At the Hott Spott Café, located on the island of Lesbos, Greece, a rather unusual project has been started. The café closes its doors at 3 o’clock in the morning to the public but then they open their doors to stray dogs that live in the area. It allows the dogs to come inside and escape the freezing temperatures.
This picture was taken at a coffee shop in the island of Lesvos, North Aegean Sea, Greece. The country has strict laws…
Posted by Eustratios Papanis on Wednesday, December 2, 2015
Since this photograph was posted, it has been shared over 300,000 times on Facebook. It gives us a look behind the scenes at how displaying kindness and consideration for homeless dogs can have the power to create change.
It appears as if the community is coming together to help homeless animals in Athens, but that is not the case in all areas where there is such a problem. For example, in Agenia, Greece, they still have some distance to travel before they reach this level of benevolence. A travel site for the area discusses the issue:
“Though Greek law requires municipalities to deal with the problem of stray animals, the law is most often ignored, and it is private animal welfare groups that take up the slack, along with caring individuals who often adopt large numbers of abused/abandoned animals and care for them at their own expense.”
The Greek debt crisis has caused problems for everyone, including the dogs that, at one time, were pets. The shelters have been inundated with animals and they must now turn them away because of the sheer numbers. A lack of funds as a result of the debt crisis and the culture in general do not typically support spaying and neutering, making the problem worse.
A waiter at the café had the following to say on the subject:
“In the city there are many dogs. When the bar closes each night, the dogs come and sleep here. We don’t have a problem. From July, every night there is a dog on the couch. Customers have no problems. It is a bit of a thing now-lots of people come with their cell phones.”
Eustratios Papanis had originally posted the photograph showing the dogs inside of the café. He uses the refugee crisis to illustrate the compassion shown for these animals. Lesbos received hundreds of thousands of refugees this past year and serves as a primary entrance into Europe. Papanis said:
“The locals have increased levels of solidarity towards environmental and humanistic issues. The new generation is more sensitive and well informed.”
We love the fact that this area of Greece seems to have a unique mindset of caring for animals. We also hope that Greece finds a way to deal with the animal population in a more efficient and humane way. Perhaps the small efforts of kind individuals, such as those at the Hott Spott Café, could lead to a new perspective on caring for these animals, including for spaying and neutering to control the population.
The hospitality that this lone café shows will help to keep at least one dog per night warm. They are receiving attention for their efforts, and we feel that they deserve it.
(Images: Help a Greek Stray)
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