The (Mostly) Sleeping Dogs of Athens

I was reading the business section of The National a few days ago and I was drawn to an article about the Greek economic situation. It was not so much the depressing depression which caught my eye, but the accompanying photo. The photo was of a journalist, with camera in hand, photographing a stray dog sleeping on a pavement in Athens. The inference was that with austerity had come an increase in the stray dog situation.

Those of you who have been to Athens will know that Athens and its pavements are no strangers to dogs. I was there six years ago and was taken with the numbers of dogs (and cats) wandering around the streets of the city. I took several photographs of these dogs and cats some of which I will share with you here.

The dogs that I thus captured looked in no way to be starving strays. In fact just the opposite seemed to be the truth. They looked decidedly well fed and cared for. Many of them had collars with tags displaying telephone numbers. I imagined their owners letting them out in the mornings to roam the streets and upon the owners return from work their faithful companions would be on the doorstep to welcome them home. In between the dogs are free to look for entertainment on the streets of the city.

The cats I assume are feral, but they too seemed well fed and I guess that they find sustenance from the concerned citizens. I am not sure whether the street dog numbers have increased due to the recession and whether they are now skinny and unkempt. I would be interested to hear from anyone who has been to Athens recently whether this is now the case. I would be very sad if it were so.

Here are a few of the pictures I snapped during my holiday in 2007.

This fellow seems to have chosen his spot very wisely.

This cat was spotted in the grounds of the Acropolis

Good ol' anywhere

Not all catnappers are of the canine persuasion

Probably the stall owner's dog

Yes, anywhere will do thank you

Hmmmmm. Where shall I lunch today?

Having a lookout makes for a peaceful sleep

Outside one of Athen's posh 5 star hotels can't be a bad choice

This fellow had decided to make his bed on an island on one of Athen's busiest streets. How he got there and whether he got back safely is a mystery. Check the worry in the pedestrian's eye.

Another owner's dog?

Shame. Poor skinny stray.

Life is a bore

This kitty was checking me out while I was enjoying a meal at a pavement cafe.

 Lazy companions

Ancient monuments are nice and shady.

Shade is where you find it.

Bikers dogs?

 This little guy had a bed.

They were everywhere

I had to check that this one was still alive

These guys were guarding the site of the original modern Olympics.

It seems that guarding is left to the cats. Dogs too sleepy to be of use.

Steps are good.

I am sure tourists are good for a snack.

Well I hope you enjoyed these photos. If you are able to cast any light on whether there are more dogs on the streets of Athens these days and what sort of condition they are in I would appreciate it if you could leave a comment. Thanks.