In January, we adopted a Greek rescue called Cassie. She's a complicated little cookie, but who isn't? Meeting Cassie introduced us to the reality of the horrors that dogs face in Greece every day. Once I knew this, I couldn't unlearn this information.

Anyone that knows me, knows that I love dogs and that we have always rescued dogs over the years. The unconditional love that these dogs have provided me with is monumental and undoubtedly, they have changed and moulded my life and continue to do so.

I'm turning 40 on the 13th August and rather than throw a big party I wanted to help make a difference, no matter how small, and use my 40th as an excuse to raise funds to help these animals. I'm donating what I would have spent on celebrations and I'm asking if you can help out too please by making a small donation to help improve the life of these dogs in Greece.

All funds will go to Caring for the Animals Trust who have on the ground projects in Greece desperately waiting for funding to continue their work.

Here's some facts to explain how dire the situation is in Greece-

• There are now MILLIONS of dogs on the streets of Greece

• The Greek debt crisis has caused impoverished families to evict their own pets as they can’t afford to keep them and feed them

• Anti-animal people in Greece use methods to kill the animals, leaving them to suffer a slow & painful death, or waiting for one that never comes

• The few rescues that do exist usually have no funding from Greek government and rely entirely on charitable donations from the public

• Greek culture is firmly established & many view strays as vermin or a nuisance, little more than rubbish* (this is not all people, there are some amazing rescuers and public in Greece who do not share this view)

• The majority of these dogs are not neutered

• Greece has an animal epidemic

One female dog and her offspring can produce 67,000 dogs in just 6 years. That's bonkers isn't it? Kind of like watching a scene from Gremlins!

Neutering is essential if Greece is ever going to control the stray animal population.

There is a TNR (Trap, Neuter and Release) scheme in Greece being operated by a number of reputable charities. The dogs will get caught, checked over, treated for mange, mites, injury, neutered and as soon as they are recovered they are released. TNR has been hugely successful across the world and reports are universally positive for the dogs and the public. Dogs that can be rescued are rescued with the limited funds that are available to help make this happen.

Sadly the truth is it’s not possible to rescue them all, and it’s not an option to kill or maim these animals. There is no magic wand, but what we can do is help the ones that can live feral, have healthy lives and stop them breeding further.

So please join me in making a difference. We have live projects earmarked in Greece ready for these funds, and for those that would like updates I can provide pictures and news updates on how treatment and the TNR programme progresses along with any rescues.

Once again, ALL funds are going to be presented to CARAT's (Caring for the Animals Trust) which is a UK registered charity that has vetted and respected routes into charities working on the ground in Greece. Please feel free to look over their website:- Caring for the Animals Trust

Thanks for taking time to read this

Michelle