STRAY ANIMALS

1. STRAY ANIMALS 1st Gymnasium of Volos Comenius Team

2. What are stray animals? • Stray domestic animals are the companion animals that either have no home at all or are outside the bounds of their owners’ houses and are not under their owners’ or escorts’ direct supervision or control. • Livestock guarding or hunting dogs, as well as search and rescue dogs are not considered as stray animals while doing their duty (guarding their flock, hunting, searching and rescuing).

3. Collection of stray dogs • Municipalities and community councils are responsible for collecting stray animals from the streets. Animal-loving societies may also collect stray dogs in cooperation with local municipal or community councils, as long as they possess the necessary infrastructure. Municipal and community collection crews consist of properly trained personnel who are experienced in capturing animals and know how to handle them. It is forbidden to treat stray dogs cruelly during capture and collection. Vets give directions and monitor collection crews.

4. Veterinary care and adoption • Captured stray dogs are taken to shelters for stray animals, which are established and run by municipalities, local communities and animal-loving societies, where they are examined by vets and they remain until someone decides to adopt them. Captured dogs with tags showing that they have owners, who have declared their loss, are returned to them. • People under sixteen years of age are not allowed to adopt dogs, unless their parents or guardians give their written consent. Dogs given for adoption must first be tagged and documented as well as undergo parasite control, vaccination and sterilization.

5. Return to habitat • Dogs that remain at the shelter, if they are deemed healthy according to the vet, and after having been tagged, documented, sterilized, vaccinated and rid of parasites, can be returned to their natural habitat, by decision of the competent municipal or community authority, within their administrative boundaries and preferably at the area where they were originally collected. For stray dogs to be returned to their habitat, the density of animal population in the area is taken into account. Strays must not be returned to areas surrounding hospitals, schools, sports centres, highways and airports. Municipalities, community councils and animal-loving societies are responsible for their supervision, care and welfare.

6. Euthanasia and medical treatment • Captured dogs, which are hazardous or suffer from an incurable disease according to the veterinary examination, undergo euthanasia. Dogs unable to sustain themselves because of old age or disability also undergo euthanasia when the vet decides that keeping them alive severely impairs their quality of life. • Dogs which are injured or suffer from a curable disease according to the veterinary examination are given proper medical treatment in the animal shelters. This responsibility lies on the animal shelter administration.

7. Avoidance of strays’ access to rubbish • Slaughter houses, butcheries or other food-selling shops, hospitals, military or other camps and generally areas and facilities of foodservice are obliged to take proper measures to avert access of stray dogs to their rubbish.

8. Sources: • www.greenpage.gr/nomothesia_adespota_katoikidia%5B1%5D.doc • www.minagric.gr/greek/data/G913F71.pdf This presentation was made by Konstantinos Philippou