2007 was a mixed year for the charity, with many good things and the inevitable bad times too.

We received a grant from GAWF (Greek Animal Welfare Fund) of 2,000 Euros to use for neutering so that was a big help to our programme, and we are very grateful. GAWF also sent farriers out to the donkeys and they have had their hoofs and teeth done too.

The kindness of people always astounds us here. A lady called Ali Montgomery had an appeal published in her local paper and the response was amazing; we collected dog and cat beds, carriers, food, toys, bedding and food bowls - not to mention collars and leads and treats! These we picked up from her parents home last September and it almost filled the camper van. Many thanks to the people of Norfolk.

Another lady, called Meg, has been busy collecting signed photos of celebrities for us to sell and has had a very good response. She has also been busy knitting things for us to sell for fund raising. Rosemary sends a parcel every month with wool for the ladies who knit for us, and toys for the animals, and these are just a few of the people who provide much needed help and more importantly support for what we are trying to do.

Many of the people who have retired to the island have given their support too, without whose help we cannot carry out the work needed to alleviate some of the problems.

We received wormers and flea and tick treatments from Friends of the Strays of Greece. These were very useful and saved a lot of money. Take a look at their web site; they are working hard to highlight the problems we all have.
 
We must also mention the kindness of those people who have sponsored particular animals and sent donations; these regular contributions enable us to keep going during the winter months. The winter is the best time for us to get as many neuters done as we can. In the case of the feral cat populations, we are reliant on those kind people who take responsibility for feeding these colonies, to catch them and provide aftercare.

There are times when we get despondent, and then someone calls or sends an e-mail or letter with a donation and it makes us feel that we are not alone. A big thank you from all of us here to all those people too numerous to mention individually, and lots of licks from the recipients!

Rehoming.
We managed to find homes for 27 dogs last year with most of them going to Northern Europe or the UK and we homed 4 cats, 3 of them in the UK.

This has been a very bad winter with a lot of abandoned puppies, most days there are calls and we are now too full to be able to take any more. Currently we have three in boarding kennels, as there is nowhere to put them here. We have built another run and use the shed to house three but we have now run out of places to put any more animals. We are currently caring for 30 dogs and puppies, over 50 cats and kittens and in order to care for them well we have to turn down others. 
 

Donkeys
Sadly, we lost 2 of the donkeys, Carly died in September after a long illness with a chest infection, and Ben, died suddenly in November, he never really got over the loss of Carly who was his constant companion. Both are missed greatly, but the local municipality was very helpful and sent a digger down, and both are buried here. It never gets easy to bear, and Ben in particular has left a hole that will never be filled.

The three remaining donkeys are all very old and Jennifer and Eric suffer from poor eyesight, Twinkle and Eric both have arthritis which has to be treated with anti-inflammatory drugs at the time of writing this they are all in reasonable health, and are due a visit from the GAWF vets in April.

Henry the elderly dog, who is well sponsored, is still with us; we have had a couple of scares with him, but so far so good. Gerry the blind cat is still exactly the same; he wanders all over, up the lane and wherever the fancy takes him. We have another dog, Toby, with restricted vision, he can detect movement and a little more. Someone dumped a German Shepherd pup of about 8 weeks at the gate, and we soon discovered that he is completely blind. We have called him Skipper. He is doing well now; the first few days he was walking off the edge of walls and falling on the stairs but he is now able to get about almost normally. His one problem is falling foul of some of the bigger cats, he blunders into them and gets a slap for his cheek, they are not understanding at all. We have been luckier this year in that the kittens we have taken in have been healthier than in previous years, no eye problems or major health issues.

In August we took in 17 dogs on behalf of the local mayor, some have been homed but others are still waiting for their chance. Some will have to remain here for the foreseeable future as they have health or mental health problems, but we will keep working on them and hope for the best.

This is probably a good time to mention the feral cats on the island. Every year we get hundreds of phone calls about cats holiday makers have seen and are concerned about, unfortunately, a lot of these calls and e-mails come after they have returned home, and it is then almost impossible to find the cats as they move on to the next people who are prepared to feed them. During the summer months the cats on the island tend to go very thin, even our cats do this, I can only assume this is something to do with protection from the heat, and of course loss of coat. Our cats eat exactly the same amount in the summer but are about half the size that they are in the winter months. Many people tell me about the cats they have met again that they were feeding the previous summer, they do survive as the hunting is better during the winter months and a lot of them are fed by the people who live here all year round.

The problems of the stray dogs and cats on the island still exist, and the only way forward is to promote neutering. This is our main aim, and unfortunately it is very costly, so we are always on the lookout to find ways to make more money. We will be open again during the summer months, and hope that many of you will visit us. It is good for the animals to meet as many people as possible as it makes sure they are well socialised prior to finding homes for them, and the dogs love visitors as those of you who have been will know… do not wear nice clothes!

Gertie will have to be restrained a bit this year, she is now over 40 kilos and full of fun - she loves to rear up on her hind legs and throw her head back and show you how pleased she is to see you! It can hurt a bit if you are not fast enough. Fortunately, she still likes to be on a lead and go for walks, but the dogs are almost all terrified of her, shame really but at least the cats think she is ok, and I love her still, well, sometimes I do.

Pat Dolman
February, 2008