They are called “ghost dogs” - frightened, starving FORMER PETS who emerge tentatively from the shadows to fill their hungry tummies only to vanish seconds later.

In the semi-rural area of Aspropyrgos near Athens, Greece, thousands of street dogs (and puppies!) roam derelict industrial parks, factories and struggling neighborhoods. Many of the animals are reduced to skin and bone, covered from head to tail in parasitic ticks and suffering terribly from deadly injuries and ailments. Together with our long-standing partner Ghost Dogs of Aspropyrgos (and thanks to your generosity), we help to feed, sterilize, treat and rehome as many dogs as possible.

These animals are SO afraid of humans they have been dubbed “ghost dogs” - elusive creatures who emerge from the shadows to fill their desperately hungry tummies only to vanish just seconds later.

Aspropyrgos’ local municipal body is responsible for the dogs and is legally required to provide them with appropriate shelter, medicine and veterinary care. But it has failed to meet these obligations for years - and it obviously does not care. In March 2022, Greece’s agricultural ministry asked all the country’s municipalities submit proposals detailing their long-term solution for the country’s street dog problem. Aspropyrgos, unsurprisingly, did not submit anything.

‘Ghost Dogs of Aspropyrgos’ wants to open a private shelter, but resources are scarce and legal problems complex - it simply isn’t feasible right now.

This means that countless animals are left with no option but to call the streets home. Our team does its utmost to provide slivers of hope to starving, traumatized dogs who have been heartlessly dumped and left to die. When necessary, these animal lovers even dip into their own, nearly empty, pockets to care for street dogs, but with numbers growing every week, it is an almost impossible task.

On our most recent visit, we discovered a sickly puppy, recently named Shannon, hiding in an abandoned yard…

Having likely seen the very worst of humanity, this tiny girl used the last of her energy to shriek in fear when our team approached her. At some point, she must have realized that we were only there to help her, as eventually, exhausted, she relented while being cradled in the arms of a volunteer. Little Shannon was in dire condition - emaciated almost beyond repair and completely riddled with ticks that had even begun to burrow deeply into her ears. Barely clinging to life, she had to be fed and tended to at the scene while her deeply distressed mother barked at us from afar.

Shannon is just one heartbreaking example of what it means to be a ghost dog.
There are thousands of others like her that are in urgent need of our, and YOUR, help!

We have now learned that Shannon is suffering from a life-threatening blood disease caused by the relentless, blood-sucking ticks who infested her tiny body. We urgently need to raise enough funds to cover the cost of specialized veterinary treatment and antibiotics to nurse her back to health.

Your contribution, no matter how large or small, will make a life-saving difference to the life of little Shannon, as well as countless other homeless creatures in desperate need.

Ghost Dogs of Aspropyrgos cannot bear the cost of caring for thousands of street dogs alone. The dogs always need food, medicine and emergency operations for tragic incidents - most distressingly, hit-and-runs which result in dogs and puppies often requiring hospitalization for months on end…

It deeply saddens us, as we’re sure it does you, to see so many innocent animals living in such pitiful conditions. If these dogs are to have any chance at survival, we need your help. With your support, we can bring them a little bit of relief, enough food to survive, and, hopefully, a happy future. We cannot do our critical work without your generosity. Please, please, will you be a friend to the unfortunate Ghost Dogs of Aspropyrgos by donating today?

For the animals,

Brian and Gloria Davies (and Max and Flora!)
Founders
Network for Animals

P.S. Most ghost dogs were once beloved pets. The moment they become a “burden” to their owners, they are discarded like rubbish and left to rot in the desolate, dangerous wasteland that is Aspropyrgos. We strive to show animals that not all humans are cold-hearted. Please, find it in your heart to do the same by donating as generously as you possibly can right now.