I’ve never been so happy to see an animal in a cage – Violetta safe at last. Photo: Katerina Lorenzatos Makris

by Katerina Lorenzatos Makris

Economically speaking, our beloved Greece, cradle of so much human greatness, lies in a bit of a shambles right now. But one of the many great things still vibrantly intact here is a millennia-old tradition of compassion for animals, dating back at least as far as to 5^th century B.C. philosopher Pythagoras of Samos, who said, “For as long as man continues to be the ruthless destroyer of lower living beings, he will never know health or peace. For as long as men massacre animals, they will kill each other. Indeed, he who sows the seeds of murder and pain cannot reap joy and love.”

Viktor (L), Violetta (R) – terrified of everyone and everything / Photo: Katerina Lorenzatos Makris

OK, not everyone here feels compassion for animals, but lots of us do, and we do so powerfully—in fact powerfully enough to persevere to the difficult rescue of two phenomenally terrified puppies under extremely complicated circumstances.

Another long-standing Greek tradition, teamwork, led to this success story. Yes, teamwork.  Yes, in Greece. You doubt? Well, in ancient times, how else could magnificent monuments like the Temple of Poseidon at Sounion, Agamemnon’s Tomb, and the city of Knossos have been built? OK, yes, they had slaves. And all right, all right—we Greeks are not exactly famous for our ability to cooperate.

Temple of Poseidon at Sounion; Greece’s breathtaking beauty / Photo: Katerina Lorenzatos Makris

Why cooperate when we can bicker, which gives us an excuse to make emphatic gestures with our hands? Absolutely necessary to illustrate and punctuate the shouting, which is also a highly desirable activity. Never, ever must we miss a chance to shout and gesture emphatically with our hands.

But sometimes, on occasions about as rare as the Golden Fleece, we forgo even the joys of shouting and hand gesturing so as to work together and get something beautiful accomplished.

Granted, the team who collaborated on the rescue of traumatized puppies Viktor and Violetta here on the gorgeous island of Kefalonia are not all DNA Greeks. Some are transplants. But we are all of us, I believe, Greek at heart. And in important matters, isn’t it the heart that counts?

What follow below are photos and notes on today’s episode of the Scared Puppy Saga. I’m afraid I’m too exhausted tonight to tell the whole tale from the beginning. Anyway my foster pooches Agapi and Jorja, the resident kitties, and my severely neglected hubsy The Saint—who waits for me in California two continents and an ocean away from here (at least let’s hope he does)—deserve my time and attention after weeks of being shortchanged during this long drama. And if I don’t do some laundry now, not even the dogs will want to come near me tomorrow.

The Scared Puppy Saga – March 7, 2013

At 9 a.m., nearly brain-dead after weeks of too little sleep, I phoned the builders’ supply store. That’s where Viktor, Violetta and their mother Vaso had lived, and where I had met them, fatefully, while minding my own business shopping in the store a few months ago.

“Have the girls shown up?” I asked the receptionist.

Vaso went missing last Wednesday. Violetta, on Monday.  Viktor, who we caught on Saturday, is safe in the foster care of Pat Dolman, founder of Kefalonia Animal Trust (KATs).

I was giving up hope on the females, convinced that something very bad must have happened to them.

“One of them is here,” said the receptionist.

“What?!” My brain woke up.  “Which one?”

“The black and white one. She’s here with the big black dog.”

Violetta. There with the stray who had been hanging around to mate with both her and her mother, since they were both apparently in season.

The brain kicked into high gear. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

But “soon” turned out to be hours. I had to figure out a better plan on how to catch Violetta, who had eluded me for weeks, and put all the parts of the new plan in place. The key, I knew, was to somehow keep her on the property. Then our chances for success would soar.

I put out Facebook pleas to everyone I could think of on the island, and phoned those not on FB, begging people to come guard the gate of the store to shoo Violetta away if she tried to leave again.

Friend Lisa Antypas, bless her, volunteered for evening duty, but we still needed someone to stand guard right away.

As the clock ticked I realized that sometimes the best answer is money, and that there was someone I could hire–Vassili, the fellow who’s helping us with repairs on the house. Vassili got there quickly. With him stationed at the gate, I felt a little less frantic, and could arrange things to better effect.

Meanwhile I also contacted Peter Lee of Wildlife Sense. He had responded to one of my earlier FB posts about the whole mess and offered to search for and/or catch the missing girls, equipped with all kinds of useful equipment like catch poles and cages. We agreed to meet at about 1:30 p.m. at the store.

Dr. Amanda Micheletti treats foster pooch Jorja for demodex / Photo: Katerina Lorenzatos Makris

I got there even later than that, though, because my foster girl Jorja needed to see the vet. A patch of bare and irritated skin around her eye worried me mightily, since it could be a sign of several bad things, and because my other foster pooch Agapi has already been through the wringer with two nightmarish illnesses affecting his skin. I couldn’t afford to let her get worse or let him catch anything from her.

Thank goodness Dr. Amanda Micheletti diagnosed demodex, easy to cure when caught early, and not the slightest bit contagious. She treated Jorja with an ampule of amitraz, an acrid-smelling liquid placed along her neck and spine, describing it as a super-powerful medication that will clear up the problem plus make Jorja lethargic for the rest of the day.

Lethargy turned out to be a useful thing. While I was away trying to catch Violetta, the sweet but amazingly high-energy, chewy, Mistress of Destruction Jorja would have to stay locked up in her airline transport kennel in the living room for perhaps several hours, with Agapi keeping her company on his bed nearby.

After getting the dogs squared away I had to think about what I might need with me there at the store, since I intended to beg the owner to let me stay inside the gates on his property past his closing time at 3:00 p.m. when he normally locks up and leaves for the afternoon siesta time. I planned to stay on through until he opened again at 5:00, then remain until he closed again at 9:00 p.m.  If nothing else, I wanted at least to guard that gate till he shut it for the night, so that Violetta would stay confined and safe till we could find more volunteers for the morning shift.

For Violetta I took, among other things: doggy tranquilizer pills, canned dog food, blanket thick enough to shield us from bites, slip collar and leash.  For me: warm jacket, rain jacket, cap, rain cap, water, snacks. And toilet paper, just in case.  Also water and snacks for Peter and Vassilis.

When I finally made it to the store through the drizzle and wind gusts, well after 2:00 p.m., Vassilis said that an Englishman was on the property looking for the dog.

Peter. Very good news.  Already I started feeling a bit more optimistic about the whole project.

Still I wasn’t prepared for what came next. I was just pulling on my raincoat when Vassilis shouted, “Look!”

Following his gaze brought me to one of the most surprising and welcome sights of my life: tall man, catch pole, and small dog at the end of it.

Peter (L) and Vassilis (R) with scared but safe Violetta / Photo: Katerina Lorenzatos Makris

So convinced had I been that this would never happen–that we couldn’t possibly pull off the nab of this particular little girl–that at first I actually believed it must be some other black and white dog. How on earth could Peter have caught Violetta, the most fearful and evasive puppy I’ve ever met?

I ran over, so excited that I forgot my camera in the car. Peter calmly told Vassilis and me how to help him. I fetched the heavy blanket from the car (again forgetting camera). Vassilis held the catch pole while Peter set up the cage. Peter held the pole again. I threw the blanket over Violetta and none too elegantly shoved her into the cage. Peter shut the door, one of the sweetest sounds I’ve ever heard.

Highly cautious me asked, “Are you sure it’s shut?”

Peter grinned. “It is.”

We were all full of grins.

Violetta would strongly disagree, but for me it was one of life’s sweetest moments / Photo: Peter Lee

In upcoming posts, Peter will explain just how he caught Violetta, and there will be photos of her reunion with her brother Viktor at Pat’s house.

Now for a list of the intrepid teammates, who have my eternal gratitude:

Pat Dolman, founder of Kefalonia Animal Trust (KATs)

Peter Lee of Wildlife Sense, and radio presenter at Cosmos965 Kefalonia

Claudia Stellatou, volunteer for KATs and Animal Rescue Kefalonia (ARK)

Dr. Amanda Micheletti, veterinarian

Dennis Papadatos of Kefalonia Today

Vassilis Lelai

Lisa Antypas

Giannis Gnesoulis

Panaghis Atsaros and staff

Anneloes Wagenaar Hummelinck

My grandmother, Stella Lorenzatos Makris

My husband, The Saint

The many friends and readers who provided kind moral support from near and far

Please note: Rescue Diva is proudly providing part sponsorship for Viktor, Violetta, and their mom Vaso (if/when we find her).

But KATs will provide their spay/neuter out of its 100 Dog Neuter Appeal fund. Please give if you can. Spay/neuter and education are the only hope for a better future.

To help many more animals like Viktor, Violetta, and Vaso on the Greek island of Kefalonia, please donate to registered charity Kefalonia Animal Trust (KATs), via PayPal or bank transfer.

Also please consider Animal Rescue Kefalonia (ARK), another group on the island working miracles with terribly few resources. 

The author of this article holds no affiliation with these groups other than as a friend and volunteer.

More on this topic:

Terrified feral puppy, please let me catch and save you

Small but spunky animal rescue group on Greek island launches push to spay/neuter 100 dogs

Questions about animal care? Ask Spicy! Email us at youradopteddogATyahooDOTcom.

Seen our book?  Your Adopted Dog: Everything You Need to Know About Rescuing and Caring for a Best Friend in Need, by Shelley Frost and Katerina Lorenzatos Makris, available through Amazon.com.

Katerina Lorenzatos Makris is a career journalist, author, and editor. Her fiction includes 17 novels for Simon and Schuster, E.P. Dutton, Avon, and other major publishers (under the name Kathryn Makris), as well as a teleplay for CBS-TV, and a short story for The Bark magazine. She has written hundreds of articles for regional wire services and for outlets such as National Geographic Traveler, The San Francisco Chronicle, Travelers’ Tales, NBC’s Petside.com, Animal Issues Reporter.org, and Examiner.com (Animal Policy Examiner).