26 Feb The gates open for me.........

I wandered through the village and got the normal reception from some of the inhabitants, chased away without food! As I planned to leave and make my way back into the hills around Dara I heard a group of people talking in some foreign language with music playing in the background. It sounded like there were two couples having a good time. Now I did know as I said before, where there are humans there is normally food! The two female humans seemed to have slightly different foreign accents, and the male humans sounded a bit different too, in fact they seemed to be shouting at each other !

I had to investigate so made my way through the big black gate...................

I will be going to my friend "Pal" for three weeks tomorrow (see profile pic's) so no blogs for a bit. But don't forget to rejoin me around March 23rd.

25 Feb My life in the balance

I'd like to be able to write that two months passed by quickly, they did not! Each day became a trial, from the moment I woke up to the minute I went to sleep I trudged the countryside looking for Mr Greek and trying to secure food. I also had several scraps with other canines as I entered their area, I learnt very fast how to defend myself.

The problem was I was getting weaker by the hour, I knew if I did not find my home within the next day or so, I would not survive, as I entered the village of Dafni

I was on my last legs ..............................

24 Feb The next 8 weeks (Part 2)

Days and indeed weeks went by, the nights were cold and all too often the days were wet. I was told by other canines this was one of the most wet winters they had been out in. The food supply did not really get much better either, the small mountain villages in Greece have a few tavernas and the likes but little gets thrown out. Village people here are not well off, food is not wasted, especially on dogs! At the side of the road some days I could find take away meal bags that had been thrown out of cars and trucks (just like me really!), the odd one would have some left overs in; such a find became a real treat. When things got really bad I searched around the farming areas and managed to pick up left over goat feed, as some were lucky enough to get some "throw outs". Then where was the "road kill"........I decided to leave that alone, and do my best not to join it !

23 Feb The next 8 weeks (Part 1)

For the next two months life just got more and more hard for me. Now I've never been a "bin dog" but hunger and the basic fight to survive changes you and often the only food I could find was left overs thrown in bins by humans in the villages. I now realise just how lucky I was not to be poisoned, as after the shooting season ends farmers lay down poisons on the land to get rid of vermin and also use very toxic chemicals to control the undergrowth. More so the poisons are often hidden in food, Lidl canned meatballs being the favourite !

I really can not remember how many villages and houses I visited, each time being chased out, often being kicked or beaten by people. I became very adapt to running and avoiding the stick and kick. All too often I would try and make friends with people, both adults and children.

I began to realise absolutely no one wanted me !.....................

22 Feb Flight or fight?

I woke up at first light but it was not the light that woke me but the smell of burning. My stomach churned over, however I think that was from being hungry more than the smell of smoke! It was those olive pickers burning the cut down branches two fields away. Now people mean FOOD. I ran through the fields to where the fire was crackling but as I approached I was met with a VERY big black dog, and clearly he was not too happy with me entering his "so called" domain. Now I might be small but I have had to flight my corner all too often in Mr Greeks home, and yes a fight pursued. I think it would have gone on allot longer if I had not been outnumbered, the cowardly black dog had to call for help from the olive pickers! They came running with sticks to help him and beat me off.........

I had no option but to make a run for it, my only injury was a cut to my rear leg (that still shows the scar), but I was more hurt by the fact I had failed to secure food because I know where there are humans there is FOOD.....

So I made my way on to the next village...................

21 Feb Down & Out.................

I walked along the road where Mr Greeks pickup truck disappeared from view some hours before. Several cars and trucks passed me, but none stopped. Indeed the exact opposite, I think they sped up and aimed for me ! Time to get off the road, I thought, and I made my way into the endless olive groves that spread far and wide across Greece. The damp fields were littered with branches that had been felled during the recent harvest, I had a good sniff around but I could not find any food; I had hoped to find some of the cast away snacks from the olive pickers that had clearly been here, but no....I was to go to bed cold and hungry on my first night alone in the wilds of Greece. I found myself an old olive tree with a hollow in the trunk and went to sleep.........

Hope tomorrow gets better...................

20 Feb Thrown Out !!!!!

Now the countryside in Greece may look beautiful but when faced with being dumped kilometers from anywhere, no food on a cold (yes it does get cold in February) late February morning its not good!

I ran and ran after Mr Greek's pickup truck but he was too fast for me. I barked out and called him, but he did not hear me. I ran so fast and for so long I collapsed on the road side, worn out.

After a few hours I realised I was all alone for the first time in my life; what had I done to them...why did me dump me? Thinking it through now I am sure it was just because the shooting season was over and he did not want to have to keep me in food and lodgings until the next season started. I never eat much and I used to look after him and his family in repayment the best I could; but you see in Greece us dogs are cheap and obviously very dispensable! Many of my friends have to live off the streets but they never remain around for long, I don't recall anyone of them being much older than three years of age.

So was that to be my future........or lack of it ?

19 Feb.....Let me introduce myself..........

Hi my name, or at least the name I now have is ROSIE. You see I can't remember what my name was much before May 2009. This photo of me is how I looked in May 2009 when I was tired, thin, homeless and, well actually on my last legs.....(pic May 2009)

Let me tell you my story over the forthcoming weeks and what I now do daily..

So you see to start with I was born somewhere in the Messini area of the Peloponnese in Greece around about January 2008. I think the first people I took care of were Greek, and think I was looked after OK at first. If I remember correctly I used to go out in the fields and chase birds for Mr Greek to shoot. But for the rest of the day I was tied up outside like most of my friends. Then around the end of February 2009 Mr Greek cut the tag off my collar; now that was unusual I thought! Then I was taken out as normal in the pick-up, odd I thought at the time as the shooting season had just ended, but we drove to the hills and much to my surprise he threw me out of the car and drove off at speed!!!!!

I don't know why really, I don't think I did anything wrong.....

come back later and I'll tell you more......................