From: Vesna
The TRUE account of the transport ....
Dozens of different versions of what happened in regard to the transport of dogs have been circulating, the half-truthsd embellished ... at one time I heard that 5 horses were on board one of the trucks, then it became 15, in reality it was seven. Contrary to the rumours and nasty gossip, the dogs were not 'packed like sardines', they were not kept in bleak darkness (the trucks have many windows and are temperature controlled), apart from of course during the night, when on the ferry from Igoumenitsa to Ancona.
Below you can read the REAL truth of what REALLY happened and everything Yiannis Vassiliou, the trucks' owner, wrote can be confirmed by witnesses. The lies written by ENPA [the so-called animal protection organisation in Italy) and circulated by the Italian press painted a horrific picture; so why did all dogs look perfectly well and clean on arrival to Italy?!
Vesna
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
27/03/07
Dear Sirs,
I would like to
inform you of the events leading up to the confiscation in Ancona,
of the dogs
I
was transporting from Greece to Germany and
Holland.
I left Patras on
Sunday the 18th of March 2007 with my two lorries, PIM 273 and TBD
603, loaded with 7 competition horses and 102
dogs.
The PIM 273,
with
17 partitions (boxes), carried 62 dogs/puppies.
The TBD 603
with
12 partitions (boxes) was carrying 40
dogs/puppies.
The TBD 603 was
pulling a trailer with registration number QCA 513, this trailer
was carrying 7 horses.
These two lorries
were loaded the morning of the 18th of March in Varibobi, Athens
and additional dogs were loaded in Patras. Each owner/organisation
were present at the loading at both places, ensuring
that each dog was loaded in the partition (box) according to breed,
size and character to make the journey as stress free and
comfortable as is possible. Each partition carried on average three
dogs (there were three
mother dogs with six to eight puppies under three months
old), they
have continual access to water, good ventilation, electric fans to
combat extreme temperatures, comfortable bedding and space to
stretch out as well as continual supervision provided by the opt
acoustic system in the drivers cab. The rubber flooring of the
lorry is easily washed out so maintaining a high level of
cleanliness and hygiene.
We boarded the ship,
Superfast XII, in Patras with an in between stop off in
Igoumentisa, and with final destination, Ancona.
Half an hour prior to
arrival in Igoumentisa I was informed that there would be a check
of my lorries by the port authorities. On arrival in Igoumenitsa I
was asked to present the travel documents for the dogs, the lorry
licenses and identification. The vet, the bailiff and the port
police did not open the lorries to check the condition of the dogs
within. They took photocopies of all documentation accompanying the
dogs.
After delaying
sailing for one hour we continued sailing to
Ancona.
One hour before
arrival in Ancona, the Captain of Superfast XII informed me
that he had
been ordered by the Greek Port Authorities to return all the dogs
to Greece (the horses were
allowed to continue their journey). As the horses were loaded in
the trailer of the lorry it
meant we had to unload all the dogs carried in the TBD 603 and re
load them onto the PIM 273 together with the other dogs. This of
course created a lot of stress for the dogs, as it was necessary to
have seven or eight dogs in each partition of different sizes that
had never been in contact with each other before.
Throughout this
process the Captain and many of the crew, even some passengers,
were present.
I was bitten on my
right arm by two of the dogs during the re loading which later on
caused an infection and I had to visit
ahospital.
At one point,
realising that by moving more of the dogs from the one lorry to the
other, and overloading them even more, would constitute severe
cruelty for the dogs, I stopped the transfer.
When we arrived in
Ancona, the port authorities that had been previously informed,
came on board and asked for the documents. After discussing with
the Captain, they instructed me to take the TBD 603 and its trailer
(containing the horses) off the boat. On seeing that I had not
managed to load the PIM 273 with all of the dogs, that there were
still some dogs remaining on the TBD 603, they ordered the lorry
back on the ship. They asked
why there were still dogs in that lorry and my response was that
the PIM was already too overloaded with dogs and to load more on
would be inhumane. Finally they
decided to take both lorries off the ship and start checking all
papers.
From the moment the
Italian authorities took over, there was an Italian translator
named Paul who spoke fluent English. He was kind enough to stay for
the whole duration of the process, until the horses were permitted
to leave. He ensured we had a clear understanding of all that was
happening around us. There were high-ranking officials as well as
two Ministry vets present. They started checking the microchips of
the dogs carried by the PIM 273, I was assisting them as much as
possible. Obviously it was made more difficult due to the fact that
the Captain had instructed me with his orders from the port
authorities, to load so many dogs on the one
lorry.
At some point we
stopped the microchip check and we went into the office to compare
the microchips with the correct passports, and check the
documentation of the seven horses. The papers of the horses were
found to be all in order, however, due to the number of dogs and
corresponding passports (by this point all mixed up), it made it
very difficult to check. Due to this, the authorities instructed us
to load the remaining dogs from the TBD 603 into the PIM 273, in
order for the horses to carry on with their journey and for the
dogs to be moved to kennels in the area of
Osimo.
Upon arriving in
Osimo, we had to transfer the dogs onto a smaller vehicle to take
them to the kennels, as the roads were too narrow for the lorry to
continue along. As my driver and groom had left with the other
lorry carrying the horses, I was alone. However, Dr Stefano
Vignaroli, Mr Raffaele Parretta and Mr Gianfranco Calderaro, as
well as the two workers from the kennels, were of great assistance
in moving the dogs to the kennels.
Once all the dogs
were safely in the kennels, the vet counted 102 dogs, we asked for
his assistance for one dog that had been bitten on its leg by
another dog.
Afterwards I was
taken to the offices to write out a statement and then to the
hospital to have my arm seen too.
From then on I stayed
in Italy until Friday the 23rd hoping to be called by the bailiff
to testify.
I am now waiting for
further information regarding the fate of the
dogs.
Yours
sincerely,
Yiannis
Vassiliou
* . * . *
For letter sent by Action Against Poisoning scroll down
please
You
tube
From: WAG NY
Date: March 25, 2007
WAG
NY Animal Rights News
"A Black Sunday in Ancona"
The Clock is Ticking - We Need International Assistance
Urgently.
We are no closer to securing the release of the 100 Greek strays,
rescued, nursed back to health and loved by Greek and foreign
advocates. Confiscated in Ancona, Italy, on their way to permanent
homes in Germany and Holland, the dogs are the victims of a witch
hunt carried out by Ioanna Garagouni, Chryssa Dile, Ministry of
Agriculture Vet, and now unfortunately, ENPA, the Italian National
Animal Protection Agency. They are convinced the animals are headed
for vivisection.
This is ludicrous.
We must unite and continue our battle to free the dogs from the
Italian officials and
third party ENPA.
IT IS CRITICAL THAT WE ACT NOW
We appeal to you to write to the Greek and Italian Ministers of
Foreign Affairs and press for their intervention and the release of
the dogs, as well as for the censure of thoseGreek Citizens &
Greek Officials responsible for thedemolition of Animal
Welfare in Greece. The Ministers intervention can ensure the
release of the dogs and the continuation of their journey to their
adoptive families in Europe.
I am literally begging you to help the Greek animals and the total
decomposition of
Animal Welfare in Greece
Love & Respect,
Marijo
CROSS
POST TO THE MOON and BACK, PLEASE!
Sunday’s
animal news from Greece is tragic. The favorable outcome
depends upon you and your actions. Please support the animals.
I beg you to open this link,
www.wagny.net/Greek_Support.
Take
exactly two minutes, read
the news, view the TV broadcast and take immediate action. WAG NY
has simplified everything with the click of a button.
Please, for the animals whose suffering in Greece is
incalculable.
Love and
respect,
Marijo
Marijo
Gillis
Welfare
for Animals Global
www.wagny.org
New
York City
Twinkieperkyebby@msn.com
"a not for profit political lobby
and advocacy force reaching the world"
tel: (212)
427-0587
mobile:
(646) 284-1945
tel: (813) 907-3847
Fax: (212)
427-6381
"If
you are a truly compassionate advocate for animal rights;
please stop waving your country's flag and singing your national
anthem. Animals do not understand geography, nor do they
suffer within defined borders. They suffer
everywhere."
Marijo
Anne Gillis - August 4, 2004
Letter
sent by Action Against Poisoning
Date:
March 26,
2007
Dear Sir/Madam,
Action Against
Poisoning has been informed on the obstruction by Greek and Italian
officials of a transport of Greek stray dogs to Germany and
Holland.
We cannot fathom the
motives for denying abandoned animals a better life in countries
that are known for high standards of animal
welfare.
Please inform us on
the legal, political or emotional considerations that have lead to
this dismal behavior and on what will be done with these
dogs.
With kind
regards,
Action Against Poisoning