The plight of pets, working animals, and strays in Greece is getting better but much still has to be done

Fortunately, the latest laws make animal abuse in Greece a criminal offense and it is now considered an ex officio crime, meaning that the prosecution directly prosecutes based on the law without requiring a summons or complaint from anyone.If an animal being tortured, or is it permanently tied up, without food and water, or living in an unsuitable environment, citizens can, and very often report it.

What can one do

Criminal and administrative sanctions are provided for those responsible for animal abuse, which can be either active or passive.In cases where the animal's life is in immediate danger, citizens call police hotline 100 and wait at the scene to indicate the perpetrator, or the animal in distress.If one witnesses active animal abuse, they should immediately call the Police at 100 and wait to indicate the perpetrator.

In case of escape, under article 242 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, a citizen can constantly indicate where he is and report the details of his vehicle so that he can be arrested within the period of arrest, which begins from the moment of the act and ends at the end of the entire following day. In case the police are unable to arrive, citizens should go to the Athens Prosecutor's Office (building 16 of the Athens Prosecutor's Office, old Evelpidon school).

The prosecutor must immediately issue an order for the arrest of the person and the immediate removal of the animal.If one witnesses passive animal abuse, they should follow the following procedure:Take photos and videos with the date of the shooting clearly visible and at different times of the day (so that the repeated situation and duration can be proven) from which it appears that the animal is being neglected.

If one initially decides to talk to the owner, one should remain calm, keeping in mind that ther goal is to help the animal by contributing to the improvement of its living conditions. If the owner does not improve his behavior, the citizen should file a complaint with the neighboring police station and it should be notified by email to the head of the Police Station services.

The complaint can also be made anonymously. In addition, oneshould also file a complaint with the Veterinary Directorate of the relevant Region or Prefecture, stating all the details and information about the case. The complaint can be made either by phone or by fax, but keep the protocol number so that the progress of the complaint can be tracked.Description should be documented and with as much evidence as possible (e.g. photos, videos, audio recordings, other witnesses, etc.) and always a copy should be kept.

Tourists can also report such cases to police station closest to the incident.A lot of such incidents have been investigated after reports by foreign visitors.

Lots of prosecutions and stiff penalties

Because of the new laws, quite a number of individuals have stood trial and been arrested and jailed for considerable terms. Terms can up to ten years, and fines of up to 30,000 euros have been imposed.

Because of the law, a lot of cases have come to the fore, and because animal care societies of all sorts have cropped up, the public has become much more sensitized and willing to denounce acts of active and passive cruelty, while police have gone to extremes to aid animals in distress, even at times bending the rules, like when they entered private property and scaled a wall to free a dog left chained on a rooftop in the blistering sun without water or food.

It is unclear, whether, animal cruelty, as a result of the new laws and prevailing climate has diminished, but certainly more is done about such incidents.

However, Greece's record on the rights of companion and working animals is still tarnished, and much still needs to be done, not some in terms of legislation, prosecution, and reporting such incidents, but in sensitizing the public and deterring abuse.