Christmas Bazaar and Party

We finished the year with good proceeds of two events.

At 13 and 14 December ACT was present on the Christmas Bazaar in Limenas, organized by the International Friends of Thassos.
Since we have our stand we can display our handicraft products in an attractive way and we really sold very well and even got some special orders to make things. It was also good to talk to known people as well as new people and get them interested in our work.

At 20 December we had our 2nd Christmas Party. Although there were not enough volunteers available to organize and cook everything ourselves like we did last year, we decided it was important to have another party where our volunteers and supporters could meet and enjoy. So we talked to Nikos of Hakuna Matata in Potos and he was so nice to offer us a special price for food and drinks. He and Desi prepared a very nice buffet, there were plenty of drinks and mulled wine.
We had put up our stand and sold some of our products and there was a raffle with donated prizes.
We were told that everyone has enjoyed their selves, so it looks like this is going to be an annual event.

The total result of these happenings was € 577 and we are very pleased with that. It means that we can go on with our very important cat sterilization project.
The last month already 15 cats were sterilized and although it sometimes is a slow process (you can only catch so many cats per day and the vet has to be able to do his 'normal' work as well) we will go on with that as long as we have enough money.

We would like to thank everyone who donated, supported and helped in any way the last year and we hope that we can count on you next year.

We wish you all a merry Christmas and 

a good, healthy and animal friendly new year!

Castration of cats on Thassos

The cats on Thassos are part of it as well as the shimmering sea, the colorful sunsets, the white houses and much more. Everywhere one encounters the beautiful cats and often they are around the taverns in the hope that a few small bites will come their way. Because of the growth of tourism also the cat population has risen and now that the season is over, many cats will starve or die of infectious diseases as well as accidents. Furthermore, many of these cats are abandoned. There are just too many stray cats and too few people who can take care of these animals. In addition, some people leave the island in the winter.

We want to help to reduce the cat population. Because there is a way to stop the cats misery to a part and the magic word is: castration of animals. We, ACT have made it a further task to begin to capture cats and neuter them. Our first goal is the mountain village of Theologos, where the cat population has exploded.

A cat trap in Greece costs 130 euros and for that money we could buy two cat traps in Holland. Even with the postage cost it was still cheaper than to buy them in Greece.

We will put posters in Theologos (in Greek), which describe exactly what we intend to do. To curb the cat population by neutering the animals. We ask the people to help us. If they make an appointment for castration of their own house cat before the 1st of December with our vet, half of the costs will be met by ACT.
We further say on the poster that castration / sterilization is the best thing you can do for the cats. The cats do not suffer from this operation. It is done quickly and the cats are fit again after a short time and stay much healthier than under the harsh conditions of reproducing and therefore less vulnerable to diseases.

To poison a cat is also not a solution. First, the animal dies in so much agony that you do not want to wish it to your worst enemy, and secondly, the poisoning or any abuse of animals is forbidden by law (Law 4039/2012: at least one year prison and a fine of € 5000 to € 15000) and thirdly, it does not help to solve the problem.

If you want to help us, don't hesitate to get in contact with us. The cats are more than grateful to you.

Yoshi

Do you remember Yoshi?
http://act-thassos.blogspot.gr/2014/08/yoshi.html
Yoshi who was found in August in Potos and had a tumor on his left back leg…

In September the tumor on Yoshi's leg was removed and sent for biopsy.
Unfortunately the results are not too good. It was a grade 2 mast cell tumor.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mastocytoma
A kind of cancer that can't be cured and will finally lead to his death.

ACT has decided not to torment him with chemo, but to let him enjoy life as long as it lasts. Since he was already staying with Joop and Tanja after his surgery, they offered that Yoshi can stay with them for the rest of his life instead of in the enclosure, so he can walk around in the garden and have the company of their dogs and cats until the cancer wins and he has to enter the rainbow bridge.

But let's hope that Yoshi can stay with his new family for many happy years.

Collection boxes

After we finally received our registration papers we ordered collection boxes. Why not earlier I can hear you say? Because we did not have to pay the VAT as an official charity and it saved money yet again.
It still took some effort to figure out how we could keep the postage costs as low as possible, but eventually early July 25 blue collection boxes with a nice (for free!) designed label arrived.
The season had of course already begun, so the boxes were spread as soon as possible in shops, taverns and hotels.
We hoped at least to be able to retrieve the purchase costs of € 266 but to our big surprise it turned out that we had a total of € 474,37!

We would like to thank the businesses for cooperating:

Hotel Anna Beach - Limenaria

Molly's - Limenaria

Speedy Carrental - Limenaria, Potamia

Potos Carrental - Limenaria, Potos, Potamia, Limenas, Golden Beach

Nikos vet - Limenaria

Hotel Agali - Limenaria

Hotel Garden- Limenaria

Traditional Products Agro - Limenaria

Blue View Hotel - Limenaria

Taverna To Steki - Kalivia

Hairdresser Stin Tricha - Potos

Taverna Hakuna Matata - Potos

Supermarket Gagos - Potos

Hair Spa Mary - Potos

Shoeshop - Theologos

Taverna Kostas - Kastro

Garden Centre Skalistiri – Skala Rachoni

and of course everybody who put his donation in the boxes!

Next year, the boxes will of course already be installed in May and then we will publish a list on our website, so you know where you can deposit your donation. But of course you may also donate via Paypal!

Sale jewelery for ACT

Sometimes help comes just totally unexpected. Corina Holthuijsen from The Netherlands contacted us, because she likes to contribute to the animal care on Thassos.
Her parents had been on holiday to Thassos and had taken note of our charity and were very positive about it. As Corina already volunteer for a Bulgarian organization she knows how much help is needed.

Corina has a web shop for jewelery, Bijoux Valentine, and offered us to make a special page on her website for ACT, which profits from the products sold will be donated fully to ACT!

We are obviously very happy with this grand gesture and invite everyone to have a look. The offer is very diverse, so something for everyone.
http://bijouxvalentine.nl/index.php?route=product/category&path=74&page=1

We thank Corina very much for this initiative and who knows, there are more companies that follow this example?

Ladies and gentlemen...

Clear the arena, here I am – Spook the survival artist - and I wish you much fun with my performance.

Not so long ago, I was born on the beautiful island of Thassos and already at the first breath I knew I had to live and be something special, and this wish has come true.

My other siblings were unfortunately too weak and did not make it, but I struggled to get big and strong and I'm still here!

I had the great fortune to be fostered by Tanja and Joop and this was my first step to a small survival artist. I have very large ears and have from the beginning carefully listened to what Tanja whispered in my ear. I need to grow big and strong, the world is very exciting and if I found the strength I could be a big star on the arena of life.

That sounded good to me and I began to explore the world. I played around like a madman and played with everything that was not nailed down.

One day I played the most exciting game of Catch me if you can and ran around. A temporary shelter dog wanted to play with me and ran after me and caught me playfully with his mouth. Unfortunately, his game was a little too rough and a few teeth pressed hard in my tummy.

I myself thought it was not so bad, especially since I had no pain. Neither my playmate because he happily licked my big ears. But Tanja, my foster mother, found the resulting bumps on my belly not at all funny. So whether I wanted or not, I was put in a transport box to an unknown man in a room that smelled weird and Tanja put me on a huge, shiny table. She reassured me and said that this man heals animals, he wants to look at your wounds. I was very much astonished, but I trusted Tanja.

The guy took me gently out and looked at my belly. Hmm, this does not look so good, the little bugger gets an injection.

Aaaah, an injection, ladies and gentlemen, do you remember your first injection? Cruel is that! I looked sideways and the stinging thing came closer and closer and then pierced me. Miauuuuuuuw

I slowly got a very large hematoma on my belly and could not heal without the help of this man. Oh no, if that should be done more often, I have to invent something. Maybe I should ask my friend the shelter dog if he wants to play with this strange man and then not let him go, so I do not have to undergo this again.

But soon Tanja put me gently back in the box. I was tired and heard their conversation - apparently it was still about me - only as a murmur in the distance.

That I was really sick, I actually did not notice. Tanja and Joop were so sweet to me, that I wanted more and more of their attention. It made me strong and soon I was back on my feet and jumped through the garden.

But something was wrong. My belly was a little hard, as hard as the leather that I sometimes used to bite and also I didn't like the color of my belly. Black spots I had enough in my fur and more I did not want because white is my favorite color.

Because of the hematoma my skin did not get enough blood in the vanes. Strangely, it did not hurt me. The days passed and I was lovingly cared for again, and I could even sleep in the house. Unfortunately I was not allowed on the beautiful, soft sofa, but a nice box with blanket was okay for me.

Tanja whispered in my ear that she could not get up at night to let me go to the toilet and she showed me a place where I could do it before bedtime. I learned quickly and it suited me well because I could also sleep all night. It is much too dark out there, and as I said, black is not my colour.

My dead skin began to peel off, so ... I had to go to that man again who put me on my back to have a look. He didn't like the looks of it: yes hello, me neither !!!!! Wiseguy ... so I got another injection and my belly was sprayed with a strange-smelling stuff.

Unfortunately, a very large piece of skin has fallen of and there is still a small piece of black on my belly, but I hold on! Because I want to live and with the help of my dear foster parents, the cute dogs, whose boisterous language I slowly learn and the other cats: hopping Threeleg, Purrie, Redeye, the other I still haven't named - there are so many, but that will come.

Today I have to go back to that funny guy. Tanja whispered to me that he just has to check to see if he needs to pierce me again, this time to sew my skin together. But who wants to be a survival artist, will have to face this and I will do that too!

When I'm finally healthy again, I'm really going to start a circus, and I will be the survival artist, who along with his animal friends will be celebrating a cool party on the arena of life. I'm already looking forward to it. But now first to my foster mother who calls me, then I will be cuddled again. You have no idea how much I like that!

I am Spook, not a ghost, but a survival artist!

------------------------------------------------------

The history of Spook shows that ACT not only provides help for dogs, but also for the many cats on Thassos who need help. Many are losing the battle for survival. Therefore, sterilization is so important.

Spook is also an example of how important our work is and that it pays to respect the animal, to help it and maybe sometimes pave their path, so that they can enter the arena of life.

Thank you!

Yoshi

The dog that was found on August 13 in Potos, seems to have no owner. Or at least ... nobody has contacted us. Actually, we had already suspected that, because Yoshi, as we have called him, has a large tumor on his left back leg. His teeth are just stubs, what could indicate that he had merely or primarily bones for dinner. Yet he makes a healthy impression and we think he is not too old, maybe about 5-8 years.

Since the vet can not say whether the tumor is benign or malignant, we will have the tumor removed and send it for a biopsy.

Another big expense, but a necessary one to give Yoshi a chance for adoption. And if the diagnosis is not so good, then we will try to foster Yoshi somewhere on Thassos where he can spend the rest of his (maybe short) life with loving people.

If you want to contribute to the costs of Yoshi you can do so through Paypal. We are very grateful for every donation, large or small.

First summer bazaar of ACT in Limenaria

Our first summer bazaar... and we were very excited to get started. We arrived early in Limenaria to build up everything on the small promenade in front of the the beach near the harbor.
Alex had built a wooden rack, a real stand, which should attract the attention of the people. A generator was there for the right lighting at the presentation of the products .We knew that the stand would be a smart and professional look, and so it was.

A beautifully lit stand of ACT, which attracted the attention of the strolling people. Moreover showed a clear lit banner the presence of ACT. Jewelry, bags, soaps, cakes, cushions, oven mitts, mobiles, key chains, anything your heart desires presented in loving detail and inviting to purchase.
Brochures and informational material were placed on a separate table so that the interested viewer could also provide information about our work. At another table a bowl with straws in sand for the raffle, next to the display with attractive prizes.
Even setting up the bazaar already aroused the interest of the people. Some asked, and others continued to wait and see what would happen. At 20 am we opened our first summer bazaar and it was a great success.

It is always amazing how much it helps, if you just have the courage to do something to make a difference. Many people knew nothing of ACT Animal Care Thassos, they were surprised and very interested. We had some very interesting conversations with locals and tourists and our crafted, sewn and baked goods were admired in their creativity and beauty.

Until well after 23 am we were able to show our goods to many people, inform them and sell. The raffle was a great success and in the end we had a yield of not less than € 490.20. We were speechless and more than satisfied.

We are very grateful that the municipality gave permission and we could have our first summer bazaar. Additionally, we thank the following retailers for their sponsorship:
Toy store Lazarou, Speedy Tech, Traditional Products Agro, Gift Shop Bazzar Corner, Pharmacy Katerina Ganitou, Gift Shop Tia, Natural Products Ekati, Photo Shop Kaïdis in Limenaria, supermarket Charbi and supermarket Saltaris in Kalivia and Hairsalon Stin Tricha in Potos.
In addition, of course, we thank all the volunteers who sewed for us and baked, and the helping hands on the evening itself.

Thanks for a great evening; a next brick is laid on the road to a more respectful relationship between humans and animals.

Summer Bazaar

SUMMER BAZAAR

Saturday 9 August from 20:00 next to the harbor in Limenaria

Selling homemade cakes, jams and sweets, decorations, jewelery, soaps and much more. There will also be a tombola with nice prizes.

organized by ACT! Animal Care Thassos

ΚΑΛΟΚΑΙΡΙΝΟ ΠΑΖΑΡΙ

Σάββατο 9 Αυγούστου από τις 20:00

δίπλα στο λιμάνι των Λιμεναριών

Η πώληση: σπιτικά κέικ, μαρμελάδες, γλυκά, στολίδια, κοσμήματα, σαπουνάκια και πολλά άλλα. Επίσης μια τόμπολα με ωραία έπαθλα.

διοργανώνεται από το σύλλογο Δράση για τα ζώα Θάσου

(ACT! Animal Care Thassos)

SOMMER BAZAAR

Samstag 9. August ab 20:00 Uhr

neben dem Hafen in Limenaria

Verkauf von hausgemachten Kuchen, Marmelade und Süßigkeiten, Dekorationen, Schmuck, Seifen und vieles mehr. Es gibt auch eine Tombola mit schönen Preisen.

organisiert von Tierschutzverein ACT! Animal Care Thassos

Our little Peter, he is now called Piet, has found a new home

It's amazing what that little guy has been through.
Seven major hurdles he had to take to finally arrive in his new home.

The first hurdle was that Peter actually would fly much earlier to Germany, but he first had to be operated on his front leg, because he was limping.

The second hurdle was the trip from Thassos to the Netherlands, where he soon found a nice family.

The third hurdle was that little Peter was sick, the vet suspected ectopic ureter, and the family could not cope with the high operation costs and his uncertain future. So Peter went back to our Dutch foster family.

The fourth hurdle was that the foster family could not keep Peter very long because at the time there were too many animals in care and Peter needed special attention.

Claudia and Klaus, who had already helped so many animals from Thassos, heard the call of Peter and immediately took care of him, and consulted a specialist vet.

The fifth hurdle was that Peters problem was not the ureter but a non-working left kidney, which was removed. A difficult and very expensive operation.

The sixth hurdle was his healing. But little Peter also overcame this hurdle with ease and was soon completely healthy again at Claudia and Klaus.

The seventh hurdle was to find a new home for Peter.

And!! Peter has found a new home. Piet, so his new family called him, now lives in Wuppertal in Germany with Cornelia and Romana and feels completely happy. He now has a loving family with cats who accept his impetuous character. Here you can read what Claudia wrote about it: http://www.wuestenwolf.de/?p=7833

On July 24, Claudia and Klaus had planned a visit at Piets new home and both were welcomed enthusiastic. Peter was more than fortunate and here you can read more about it: http://www.wuestenwolf.de/?p=7935

Piet is the best example that it is worth to do your utmost to help an animal, whether it comes from Thassos, Germany or the Netherlands. Seven hurdles he has overcome! Perhaps Peter was in his previous life a cat? The number seven represents the perfect, but is also used as a synonym for infinity. But all that is not really important. Peter has had the ability to overcome difficult hurdles and won the battle unharmed, and that's all that counts!

We wish Cornelia and Romana lots of fun with their Piet, we thank Claudia and Klaus for the sacrificial care for Peter and spontaneity to help him immediately. We also thank WereldAsielen Foundation for their generous donation and the animal loving people who have donated to make his operation possible.

Good luck dear Piet!

Donation appeal for little Peter

Peter, whose left kidney was removed, is doing very well. Read more about this in the news of Claudia, where Peter currently stays in order to recover completely : http://www.wuestenwolf.de/?p=7680
The operation was not easy, but the little "Flummi" as Claudia affectionately calls the little scamp, made it.

The operation was also very expensive. The total cost will be about 1,100 euros, and we do not have such money. We ended up in minus financially and desperately need your help so that we can meet the bill. We know this is a lot of money, but little Peter has more than deserved to survive. Every animal deserves this chance, but unfortunately we can not help all the animals.

We would be very grateful if you can help Peter with a donation.

On our website you will find on the right side the link to Donate by Paypal or credit card, but you can also transfer your donation to the bank account of the president, Tanja van Egmond. ACT still has no bank account, since we have only recently been officially registered, and last week the board is elected during the first general meeting.
The account of Tanja van Egmond is: IBAN BIC NL50INGB0003539620 INGBNL2A

Thank you very much in advance. Together we are strong!

First general meeting with election of the board

At the 29th of June we had our first general meeting in Taverna To Steki in Kalivia. Nearly all the members were present and we could finally officially elect the board and audit committee of ACT Animal Care Thassos with the following result.

Board:
Tanja van Egmond – President
Jackie Wilson – Vicepresident
Joop van Egmond - Secretary
Alex Wilson – treasurer
Nikos Efthimiopoulos

Audit committee:
Grant Taylor
Val Taylor
Gerry Woolley

Our next important step is to open a bank account. Obviously you will be informed about this later.
We hope that we can continue to count on your help and support to take care of the animals. And of course we are always willing to answer your questions.

General Meeting 29-6-2014

Our first general meeting will be on Sunday 29-6-2014 10:30 in Kalivia at Taverna To Steki!

So finally we can officially elect the board of the charity.

All members have been informed already.

Peter’s difficult operation

Peter had no ectopic ureters, as suspected in Holland, but the left kidney was not functioning at all and much enlarged. As well as vascular malformations in the ureter and enlarged blood vessels. A very serious operation was needed, since the kidney had to be removed. It took several hours of surgery but the vet and Peter have won the fight. The kidney was successfully removed despite the size and the enlarged blood vessels, and now Peter is beginning to recover slowly at home with Claudia and Klaus.

http://www.wuestenwolf.de/?p=7554

After the first restless night, he needed prescribed painkillers drops and later he was checked by the vet. Everything was okay, the operation went well despite the severity.

Read also another report by Claudia about the first day after surgery.

http://www.wuestenwolf.de/?p=7594

Peter is, of course, still in pain and moves very carefully but he lives and !!!!! he doesn't lose urine anymore.

It is frightening to think what he would have to endure if Claudia and Klaus had not responded so quickly. First our little Peter has to recover totally with Claudia and Klaus, but we already would like to ask, who can offer a new and loving home for this small, brave, loving guy?

 

 

It is finished - ACT is now an officially registered animal welfare association on Thassos!

ACT - Animal Care Thassos (Δράση για τα ζώα Θάσου) is finally an officially-registered Greek animal welfare organization on the island of Thassos with registration number 19/2014. 

Read all about it in our newsletter!

More help for Peter

Do you remember little Peter? He was supposed to fly to Germany in March with Roxy. But after a thorough investigation because he was limping, it showed that the bones in his leg did not grow well and he had to be operated by a specialist in Kavala. (http://act-thassos.blogspot.gr/2014/03/help-little-peter.html)

When Peter had recovered from the surgery, he was flown in May with a flight partner to the Netherlands and was quickly adopted by a loving family. Peter was also accepted by the dog of the family already present, and it looked as though everyone was happy. We were glad he had found such a nice place.

But after a while, it was found that Peter was dribbling urine. For the second time Peter was thoroughly investigated. This time it was noted that he had ectopic ureter. A congenital defect in which one or both ureters not flow into the bladder. More information can be found here: http://www.vetsurgerycentral.com/ectopic_ureter.htm

This defect itself is operable and generally has a great chance of success, if the dog has no other anomalies.
This operation is very expensive and not always successful. Peter's adoptive family thought it over for a long time, but finally they saw no choice but to return Peter to our Dutch foster family.

Because of his problem with the uncontrolled leakage Peter needed extra work and attention. Unfortunately, the family situation of the Dutch foster did not allow this rather unhygienic conditions, and they also had to look for another solution.

After a lot of consultation, it was jointly decided that Peter had to return to Thassos as soon as a flight partner was found. We wanted to have Peter operated here in Greece, and then find a place for him where he - if the operation would not be successful - could live outside, so the problem with the leakage would not be so relevant. This decision was not easily made, but we were convinced that Peter's chances on a place like that would be better here on Thassos than in the Netherlands or Germany.
We placed calls on Facebook for a new foster place for Peter for the time until we found him a flight to Kavala. This call was also read by Claudia and Klaus (www.wuestenwolf.de), which have helped already so many animals of Thassos. They kept thinking of  the fate of Peter and eventually they decided to discuss the issue with their own vet. He recommended a specialist who had performed many of such operations successfully.

Then everything went very quickly. Peter has an appointment for an operation already on June 17 and may stay with Claudia and Klaus until he is recovered and they have found him a new home.
For everyone, us ACT, the adoptive family that had sadly returned Peter, and of course the Dutch foster family, it was a great relieve when they heard of the plans of Claudia and Klaus.
Together we found a solution and together we will see that Peter can also take this hurdle and find a new fine for ever home.

Dear Claudia and Klaus, we thank you so much. Without your help this would not have been possible. Peter will certainly thank you more than we can express in words.

A busy day

Yesterday was for many people a tiring but happy day. It was the day that Zina and 3 T- puppies left for the Netherlands.

Alex and Tanja were up early to arrange transportation to the airport and once there the officer had them, and hence the flight partners, waiting very long until the boxes were finally allowed through security. The puppies were, thanks to a sedative tablet, sleeping and had no problems. Zina was, however, despite the tranquilizers, agitated and barked at anyone who walked past her box. That was not appreciated by the staff and they were then asked to wait outside. But at last the time had come and they were on the plane.

Arriving in Dusseldorf they were met by Ivonne and Sandra to be brought to their new owners or foster family. Unfortunately Zina had soiled her box and it was decided to first deliver the puppies. Tilly and Tassos went to their foste families and  Toula to her new owner. 

Toula is now called Lexi and already feels quite at home, though she finds it still a little scary. Zina was then cleaned at home at Ivonne's. She was at first very stressed and unwilling, but eventually she calmed. 

In the evening she was brought to her new home and she behaved very well, played soon with her ball and toys and covered the daughter of the house with kisses. Another happy family there. 

Then finally Ivonne and Sandra could go back to their own homes, tired but satisfied.

To be a volunteer in animal care is not always easy, but when everything is brought to a happy ending then again you know why you are doing this.

It is clear that this can't be done without the help of others. Therefore we thank Alex and Tanja very much for organizing the transport, Erna, John, Jan and Bettina for guiding the dogs on their flight and their patience at the airport, and of course Sandra and Ivonne who arranged the transport and accommodation of the dogs in Holland!

Toula>Lexi with her new family

Zina in her new home

Latest news

It is not easy to keep the website up to date with the latest news (in three languages!) apart from all the other work we have to do. To be honest it is easier and quicker to put some small messages and share pictures on our Facebook page.

So if you have some time to spare, we would be very happy if you could give us a hand to keep the news on the website (in one or more languages) up to date. The bigger our team, the lighter the work! Please contact us by email or send a message on Facebook.

For the people who don't follow us on Facebook we will give a summary of what has happened the last weeks.

At the car boot sale in April it was not very busy, but still we managed to sell for 185 euro.

10 May Sammy, Sofia and Peter flew to Holland. Sammy and Peter already found a loving home. Although Sofia is now living with a very nice foster family, she sure likes to have a forever home too.

We are very happy that the new owner of Roxy, Ivonne Bosch, is willing to help Sandra and her team in Holland with the coordination and administration.

A Dutch family saw the pictures of Zina and… fell in love with her. On the 12th of June she will fly to Düsseldorf and from there travel to Holland. We are so happy for her! It is not easy to find a home for a big girl like her.

All the 6 T-puppies will travel together to Holland the 5th of June. One of them, Toula, has already a family waiting for her.

This month a new puppy arrived. She was found in Potos by a Greek lady. We called her Una and she is about 3 months old.

Mother dog with 6 puppies

A while ago a lady in Skala Potamia found a mother dog with six puppies on her driveway. She asked around, but… nobody missed her or knew where she belonged.
So she took them in and took care of them. But after some time the puppies started walking around and out of the garden. And of course there was the danger of them ending on the road.

She asked ACT for help and today she brought mother and puppies to our enclosure.
There are 4 boys and 2 girls and they are about 6 weeks old.

Surprise!

Σας ευχαριστούμε άγνωστε κύριε από το Λιμένα, για κρυφά αφήνοντας δύο κουτάβια στον κήπο μου στα Καλύβια. Μήπως δεν εμπιστεύεστε τον ACT να σας βοηθήσει; Ή μήπως ήταν επειδή φοβηθήκατε ότι δεν θα σας πιστεύουμε ότι τα βρήκατε στο δρόμο στο Λιμένα; Γιατί αυτό σίγουρα δεν είναι αλήθεια, είναι πάρα πολύ ντροπαλά γι΄αυτο.
Αν είχαμε μιλήσει σίγουρα θα βρίκαμε λύση και τουλάχιστον θα ξέραμε ακριβώς πόσο μηνών είναι τα κουτάβια και τι σκύλη είναι η μητέρα τους. Αλλά ίσως έχετε την ευπρέπεια ακόμη να επικοινωνήστε μαζί μας. Αυτό μπορεί να γίνει στο 6945949819.
Αν αυτό είναι πάρα πολύ να ρωτήσουμε, θα ήταν ωραία, αν πρόκειται να στειρωθεί η σκύλη να μην επιβαρύνετε οποιοσδήποτε άλλο στο μέλλον με τα «προβλήματά» σας .
Tanja
*
Thank you unknown man from Limenas, for secretly leaving two puppies in my garden in Kalivia. Did you not trust that ACT would help you? Or was it because you were afraid that we would not believe that you found them on the street in Limenas? Because that certainly can not be true, they are far too shy.
If we had talked to each other than for sure we would have found a solution, and then we had at least known what the mother dog is like and exactly how old the puppies are. But perhaps still you have the decency to contact us. This can be done at 6945949819.
If that's too much to ask, it would be great if you are going to have the mother dog sterilized. So you don't need to burden anyone else with your 'problems' in the future.
Tanja

Help little Peter!

Peter had the possibility to fly with Roxy last week, if he didn't have a problem with his right front paw. He limped regularly and at first we thought that maybe he had wrenched his paw. But it didn't get better, in fact it got rather worse.
So we had to decide that he could not leave until we would know what was wrong and do an X-ray first. This showed that the bones in his joint were not securely in place. Our vet discussed the situation with a specialized vet who concluded that, in this position, his bones could not grow properly and his leg would be deformed without an operation.
That was quite a shock. Not just for little Peter, but also for ACT because surgery is expensive. How are we going to pay for that?
Since it was best to operate as soon as possible, we decided to advance the money privately hoping that our supporters wanted to donate for Peter's operation.

Last Friday, Peter has been operated and the surgery was successful. The most important thing is done, but that leaves us the costs… Would you please help us with a (small) contribution towards the costs???
You can donate via the Paypal Button with your Paypal account or credit card. And of course you will get a receipt if you want to.
On behalf of Peter we thank you very much!

9 puppies fly to Düsseldorf

In this time of year it is really very hard to find flight partners for the dogs, and having ten puppies in our care, we were getting quite desperate how to solve this problem.
One of the ACT members decided to book a ticket at her own costs and today she is flying with the 4 puppies Nils, Nimbus, Nipper and Ned to Düsseldorf. With Aegean Airlines you are allowed to take up to 5 puppies per person in the hold.

Departure was very early this morning so the 4 puppies and their flight partner had to stay overnight on the mainland, but how…?
A very nice lady who lives in Monastiraki and takes care of the stray dogs in the Keramoti area, could help us and fostered the doggies for the night. Dear Ingrid, we thank you very much and wish you all the best with your work for the animals.

It didn't take long before another member followed the example and booked a ticket with Aegean. She will fly with 5 puppies (Noddy, Nash, Quinta, Petra and Peter) on the 7th of February.

These tickets are being paid out of their own pockets, for which ACT is very grateful, but surely you will understand that they can't do this all the time.
Being left with only one puppy it means an enormous relief for the foster homes on Thassos. And hopefully they can enjoy the (relatively) quietness for a while.

A good example: Iris Gold in Limenaria

The only way to control the cat population on Thassos is neutering. Not only does it keep the number of cats acceptable, but also it prevents them to die a terrible death of starvation, illness or weakness (not to speak of poisoning!) just because there are too many.
Like for example tavern Pyrofani in Trypiti or Paradise Beach at the so called beach, now also the owner of Iris Gold has started to bring all the cats in that area to the vet for sterilization.

Many hotel and restaurant owners complain about the number of cats around their places, but most of them do nothing about it themselves. Of course the cats are hungry if nobody takes care of them and so they have learned to beg at the tables for food. Apart from the fact that some tourists don’t like that, it is not a nice sight to see the hungry and sick cats in and around the trashcans.

It is common known that many tourists avoid countries like Greece where they don't treat the animals with respect.
It would be great if Thassos will be known as an island where the inhabitants care about the animals and because of that would attract more tourists.
A good step towards that goal would be for more business owners to follow the example of Iris Gold and others.
Remember that neutering a cat is much less effort than constantly chase away the starving cats, again and again, to get angry about it and to calm the excited customers and guests.

Naturally ACT is willing to help with this. Please contact us and we will be glad to discuss the possibilities with you.

Help!

At the moment we have our hands full with eleven puppies.
Seven of them were found in November in Kalivia by a Greek girl who took care of them for a couple of days before they were hand over to ACT. To make the work easier we separated them and 4 went to a foster home in Theologos and 3 in Kalivia.
At the time we didn't know that we would get another three in December. They were found near the main road in Limenaria. These small type doggies look a bit like miniature pinschers and are very cute. Since we have only 2 foster homes on the island at the moment, these 3 had to stay with the other 3 in Kalivia.
On top of all that we took a Golden Retriever mix puppy from a man in Limenas. He didn't want the little one, but the positive side is that we convinced him to have the mother neutered and he has already made an appointment with the vet.
So this little girl went also to Kalivia where it is now more than crowded with 7 puppies, their own 2 dogs and 7 stray cats.

In this period with very few tourists it is extra difficult to get them on a flight to Germany or Holland. Very frustrating when you know that there is place for them in the foster families over there or even new families waiting for them.
What we desperately need are flight partners from Kavala or Thessaloniki to Düsseldorf, Cologne or Amsterdam.

Helping the animals has not only to do with money! Helping hands are at least as important! Our foster families on the island are really overcrowded and cannot have more puppies at the moment. This means that if someone calls us that they have found dumped puppies, we can't take them. Unless… we find more people on the island that are willing to foster. You don't have to take them in your house, as long as they have a shed to sleep and a fenced garden to play in they will be fine.
Please contact us if you can help, even if it is for once a year.

The N-puppies

The P-puppies

Unfortunately the camera broke down, so no picture of Quinta from Limenas... yet.