A letter to the mayor of Molyvos

photo:GrisGris (cat to the right), in memoriam

Eftalou, 14 March 2010

To Mister Karadonis, the Mayor of Molyvos

We have known Eftalou well now for seven years and have always known Adonis and his many dogs. However, since Adonis is now ill and does not live here anymore, there is nobody to look after and control them — and there are about fifteen. We have noticed that since last summer the dogs have become more and more aggressive and they no longer stay close to the ‘house’ where Adonis lived (in the shed across the road and on the beach opposite the Hotel Panselinos. They now roam into the fields (where vegetables are growing), into the gardens of the Hotel, and as far as the meadows across from the Pizzeria. They are a major nuisance.

On Saturday morning I was woken up at 7.30 by several of these dogs barking and running around our house. When I opened my bedroom window, I saw several of them attacking one of my cats. I ran downstairs to chase them away but I was too late to save the cat, she died in my arms. So now Adonis’ dogs are murdering my cats. I can assure you that it was a really shocking sight to see one of them killed in this way.

On Saturday night several dogs came again to the house, twice, and on Sunday morning at 5 am I rushed out of my bed to chase them away again and then had to do the same thing at 8.00 am!!!!!

A friend once saw these dogs kill a little dog on the street and another time she witnessed them killing a cat, also on the street (the small dogs and cats seem to have disappeared from Adonis’ place).

Even if I were the only person who was being bothered by this pack of dogs (but I am not) you will immediately understand that this is a situation that cannot be allowed to continue.

Last summer several tourists were afraid to walk along the road past Adonis’ place and there are people who are even afraid to pass there by bike or motorbike. One incident last summer involved a female tourist who wanted to get from Eftalou back to Molyvos, but she was so afraid of the dogs that she had to go back to hotel Bella Vista in order to phone for a taxi to pick her up and take her past the dogs!

And it is not only tourists who are afraid. Because of the dogs a lot of Molyvos people will not walk to Eftalou any more. I understand that Adonis wants to keep his dogs and it will break his heart when they are gone. But I think that he and his family will have to take the responsibility of keeping them in an orderly manner. It cannot be allowed that Adonis’ dogs are able to terrorize a main thoroughfare of your community, but that is what is happening now. (TB: Who will bear the responsibility if a person suffers serious injury, or worse? I for one could not have a clear conscience if I had not brought it to your attention.) You as mayor, should do something about this problem: these dogs must be removed from Eftalou.

With friendly greetings,

Smitaki