Reports of attacks by dogs in North Corfu
dogs
16 Oct 2021
/ 11:23
CORFU. In one case the owner was fined.
There have been reports of attacks by dogs, left free and unsupervised by their owners, on people and chicken coops in North Corfu. In Nymphes, Valanio, Arillas, Gousades and Peroulades incidents have been reported since the beginning of the year and in one case the owner was fined.
Enimerosi is publishing this article following a report from one of our readers regarding dogs that belong to a local Greek owner which attack and injure people in Nymphes, North Corfu.
"We know about this because they attacked a friend of ours," says Sharon Oranski. "She was able to defend herself by throwing stones but was terrified and feared for her life. The parents of a girl who was badly bitten by the dogs are filing charges against the owner.
"The owner doesn't keep the dogs under control and leaves them free to go into public areas. It seems that the police have spoken to the owner at least once and issued a warning but the dogs are still free and attack people."
Without microchips
According to the North Corfu Deputy Mayor for Civil Protection Theofanis Skebris, the fact that most pets don't have microchips makes the job of identification more difficult in instances of attack, as the owners deny that the animal belongs to them.
"There was a serious case of an attack on a coop in Arillas," he said, "where two dogs kiled ducks and geese and in Peroulades a dog knocked a woman off her motorbike and bit her. In that case the owner was fined €300. However, most of the incidents are attacks on animals, whereas attacks on people are rarer and usually random."
According to the police, only one official complaint has been lodged of a dog attacking a person in Sfakera in September, which is being investigated.
120 stray animals in North Corfu
Meanwhile, the local authority in North Corfu is taking action to deal with stray animals. The numbers haven't been officially recorded but it is estimated that there are around 120 in the area, 40-70 of which are dogs and the remainder cats.
"North Corfu Municipality provides animal food to the unofficial animal welfare organisations in the area, which are doing important work with sterilisation, care, innoculation, inserting microchips and finding homes for the animals," said Mr. Skebris, adding that the municipality has been able to deal with 30 animals in collaboration with these organisations.
He said that the municipality is planning to start a programme of veterinary care and sterilisation but until then it is collaborating with the animal welfare groups to create a Society for stray animals which will have a legal structure so that the municipality can subsidise it.
Inter-municipal kennels
According to Mr. Skebris, the solution to the problem with stray animals is expected to be provided by the inter-municipal kennels, which was agreed upon by the three municipalities in 2020 but its implementation is proceeding very slowly.
"We had thought that it would proceed more quickly but it is still at the study stage, whereas it should have been at the stage of implementation by now," he said. "The site for the kennels has been found between Troumpeta and Makrades."
He added that the project has a budget of €1m and Central Corfu & Diapontia Islands Municipality is responsible for its implementation.
Enimerosi is publishing this article following a report from one of our readers regarding dogs that belong to a local Greek owner which attack and injure people in Nymphes, North Corfu.
"We know about this because they attacked a friend of ours," says Sharon Oranski. "She was able to defend herself by throwing stones but was terrified and feared for her life. The parents of a girl who was badly bitten by the dogs are filing charges against the owner.
"The owner doesn't keep the dogs under control and leaves them free to go into public areas. It seems that the police have spoken to the owner at least once and issued a warning but the dogs are still free and attack people."
Without microchips
According to the North Corfu Deputy Mayor for Civil Protection Theofanis Skebris, the fact that most pets don't have microchips makes the job of identification more difficult in instances of attack, as the owners deny that the animal belongs to them.
"There was a serious case of an attack on a coop in Arillas," he said, "where two dogs kiled ducks and geese and in Peroulades a dog knocked a woman off her motorbike and bit her. In that case the owner was fined €300. However, most of the incidents are attacks on animals, whereas attacks on people are rarer and usually random."
According to the police, only one official complaint has been lodged of a dog attacking a person in Sfakera in September, which is being investigated.
120 stray animals in North Corfu
Meanwhile, the local authority in North Corfu is taking action to deal with stray animals. The numbers haven't been officially recorded but it is estimated that there are around 120 in the area, 40-70 of which are dogs and the remainder cats.
"North Corfu Municipality provides animal food to the unofficial animal welfare organisations in the area, which are doing important work with sterilisation, care, innoculation, inserting microchips and finding homes for the animals," said Mr. Skebris, adding that the municipality has been able to deal with 30 animals in collaboration with these organisations.
He said that the municipality is planning to start a programme of veterinary care and sterilisation but until then it is collaborating with the animal welfare groups to create a Society for stray animals which will have a legal structure so that the municipality can subsidise it.
Inter-municipal kennels
According to Mr. Skebris, the solution to the problem with stray animals is expected to be provided by the inter-municipal kennels, which was agreed upon by the three municipalities in 2020 but its implementation is proceeding very slowly.
"We had thought that it would proceed more quickly but it is still at the study stage, whereas it should have been at the stage of implementation by now," he said. "The site for the kennels has been found between Troumpeta and Makrades."
He added that the project has a budget of €1m and Central Corfu & Diapontia Islands Municipality is responsible for its implementation.
