A Cypriot Dog’s Life

A little earlier this year I was in Cyprus. Unfortunately, my visit coincided with a wet and windy week. Yet, I was still struck by what a beautiful country it was, particularly the mountains (and accompanying vineyards).

One of the less attractive aspects of the island, though, was the Cypriots’ treatment of dogs. The dogs above seemed well taken care of. But being caged up, outside — kept only for hunting — is pretty much the best a Cypriot dog can hope for. Since neutering is frowned upon, many others are simply dumped on a motorway or in a trash can and it is left to fate to decide whether they live or die.

Cyprus is full of British expats — it was a colony until 1960 and there are still British troops stationed there. In sharp contrast to the Cyrpriots, the British are a nation of animal lovers. And during my week in Cyprus I must have come across, or heard of, almost a half dozen Brits who had adopted dogs they found close to death in dumps, tied up outside stores or rescued from pounds.

I met these two dogs with a British couple at a restaurant. They were both rescued separately. I’m not sure where Bella, on the left, was found. But Penny, on the right, was discovered on a tip. It was all rather sad really.