saving greek animals - Caring for the animals trust

SAVING GREEK ANIMALS
Caring for the Animals Trust
Newsletter - Summer 2013
Reg. Charity No.1091152
Fund Raising activties:
Dear Friends
Thanks to your loyal support more neglected or
abandoned animals have been found new, caring owners
and donkeys saved from a slow, painful death from
starvation – usually found with untreated hooves, open
wounds and teeth badly needing rasping.
The present economic plight of Greece has meant many
more dogs and cats being abandoned, putting unbearable
pressure on the shelters many of which thanks to your
donations, are able to survive.
We continue to promote neutering of strays;
overpopulation is the cause of much needless suffering
though sad to report there are still too many cases of
poisoning, an inhumane (and inefficient) answer to the
problem. I am however happy to say that the benefits of
neutering are slowly becoming more acceptable both to
the general public and to the mayors.
Thanks to Margaret Williams, helped by Jill Felsted,
Jean Frazer, Jill Henderson, Jean MacKenzie, Pauline
Purchase, and Angela Ravenscroft for raising the
funds listed below:
The reports from the small groups and individuals which
CARAT supports bear testimony to the very hard work
and frustration involved in animal welfare, where animal
protection laws are rarely if ever enforced. So PLEASE go on
helping us and try to recruit a new supporter. And since
there are no overheads (all services are provided free!) all
monies donated directly benefit the animals.
Nov- RotaryClub, Wallington Christmas Bazaar £88.40
April - Boot Sale Banstead £35.00
May - Bedddington May Fair £215.00
May - Cheam Charter Fair £85.00
Thank you
Events to follow:
26th August 10-5 pm
Environmental Fair - Carshalton Park
Gwen Ware
ebay
Why not think about us when you sell on
- You decide exactly what percentage of your final
selling price you’d like to give to CARAT. Visit http://
pages.ebay.co.uk/ebayforcharity/sell.html to learn
more - or send us a Facebook or email message and
we will help you.
Caring for the Animals Trust
11 Lower Barn Road, Purley, Surrey CR8 1HY
Tel: 020 8660 6011
E-mail: [email protected]
www.savinggreekanimals.org.uk
and a warm thank-you to Fiona Cantwell
for a street collections raising £417.00
Saturday 6th November 10am to 2pm
Carshalton Beeches Rotary Club Charity Fair in
the Wallngton Public Hall - Lots of bargains for
Christmas..
Do come along to both events to support us
and tell your friends as well.
@C4AnimalTrust
CaringForTheAnimalsTrust
Newsletter & Social Media Editor Erica Starling
Peter Cherrington
- Kefalonia, Ionian Islands
2013 to date has been the worst year for
Animal Abuse in Kefalonia that I have
had the misfortune to try and manage,
under very difficult conditions in the 6
years we have lived here!
The worst was in the town of Lixouri where more
than 50 dogs that we know of were deliberately
poisoned from the 19th January. I live 60 kilometres from the town and was receiving phone
calls from local students for help with dying dogs.
After this had occurred a meeting was called by
concerned citizens, Animal Rescue Kefalonia and
one of the vets with what can only be called a representative assistant Mayor as there is now only
one elected Mayor on the Island to cut costs. The
meeting was a non event as the so called mayor
told the meeting that he did not want anything
to do with the problem and walked out of the
meeting. Word has it that a woman was finally
tracked down as having been the person who put
the poison about and when questioned said that
she did it on the instruction of the representative
mayor of Lixouri.
I was called to a farm in the same area where a
Greek farmer had 20 dogs which included
puppies. On the first visit we rescued 2 puppies
that needed immediate vet care. It was very
fortunate that I was introduced to Katarina
Kapatou who runs an eco friendly farm on the
open sea side of Lixouri who offered to take
the dogs until I could find homes for them. We
rescued 7 puppies of which one died of haemorrhagic diarrhoea and prolapsed intestine. They
were all re housed at Animal Rescue Kefalonia
where CARAT donated 2 kennels and food. We
were also able to sterilize all the bitches of which
there were 6. This was also funded by CARAT.
During this time there was the rescue of abandoned
dogs on the main road leading to Agia Efimia.
These were an old German Shepherd dog with
cancer that was PTS, a Labrador dog, a black pit
bull female cross about 6 months old , very
affectionate but did not like cats. I was really getting
close to her and was very pleased to find her a good
home here as there are no countries that will take
the breed. She was sterilized so no more puppies.
Puppies rescued : two from a B&Q type of shop in
Argostoli who were in the doorway and one left in
the entrance of the Agia Efimia travel Agent. They
all went to ARK and have been adopted.
The worst atrocity that came to my attention was
in SKALA, the most popular holiday resort on the
Island for Brits was reported by a Greek in which a
stray hunting dog had its back paws chopped with
an axe and then hanged. It is understood that he
did this to 10 others during the winter. It has been
established that the village where he lives, live in
fear as he is mentally ill and will not speak out. As
usual the Police do nothing. He cannot be
sectioned as Greece does not have a social services
and mental institution where these people can be
kept.
Karavomilos Beach , Sami, once again has poison
on the beaches. One dog that I know of that was
poisoned, was thankfully saved. The Sami assistant
Mayor, Greek/Australian received threats over the
phone which resulted in both of her dogs being
killed by organophosphate poison which devastated her family. They found 17 pieces of poisoned
meat in her
grounds.
An English
couple on
holiday
came upon
a dog in a
very bad
condition
and in the
evening
went back, cut the chain and took the animal back
to where they were staying. I collected the dog the
next morning and have never in my life seen so
many ticks on an animal before. I took him miles
away to a safe house where it was dipped for ticks.
The vet was amazed that the animal was otherwise
in reasonable condition. He will be treated and
transported to Germany to a his new forever home.
The good news is that the sterilization
Zoofili Drasi
- Iraklion, Crete
We are determined to continue helping animals
despite all the red tape we face and the economic
crisis, with more and more pets being abandoned.
The DRASI volunteers look after around 2000 dogs,
cats, owls and birds of prey most of them fostered
in their own homes and in colonies, as well as supporting local people who take in rescued animals,
helping them with food, medicines, and veterinary
support. There are "human feeders" for all the dogs
that have been neutered and returned to where they
were found.
We receive many calls from concerned persons
about the welfare and conditions in which many
dogs are kept. Thankfully we receive good support
from the police and the local judges when cases go
to Court.
DRASI organises awareness days, for the public in
a huge Heraklion square a few times a year where
we speak about our work, need for adoption and
“A very big thank you to you all from us at
Kefalonia to CARAT for MAKING
POSITIVE THINGS HAPPEN”
programme of cats and dogs is going very well
now that I have set up a booking office with a
Greek couple Rita and George from Sami
Computers, Sami who have really made a very
big difference. The funding has all come from
CARAT who makes this all happen.
“ We, CARAT and I have been presented
with an award by Animal Rescue Kefalonia,
an Icon in Sterling Silver and Swarovski
Crystal in recognition of services rendered to
Animal Welfare in Kefalonia.”
This award must also stand as a monument to all
those who donate money and work for the
charity to make all this happen. We still have a
long way to go and attitudes to change.
Thank you so much for continuing to support
CARAT!
for more
supporters.
All these
events,
and others
to raise
funds, are
well supported.
We also
visit
schools
to teach
children
to love
animals, and to live well with them.
DRASI worked extremely hard to organise vets
from abroad to neuter cats and dogs, but unfortunately no local vet would offer them their surgery
for 2 days to work, and the local Authorities
would not give their permission, despite the fact
the vets had legally required qualifications. Very
disappointing as something needs to be done
urgently to control the huge number of strays.
“We would like to thank CARAT from
the bottom of our heart, for their
support.” Koula Green
Since we have worked with CARAT we have
received invaluable trapping equipment for
dogs, cats and even birds; desperately needed
dog beds as well as recently a large supply of
flea and tick treatments. Many dogs are now
happy for being free of ticks, and with intact
ears!
A pit bull dog was recently taken from its cruel
owner after the police and the judge issued a writ
for the instant removal of the dog. It was chained
up, starving, with ribs showing and full of ticks
and fleas. A large sore appeared, after ticks were
removed from his left hind leg but with treatment
this soon healed. He awaits a new owner too.
The fire brigade was called in March to bring
down a cat from a 50 metres high tree in the
main square in Heraklion. Seems a dog had
chased him up the tree and he had been there
for 4 days. A friendly cat, sadly blind in one
eye ...his story was on local TV and radio stations and he is looking for a new kind owner.
Poli Papapostolou
- Serres, northern Greece
We have been extremely busy this April
sterilising 21 cats, one male and 20 female,
most of them were pregnant!
It is so expensive for us to sterilise the
cats locally and the local authorities and
government seem blind to the problem.
Luckily there is a good vet in Salonika
who charges me 30Euro per female, but that
means I have to be very organised and arrange to be able to get the cats the 100km to
the vet.
I had also found four kittens abandoned in a
box. The poor little things were crying pitifully - very cold and hungry, I have had them
for a few weeks now and they are doing well...
they just need new loving homes!
This poor old lady (right) was found in an old
derelict house. She was such a kind and gentle
dog but she looked so very tired. I wish I had
a house with yard to take her to live the rest
of her life with me, safe forever! She is over
10 years old, according to
the vet. He also said that
she has cancer, she is blind
from one eye and her body
is so tired from so many
pregnancies. So I took her
to the private vet and had
her sterilized. I have put a
red collar on her in the hope
that maybe people think that
she has an owner and they
don’t hurt her!
The vet didn’t recommend treating her cancer and the
eye because it was dangerous for her, it was very likely
she would not survive the treatment. I hope she will
live in peace in her remaining years and that my small
intervention has helped her.
Adespotologio (Vivi Katifori)
I managed to get cats from my area as well, including a female I have been chasing for two years.
We have been striving to neuter as many as we
can before the animals give birth. We are finding
that from February untill September most
females are either pregnant or bringing up babies!
However, after all this work, there are still babies to
be saved. I have nine at the moment, four from my
area. I am angry about this, because they are from
a garden I do not have access to. I begged the lady
the whole winter to let me in and catch them, but
noooo! This was not a priority for her!
When I finally got in the back yard, I saw that the
kittens were sick, and seemed to be going blind.
Already one month old, so I took them all. The
mother cat also was very sick, kidneys in a bad way.
A very young cat... I thought she would die, but she
did not, she is recovering. ...we will see.
- Athens
I have been working with my vet almost each
weekend, neutering 5-10 cats, depending how
lucky we are catching the previous day!
Two of the special ladies neutered in such weekends were Melinda and Maria Antoinette.
Melinda, I am certain was thrown out of ther
house by a crazy lady in my area. I discovered
that for the past few months she had adopted
cats from all over Greece. Cats she did not take
good care of and now that she is tired of them
she is starting to abandon them on the street. We
have managed to trap one of them and Melinda
I found outside her building crying and hiding
under a car. I picked her up and took her home
in my arms... She was purring and trembling at
the same time... Unfortunately she was not only
pregnant, but also had an infection in her uterus
as well. Her poor ears were in horrible state too!
After 2 weeks in my care, really requiring just a
little bit of care she was a totally different cat.
Her friend, Maria-Antoinette was picked up in
another area. My friend was just passing by and
was bringing me one of the traps CARAT had
sent us, which she had borrowed. She saw the cat
looking too pregnant, tired and in a terrible
condition. So she caught her!
I decided to keep her as she was immediately very
friendly and happy to be inside, she quickly became such good friends with Melinda! They have
now gone to a German foster home together.
They are such a funny pair.
We also organized 2 big neutering
programmes, one in March with 99
cats and one in April with 202 cats and
more than 150 dogs!!
We worked with cats all over Attica and with two
hoarders (collectors) as well. It was tiring but
thankfully all went smoothly.
“The equipment
sent by CARAT has
been invaluable as
always, traps and
crush cages alike.”
It is really disheartening that every day I get
a new email or call for
kittens found in the
rubbish bins. We are being overwhelmed with cats
everywhere. I have struggled to keep my area under
control all these years and a little bit further away is
just chaos.
We really need to get more people involved in this
and we really need to get people to neuter the cats,
both their pets and the strays they feed. Otherwise
it is a battle we cannot win.
So the conclusion is for me, dealing with animals
is much easier than dealing with irresponsible and
crazy pet owners!!
Melinda and Maria Antoinette
Friends Of Animals,
S.Pelion - Greece (Sylvie Margianou)
The short story of Oscar and Fridolin, is that
we usually prefer to neuter females for obvious reasons but when the care taker Christine
Schmiedek phoned me to ask to neuter two male
cats I accepted because she mentioned there was
something about these 2 males but she did not
know what it was. Actually, they both needed the
vet attention.
Oscar, about 5 years old
stray male, half wild:
neutered, top left ear
clipped, after vet
xamination diagnosis of
cat Aids. Care taker is
Christine Schmiedek of
Afete.
Fridolin (above), about
1 year old stray male
cat: neutering, left top
ear clipped after vet
examination diagnosis
of scabies in both ears so
the adequate treatment is
given. Care taker is Christine Schmiedek of Afete.
Above Left- A stray female cat neutered and
thankfuly not pregnant, top left ear clipped. Care
taker Jim Knight of Kala Nera. Jim and his wife
are English who live 6 months here in Greece.
Left- Stray male cat
neutered because
he fights a lot with
other males! Care
taker, Jim Knight
of Kala Nera.
“Therese Zinken a local
vet works closely with Sylvie and is
a great help with her neutering
programme which I am pleased to
say CARAT funds” Gwen Ware
Below- young male cat neutered and treated for
his wound on the neck caused by a fight with
other male cats. The wound was quite old and
some skin was rotten. Care taker, Jim Knight of
Kala Nera.
An English man, Jim who lives in Kala Nera for
6 months every year, just arrived for the summer and there were these female and male cats,
all strays, around the house. So he caught one
female and two males for his first trip to the vet.
The youngest cat had a serious wound with dead
skin and infection. He received the necessary vet.
assistance and Jim continues to treat the wound
with Betadine. I hope he can catch the other
female and an old male who fights and injures the
other males.
Sylvie with Chichi
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Animal Rights Crossword
For the answers please visit our blog.
http://caratblogdotcom.wordpress.com
Across
4. Livery animal, which
is kept for its milk (4)
5. Birds which are fed
under artifical light (7,8)
10. Below (5)
11. Condition (2)
14. Menus for people
who refuse to eat meat
(9,5)
18. A good farmer knows
how to _ _ _ _ _ _ the
land (6)
21. A white fish commonly eaten in Britian
(3)
23. Fire a gun (5)
24. Ripped into small bits
(4,2,6)
26. Open a _ _ _ of beans
(3)
27. Substances injected
to increase body size
(6,8)
29. Spiritual leader (4)
31. By mouth (4)
32. Against the law (7)
34. Promise to tell the _
_ _ _ _ (5)
36. The Alsatian is a
popular _ _ _ _ _ (5) of
dog
37. A contest between
farmyard birds (12)
39. Industry which pre-
pares and sells animals
for consumption (4,5)
40. The British love animals so much that we _ _
_ them! (3)
41. Something which is
done which can be good
or deadly (4)
42. A sweet secented
flower (4)
43. Rural surroundings
(11)
47. Old customs or practices (6)
51. Wait _ _ _ _ your
father comes home (4)
52. _ _ _ _ or that (4)
54. Adam was the first
one (3)
56. The pursuit of an
animal, for example (5)
57. Say _ _ to drugs! (2)
59. Substances stopping
the growth of bacteria
(11)
61. They're always going
up (6)
63. Dogs for hunting
foxes (6)
64. Nourishment for cats
and dogs (3,4)
65. Where you go if you
don't go to heaven (4)
66. Chased or followed
(7)
Down
1. Used to shot off a tap or pump
(5)
2. Animal Doctor (10, 7)
3. Smoked by the rich (5)
4. Used for shooting (3)
5. Liquid for making roads (3)
7. If you live in the country, you
may depen on one (3)
8. Children or goats (4)
9. Not “her” (3)
10. Object pronoun, related to
“we” (2)
12. Produced through intensive
agriculture (13)
13. An illness affecting bovine
animals (7,6)
15. Short for “agricultural” (4)
16. Pills to calm people or animals
down (14)
17. The abbreviated name for an
animal doctor (3)
19. “_ _ “ Entry (2)
20. Living in rural surroundings
(7,4)
22. Pursuing a dog like mammal
for sport (3,7)
23. Obedient dogs are often
trained to _ _ _ (3)
25. Large, powerful bird of prey
(5)
28 The opposite of good (4)
30. Kill (9)
33. Physical and or Mental fatigue
(10)
35. Injury or damage (4)
38. A cereal plant used as food (3)
43. Not barbarous or primitive
(10)
44. Fair treatment for humans or
animals (6,6)
45. Harm to people or property
(6)
46. Organised chase to kill animals (5)
48. Put on a costume or special
clothes (5,2)
49. A heavy weight (3)
50. To do well (7)
53. A book in the acient roll form
(6)
55. An indefinite article (2)
58. The bank _ _ _ _ _ at 9.30 (5)
60. Ferric (4)
62. The opposite of buy (4)
65. _ _ and She (2)
Karditsa Animal Welfare,
Karditsa, Northern Greece
I spotted this pointer in
an area in Karditsa, while
looking for another dog. I
could see from afar a large
chain hanging from the
dog’s neck, and it was so
heavy that the animal
could barely walk. I asked
around to try and find
out to whom this dog
belonged. Unfortunately
his owner was a drunk
and drug-addict. The police knew all
about him, but did nothing. Therefore, the most
immediate solution was for me to steal the dog,
so that we could provide him with veterinary
assistance first, and then go after his owner for
abuse.
The condition of this dog was solely due to starvation, I took him home for a month, and after
his recovery I took him to the shelter, hoping for
a permanent home.
This cat was
located by a
lady in an area
10 km away
from Karditsa. She was
wandering in
some fields,
where someone
wrapped and
tightened wire
around his
belly.
Unfortunately his belly was already affected (it
became atrophic). We took him to the vet who
removed the wire, provided antibiotics and after
his neutering, the cat was happily adopted!
Here are some more amazing stories from
Evi and Katerina
The day of the rescue looking skinny and sad
Smiling for the camera one
month on! What an improvement
In a village
around 7 km
from Karditsa,
I spotted this
dog trying to
cross the road.
I immediately
understood that
something was
wrong, her front
leg was almost
rotten and was
hanging by a few
threads of skin.
Cont....
“her front leg was almost rotten and was
hanging by a few threads of skin”
Cont...
She was extremely frightened and ran to hide
in a small tunnel. After quite a while and much
effort, I managed to capture her, took her to the
vet were her front leg was amputated and she
was also spayed.
She has
become
very
friendly,
as well as
gainingweight!
She now
lives
happily
with Evi.
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and also not forgetting you can chat with us
online too!
CaringForTheAnimalsTrust
Agia Marina
Mires, South Crete
Here are just two village Donkeys we help by
providing medication, regular visits with advice and
assitance with the help of CARAT
CARAT helps funds medication for lice, worms and
drops for their eyes as well as paying for petrol money
for us to go and check on these donkeys and also pays
for emergency veterinary treatment.
Cont...
“Without CARAT’s valuable help we
would be unable to help the 100s of
village Donkeys in our area. This would
certainly be a tragedy!” Barbara Doulyerakis
Cont...
Barbara reports on
some of the events
at Agia Marina.
strong birth.
Iphigenia..our newest donkey, and one
of the youngest at 9
yrs old. The ancient
Greek name Iphigenia
(pron. ee-fee-genia) means of
Iphigenia was the daughter of King Agamemnon
who fought the Trojan wars together with Helen of
Troy.
Iphigenia surprised us and we are overjoyed to
introduce our new baby girl donkey born in the
early hours of a Monday morning....a wonderful
surprise and very heartwarming after the recent
sadness of losing four of our beloved elderly donkeys ...Melina, Violetta, Antigoni & Penelope.
She has been named Iro (pronounced Ee-ro).
Iro was the beautiful Priestess of the Goddess of
Love...Afroditi.
Iro now leaves her Mummy Iphigenia’s side and
gallops up to me when she sees me
open the stable door. Iphigenia does
not mind me touching her baby at all
and yesterday I picked her up and gave
her a cuddle while Iphigenia just went
on munching her supper. She is a very
courageous little lady.
Over the past four years we are proud to report
we have rehomed over 300 Neutered Dogs and
some Cats. The cats have found homes locally
however the Dogs are mainly rehomed in Holland, Germany and Belgium with 5 also going to
the Uk and one to Scandanavia.
If possible we prefer to rehome stray dogs to local people, but this can prove extreemly difficult,
although several have been sucessfully rehomed
to Ex pats from Northen Europe and the UK.
We also rescue Cats who are quite easily rehomed
locally (always after neutering!) even adopting 6
cats ourselves!
At present we have 6 dogs waiting for adoption
who have been with us for several months.
One was found abanoned by the side of the road
(pictured underneath) last November and is still
here awaiting a forever home.
Unfortunately
adoptions have
slowed down
considerably,
but the number of
abandoned
animals has
drastically
increased.
Apart from
rehoming, we also care for
many street dogs and cats. Feeding, watering,
neutering, worming and keeping them free from
fleas and ticks. There are just far too many animals to be rehomed!
Although it is not ideal them living on the streets,
they do get some help from us!
I do spend alot of my time checking on barrel
dogs (thankfuly illegal here now) and making
sure they have enough shelter, shade, water and
providing worming and flea medications. This
can occasionally be very difficult, but most
owners are responsive and grateful for
help.
The laws in Greece are getting much
tougher and just recently a sheppard was
jailed for keeping 4 barrel dogs in TIN
barrels with short heavy chains, placed
directly in the sun! The barrels are like
ovens in the summer and freezing in the winter nor do they have blankets or rugs to sit on. Sadly
these dogs were left there but we have managed
to arrange feeding, watering and a fosterer!
Over the next page you will meet a very generous
man called Fransisko, who is a Romanian refufee.
He lives in a shack without any power or running
water, near the
town of Mires. He
devotes his time
looking after the
many street cats....
He is able to visit
the
Cont...
Cont...
local slaughterhouse daily , which is very
close and collect bags of offal to feed 22
cats in his care.
During the hot days, the cats find shade under Fransiskos bed.
At night he sleeps outside as it is too hot for him in the shack.
With CARAT’s support we are helping him with
neutering, worming and flea treatments.
Together we can help cut down the stray cat
population and give these homeless cats a better
life.
Little Lou Lou wears a a pretty little ribbon
with a bell, so at night Fransiskos knows
were his best friend is!
Pictures Gallery
Although a stock photo (below) this
post, provoked quite a response on
our Facebook page.
The poem
that we
decided
to make
acompany
it, is just so
beautifully
written, we
thought we
had to share!
Do you
have stories,
poems or
pictures to
share? Let
us know on
Facebook!
This cute little chap (sitting one of our Greek
volunteers vets scrub
top), was rescued by
Christiana after she
found him dumped in a
bin with his brother!
Left- This beautiful stray puppy
( roughly 5 months old) was lucky to be
adpoted by a young couple on holiday
from the UK. She was named Sami and
together CARAT and Peter Cherrington
assited with the vets fees and a travel box.
Julie Tsiakmakis
Halkidiki
I have been helping the strays of
Halkidiki since 1999 and the shelter has
been running since 2002. Now 10 years
on and I feel that due to the economic
crisis that the situation has become
worse. The amount of strays needing help
and people asking to rehome their pets
due to the fact they are leaving Greece
seeking work is enormous. Normally I
would be caring for about 40 animals
at the shelter but due to so many being
abandoned during the winter it escalated
to 70. Thankfully it was a mild winter so
caring for so many wasn’t so bad. It took
until February to get back to my normal
numbers.
Teddy - Found in a Coma
“189 Animals Neutered in 2012”
I’m hoping that I will be able to sterilize
more during 2013. The good news is
that we are meeting with the Mayor and
hoping that he will start helping towards
making a sterilsing/microchip and
vaccination programme. We have
stressed that there is a great need to for
an education campaign to make the
community aware of their responsibilities as pet owners....maybe it’s a
dream but we can always dream and
pray for a better future for the animals
in Greece.
Here are just a few of the rescues for
2013:
Teddy was an owned puppy who was
found beaten into a coma and his owner
did not take him to a vet. An animal
welfare friend alerted me about Teddy
and he has been with me now one month.
At first he slept most of the day because
of his concussion. He has slowly become
better, eating and drinking well, even
starting to play with some toys but it
looks like he has been left blind by his
ordeal. (Pictured above right)
Ira was an owned dog who was hit by a
car and lost her leg. Her owners brought
Ira- Hit by a car
her to the
shelter asking me to
take her
because they
could not
afford to take
her to a vet. I
said only on
the condition
that I would
find her a
new home.
They agreed and Ira is getting
ready for her new home in
England.
Valentina and Cinderella are 2 of 3 Poodles which were abandoned just before the Christmas. All 3 were extremely terrified of
people and did everything to evade capture. Cinderella was the
first to be caught but it took another 6 weeks before Valentina
Cont....
finally gave in and allowed us to catch
her. Unfortunately the 3rd was killed by a
car on the same day we caught Valentina.
How anybody could allow their dogs to
get in this condition disgusts me.
Zanna was found in January wandering
the streets with massive tumors. It took
the vet 3 hour to operate to remove 2
growths. We decide to wait a few weeks
before we sterilized her then after a few
week the remaining growths had started
to disappear so no need for future
surgery.
Freddie was involved in a road accident
and had broken 2 of his legs. Thankfully
I have a very good vet in Belgium and a
fosterer to take care of Freddie after his
operation. We had to wait 3 weeks before
Freddie could travel and in these weeks
Freddie showed us how much of a star he
is. He managed to go around at first on 2
legs then 3 and eventually before he left
started to chase the cats...and climb on
top of the food.
“Once again I wish to say a
special thank you to
everyone at CARAT for the
tremendous support they
are giving to the animals of
Halkidiki.” Julie Tsiakmakis
PS from Titch Bird
brought Teddy, Ira and
“Of the dogs in Julie's report, we
ent trip. Our friend
Cinderella back with us on our rec
arkable progress and
Anna has Teddy who is making rem
Suffolk called Wendy
I rehomed Ira with a lovely lady in
gs including Kiku and
who has 4 other small disabled do
sisters that I brought
Adelaide, two tiny Papillon cross
- they'd been beaten by
back from Skiathos 3 years ago
elaide lost an eye and
their owner as tiny puppies so Ad
gets about just fine in a
Kiku suffered a broken back but
omed by Juliet and is
crab-like style. Cinderella was reh
doing well.”
Christiana Karathanasi
Salonica, Northern Greece
As well as undertaking immense
neutering programmes Christianan helps
where ever she can....... here a just a few of
her heartwrenching stories........
Kali’s Story
The woman who feeds Kali
daily in the neighbourhood,
found him very badly injured.
The wounds in both hind legs
were really bad. After that he
was taken to a vet and with a
delay of a week in which her
refused to eat, was finally
transferred to Veterinary
School at the University.
There he had necessary tests and xrays carried out the diagnosis, was that
unfortunately little Kali had completely
damaged his right rear leg. It was so bad
there was no option but to have the leg
amputated.
“I would like to to say Thank You so
much to CARAT for paying for the Greek
vets to neuter the numerous cats here in
Salonica.” Christiana Karathanasi
with the surgery. So the vet began strong antibiotics and mandatory feeding, until he was fit
and strong enough to be able to cope with the
operation.
After 15 days and
after the little one had
already started eating
satisfactorily, the vet
proceeded with the amputation of his back leg.
It was still touch and go
afterwards for or while
after surgery and the
prognosis for Kali was poor.
Despite unfavorable forecasts Kali with the
patience, perseverance and infinite love of my
vet made it and after one month hospitalization returned home to the lady who took care
of him.
The lady who looked after him, was unable to cover the costs of Kali’s surgery so
took him back home without him having
the surgery.
A concerned and worried
veterinary student convinced this
lady to ask me for help. I told her
to take him to my own vet where
I took over the costs of surgery
and hospitalization, given that
poor Kali will never go back in the
streets again, I felt it was the right
thing to do.
Initally when Kali was taken to my vet
he was terribly fatigued and dehydrated,
since he not eaten for 10 whole days. It
was impossible for him to be able to cope
Brigita’s Story
She was found wandering in Eptalofos with
her front paw in a horrible condition, injured,
bleeding and full of pus. Her leg was
so swollen that its size was at least
three times bigger than normal. I
was contacted by some volunteers to
help, since they could not afford to
cover the case financially. The little
one was captured and transported
immediately to the vet. Unfortunately
it is looking unlikely that they will be
able to save her leg, however we will
try to do so because the cat is not cooperative
enough to be forwarded for adoption.
It is urgent that we find a safe area where she
can continue the rest of her life as a threelegged cat.
NEWSFLASH
As I am sure many of you are aware
CARAT, Caring for the Animals Trust
was started in October 2002 by Gwen
Ware. Since its inception, CARAT
has been helping small, grass-roots
individuals and societies to rescue
animals, mainly in Greece.
I am pleased to tell you that we,
Titch Bird and Paul Loader have now
been elected Trustees of CARAT and
will be taking an active role in the charity, hoping to broaden the membership
and awareness of this great cause that
helps so many people who are often
overlooked. Our friends will know that
we have been backwards and forwards
to Greece rescuing animals for the past
13 years so we are very aware of the
situation out there and are very hands
on. We feel with this background knowledge and boundless enthusiasm we can
help generate more funds, bring in new
members and increase awareness of the
great work CARAT does, thus enabling
the Society to help more small groups
and individuals in their work for the unwanted, abandoned and abused animals.
Achilles having a cuddle with Paul
From left to right Oratios our dog from Athens
who had acid thrown over him. Titch and beneath her Dale
along with Daisy, Achilles sister then Achilles and his grandma
Mabel all saved from a uncertain fate by Julie Tsiakmakis
We are busy learning all we can about how CARAT is run so
that as and when Gwen feels the time has come to hand over
the day to day running of the Society we will be ready to take
over all her many tasks, but in the meantime, we are putting in
motion plans to tackle all aspects of fund raising and to recruit
members, so we are hoping our friends will come along to support us!
Up until now CARAT’s supporters have donated by standing
order or by occasional donations. However it has been agreed
it would be preferable to have a fixed membership fee to help
us have a better forecast of income, so for new supporters there
will be an annual membership fee of £20 for adults and £10 for
OAPS, under 18s and unwaged persons. We will be adding a
downloadable membership form to the website and Facebook
page, you will also find one on the back page of this newsletter.
Please check out our Facebook page where we will soon be
showcasing the people supported by CARAT so you can see the
excellent work they do for the animals against so many odds.
Some you will be familiar with and other will be new to you but
I’m sure all will impress you with their hard work, dedication
and compassion……
Titch & P
aul
x x
CARAT MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION FORM
Registered office: 11 Lower Barn Road, Purley, Surrey CR8 1HY
Charity No.1091152
Please consider helping CARAT to help animals by becoming a member.
Individual membership £20.00 per year
Concessions (OAP/unwaged/under 18) £10.00 per year
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Please tear off this page and return this with your cheque/PO to :
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BN11 4BD
Alternatively send us an email including the above information to.......... [email protected]
and pay your subs by electronic bank transfer to:
Caring For the Animals Trust
Barclays Bank plc. Account No. 50300772 Sort Code 20-24-64
NOTE: As a UK Tax payer, and at no extra cost to yourself, you can increase the value of your donation
by more than a quarter by signing the Gift Aid declaration below.
I wish CARAT to treat the above donation and all donations I make from the date of this declaration,
as GIFT AID until I notify the charity otherwise.
Signature……………………………….......... Date………….
Notes:
1. Please be aware that you must have paid an amount of income and/or capital gains tax at least equal to the amount of tax
reclaimed by CARAT on all your donations in the tax year (6th April one year to 5th April the next). 2. You can cancel the
declaration at any time by notifying CARAT. 3.CARAT must be notified of any changes of name or address.