March 20, 2008

When most of us return from vacation, we share stories of exotic and relaxing trips. But when one Boulder, Colo., woman brought back stories of animal cruelty to her workplace, everyone got involved in what became a transcontinental rescue.

Boulder, Colo. – Tanya is a Beagle mix who is afraid of new people, probably because of what happened to her when she was a pup.

“Tanya was dropped off at a shelter in Patras when she was just weeks old,” said Janet Forgrieve, owner of a one of the Greek pups, called Greekies. “It’s a shelter where dogs get dropped off or tied to trees in the middle of the night.”

Tanya is one of 17 dogs rescued last year by the Boulder Colo. Organization called the Bow Wow Buddies Foundation.

“Our in-house counsel went on a vacation to Greece and came back with stories on how horrible people treat their dogs there,” said Heidi Flammang, president of the Bow Wow Buddies Foundation. “And it’s really more of a cultural thing than money issue. Dogs are treated like pigeons here in the US. It’s sad.”

Flammang said that what she and her group found when they went to Greece to see things for themselves was startling.

“Dogs are chained to trees -- that’s their idea of a shelter,” she said. “And left there with water and stale bread for years. They never get off those chains.”

Greece is a country that hasn’t implemented spay or neuter practices. To manage stray canine populations, Flammang said the animals are poisoned or fed broken glass.

So once she heard about the atrocities facing Greek dogs, she utilized the power of her foundation to help with rescue efforts there.

“That being said, our first focus is in the US and supporting efforts here” she said. “But if there’s a way we can help the folks in Greece make a difference with a little bit of effort and financial support, then we’re all for it.”

Enter Tanya, who was at first fostered at Janet Forgrieve’s house, but never left.

“I actually had to sneak her in cuz I have a cat and technically, I’m only supposed to have one pet,” said Forgrieve. “It didn’t take long after that to bond with her. She’s a momma’s girl.”

Bow Wow Buddies’ goal is to promote health, humane treatment and homes for dogs in need. To date, they’ve placed about 2,000 animals in loving homes. Tanya is one of the lucky ones.

“She just fit into my life and got into my heart,” said Forgrieve. “And I firmly believe our animals choose us rather than the other way around. I don’t think she chose my cat, but she chose me.”

All 17 Greekies that Bow Wow Buddies has brought stateside have been rescued. The group’s partners in Greece plan to brnig an additional eight dogs to Denver and Boulder within the next month.

To find out more about this organization, visit bowwowbuddies.com.

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