CIVIL SOCIETY: 269 PRACTICES
The aim of the project is to convey to children basic knowledge generally lacking from the Greek family. We visit, absolutely free of charge*, schools in an effort to teach children not to repeat their predecessors’ practices of abandonment or neglect, due to which there are so many stray dogs today.
Ingoing, since June 2005
We visit kindergartens, pre-schools, elementary and senior schools and “pass on” to children important messages such as, what is meant by responsible ownership (=guardianship), what a dog needs, how people can get to know and pet a dog (stray or owned), what to watch out for if the dog appears to have a skin disease, how not to provoke dogs and bring them on the defensive, that as guardians of a dog we absolutely have a duty to spay our female dog, how, when taking our dog for a walk to collect its pooh, etc. The whole oral part of our presentation (approx. 15-20 minutes) can be found step-by-step in the informational leaflet that we distribute to all participating children.
And then, it is time for the “key”, interactive part of our visit: the time for kids to experience what we talked about earlier and actually get to know and pet our team’s dogs. No more talking and teaching, just a well-guided hands-on practice. Children are asked to mimic our behavior in calling out to a dog, petting, and generally act properly and dog-friendly around a dog or many dogs. While sitting next to us and our dogs, children also have the opportunity to ask the experienced team’s members more questions, whether those have to do with stray dogs or their own dog. Please visit our Informative Campaign’s Photo Gallery to see pictures and comments from all our school visits since 2005.
It is true, we come across many children who are afraid to come closer and even more children that “know” how to get to know a dog, and actually try to exhibit this conduct, although it is totally inappropriate. We never push children belonging in the first category to come closer. We let them, in time, decide to mimic the behavior of their classmates – and this “team spirit” mentality is what happens in the end, most of the times. As for the children belonging in the second category, namely the ones that “know” we guide them towards the right behavior, always explaining the reasons why.
It is very difficult to describe the picture and reactions of the children in the schools we visit. We see a “I-now-know-how-to-get-to-know-a-dog” glow in their faces, a touch with nature and our basic instincts, the joy of learning while having a good time.
It is a major challenge to the members of our team to teach children that all dogs will bite if they are directly or indirectly provoked and to reverse the idea of the “killer” or “aggressive” dog that is so wide-spread in our country, no further questions asked. We believe that not only it is wiser but also our duty to treat dogs in the right way rather than expect them to exhibit their best manners when they spend most of their life in a balcony or garden alone, or in the case of stray dogs, famished, thirsty, sick and/or abused by us humans.
Greece
Yes, with the Ministry of Education, Research and Religious Affairs, regarding the yearly renewed permits.
Indirectly, with the Ministry of Health, regarding visits to homes under its jurisdiction (pensions, clinics)
Indirectly, with the Ministry of Justice regarding visits to detention centers under its jurisdiction
We have no employees, all members are trained volunteers
Awwareness raising offered to tomorrow's citizens by people who are very savy of the "problem"so that, hopefully phenomena of abandonment, abuse and uncontrolable (and unsustainable) reproduction of pets. Since founding year 2005, we have reached out to more than 100.000 students in the wider Athens area and rural Greece.
