Homepage.
    • Open new tabs with your homepage: Select the New tabs open with pop-up menu, then choose Homepage.

Microsoft Edge

  • Here’s how to change your home page in the new Microsoft Edge :
    • Open Microsoft Edge, select Settings and more  > Settings .

    • Select Appearance.

    • Turn on Show home button.

    • You can either choose New tab page or select Enter URL for a page that you want to use as your home page.

  • Note: This topic is for the new Microsoft Edge . Get help for the legacy version of Microsoft Edge .

Internet Explorer 11

  • In the top corner of Internet Explorer, select Tools , and then select Internet options.
  • On the General tab, under Home page, enter the URL of the site you want to set as a homepage. You can add more than one URL. Or, to add the site you’re currently viewing, select Use current. If you add more than one URL, put each URL on its own line.
  • Select Apply, and then select OK

 

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Petition to Ban (Incredibly Cruel & Dangerous) Wet Markets

Please consider signing this petition: click to view and sign

Threat to Public Health

Animal Equality has launched a worldwide campaign and petition calling for the immediate closure of wet markets across the globe. Wet markets get their name in part from the blood, guts, scales and water that soak the stalls’ floors, remnants from animals brutally killed for customers who desire to eat freshly killed meat.

In exclusive footage shot by Animal Equality at wet markets in China, Vietnam and India, animals such as deer, raccoons, crocodiles, and dogs are shown living in filthy conditions, suffering from dehydration, starvation and disease.

These markets are also a threat to public health and have been the source of documented disease outbreaks in the past, including SARS. Researchers also believe COVID-19 most likely originated from a wet market in Wuhan, China, notorious for trading in wild animals.

It is because of the public health crises wet markets cause, as well as the intense suffering inflicted on farmed animals, that Animal Equality is urging the United Nations to ban all wet markets. Not only do these markets pose an immediate danger to humans, but they are also intensely cruel and abhorrently inhumane to animals.

“I think we should shut down those things [wet markets] right away. It boggles my mind how when we have so many diseases that emanate out of that unusual human-animal interface, that we don’t just shut it down. I don’t know what else has to happen to get us to appreciate that.”
~Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
“If you take wild animals and you put them into a market with domestic animals or other animals, where there’s an opportunity for a virus to jump species, you are creating … a superhighway for viruses to go from the wild into people. We can’t do this anymore. We can’t tolerate this anymore. I want the wild animal markets closed.”
~Dr. Ian Lipkin, Infectious Disease Expert
“The animals have been transported over large distances and are crammed together into cages. They are stressed and immunosuppressed and excreting whatever pathogens they have in them. With people in large numbers in the market and in intimate contact with the body fluids of these animals, you have an ideal mixing bowl for [disease] emergence.”
~Prof Andrew Cunningham, The Zoological Society of London
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S. Korea is planning cruel dog experimentation – please sign petition ASAP!

LAST CHANCE: South Korea is funding cruel dog cloning experiments—in which most die or suffer severe pain—to engineer ‘designer’ sniffer dogs for airports. SIGN to urge South Korea to end this painful and unnecessary experiment before we hand in the petition NEXT WEEK: https://bit.ly/2VeBkrN

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Kind Acts for Animal Shelters – Doable ideas from Humane Society of the US

What can you do today?  Animal shelters are the cornerstone of animal welfare in our communities and are often times the first point of rescue for lost, injured and stray animals. While awareness of their extraordinary work is growing, they need our support. Public animal shelters have to fight for every penny they receive, and private shelters struggle to find enough donor support to keep their doors open. Yet day in and day out, staff stretch their limited resources and work tirelessly to save as many lives as possible. We believe that these unsung heroes deserve our appreciation and support, and we think you do too! Here are somethings you can do today to thank shelter workers for their unwavering commitment to your community’s homeless and suffering animals:
1.   Send letters to the editor about the good work your community shelter is doing! Most people in your community likely do not know the volume of animals that enter the shelter, the number of animals nursed back to health from cruelty cases,or the community outreach that shelter staff is doing to keep pets in homes.Writing a letter to the editor can help change that, and highlight the great work your local shelter is doing.
2.  Work with the shelter staff to set up an Amazon.com supply list. People often are willing to donate to their local shelter but they don’t know what’s needed. Helping your shelter set up an Amazon.com supply list not only makes it easy for people to help, it ensures shelter staff gets exactly what they need, when they need it. If your shelter already has such a list in place, help them by spreading the word, especially around the holidays!
3.  Volunteer for a specific project.Shelters need regular volunteers to help with daily activities like cleaning and socializing animals, but there are often special projects they’d love to do but simply but don’t have the time for –things like building feral cat houses, creating play equipment for the dogs, even landscaping the outside of the shelter building. Ask the shelter what they’ve been dreaming of getting done, gather friends and knock a project off the list!
4. Bring the staff some treats.Imagine how good you would feel if someone stopped by your work just to quickly say thank you and leave behind some cookies or coffee! Remember that the holidays, July 5thand days after bad weather are the busiest days at the shelter. This is a great time to pop in, say thanks,and leave some much appreciated treats behind. And don’t forget to leave some special treats for the animals, too!
5.  Do a community supply drive. There are certain times of year when shelters need blankets, towels, kitten and puppy food, etc.. Check in with the shelter and get to know the times during the year when a supply drive for specific items would be helpful. Leave bins in local pet stores, places of worship, clubs, and the local coffee house. Before you know it the demand for supplies will be met! • Attend a local government meeting and speak up!In most meetings of local officials, the general public has the opportunity to make comments for the record.
6.  Take a minute to talk about the good work the shelter is doing or the value to the community. Not comfortable speaking in public? Write a letter and ask that it be read into the record.The people in your local shelter are saving lives every day, often under incredibly difficult circumstances –they’d love to know their hard work and dedication is appreciated by their community.
The smallest act of appreciation from you may be just the boost they need to keep going. For more information: http://www.humanesociety.org
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He Wasn’t Much of a Hunter

He closes the door of the red pick-up truck, re-positions his gun over his shoulder, and sets off into the woods.  Despite trying to ease his weight onto the twigs and leaves, toe first then heel, his footfalls snap and crackle and echo through the pre-dawn forest.

A doe lifts her head from foraging, her button-black nose twitching with scent-taking.  With noiseless ease, she lopes off, her white tail high.  A groundhog stands on the crest of his mound-home squinting into the distance, his forepaws tucked up to his heart, his teddy-bear ears angled forward.  He squeaks and retreats inside his burrow.  A flock of quibbling sparrows wheels off into the sky.  Only the cat remains.   She is motionless except for the white tip of her tail.

The hunter walks on, pausing from time to time, looking around, then moving on.  The cat follows, unnoticed, at a distance.

When the sun has climbed well above the horizon, the hunter sits down on a large, sunny rock.  He opens a thermos of steaming coffee, crinkles flat the wax paper covering his sandwich, and munches thoughtfully, his head angled to the side.  Sun-warmed and drowsy, his shoulders relax and he closes his eyes.

The cats comes closer, soundlessly.  She sits a few feet in front of him and looks up.  The hunter opens his eyes and startles, then feels foolish.  He mutters something about cats—he’s never liked cats.  He glares at the cat and looks into her gold eyes.  She holds his gaze evenly.  He sighs, then he breaks off a small piece of cheese from his sandwich and tosses it on the ground.  The cat eats it and looks up expectantly.  The man breaks off a larger piece and holds it out to her.  She gracefully leaps onto the rock, and with one paw on the hunter’s leg, she gingerly takes the cheese from his hand.  The hunter slides his broad palm down her back, then offers her the rest of his sandwich.

After a while, he gathers his things, slings the gun over his shoulder, and sets off.  The cat jumps down and follows.  Twice he looks back over his shoulder.  He opens the truck door and sweeps his arm wide in a welcoming gesture. The cat jumps in, settles herself on the passenger seat, and washes her face.

•

Two seasons have passed since I found my hunter.  He wasn’t much of a hunter, really—I could read that much in the way he moved.  It was plain to me that he wasn’t really interested in hunting as much as he was playing a role.  It was also plain to me that he thought he didn’t like cats.  Most people who give cats a chance find they like them after all.

These days I wait by the window for my hunter.  He comes in with a blast of cold air.  I jump down and wind my way around his legs.  He stoops to pet me and says a word or two.  Then we pass a companionable evening in silence.  His gun is in the attic, tucked away forever.

 

• • • Have you ever rescued an animal?  Please tell us about it: Untoldanimalstories@gmail.com

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Join us for Humane Lobby Day at the Harrisburg State Capitol–It Makes a Difference!

Pennsylvania Humane Lobby Day
April 29, 2019

The biggest day of the year for animals—and animal advocates—is almost here!

Please join us for this exciting opportunity to discuss ways you can make a difference in the lives of animals. You’ll also have the chance to meet with your legislators about Pennsylvania’s Pet Retail Sale bill dubbed Victoria’s Law, ending live pigeon shoots, and the ivory trade in our state. Also, on our agenda is to further protect dogs by establishing standards for outdoor shelter as well as to allow research animals to be adopted upon completion of their participatory studies.

No prior experience is required to get involved. We will provide the support you need to make the largest impact!

We will be joined by humane legislators as well as a few canine special guests.

RSVP today to make big changes for animals in your state!

Where and When

Monday, April 29
9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Pennsylvania State Capitol Building
N 3rd St., Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17120
Cost: Free

Register

• Last day to register is April 22.
• Each attendee must complete a separate registration.
• If you plan to register someone after yourself, they MUST have a different email address.
• Add your mobile number to receive a text reminder and other ways to help animals via your phone (standard rates apply). If you currently receive texts from us, great! You’re already set to receive your text reminder.
• If you have questions, please email your state director Kristen Tullo at ktullo@humanesociety.org.

The reservation limit per user is 1 guests.

PLEASE GO HERE TO REGISTER:

http://action.humanesociety.org/site/Calendar?id=116959&view=RSVP