Updated 24 August 2004, 13.17

George the vet speaks to Ellie

Instead they are well looked after and will be put back onto the streets where they were found, after a vet has looked them over.

George Papaioannou, the vet, said: "We are giving them special injections so they can't have puppies again and to make sure they can't catch any nasty diseases.

"People can come to the shelters and if they want to adopt a dog they can.

"If they are not adopted they are taken back to the place where they were found."

Well-looked after

Most of the dogs are really well-looked after so the only thing wrong with them is a few scratches and scrapes from fights they have had with other dogs.

People can adopt the dogs from the shelter

Often people call the centre to say they are feeding a group of dogs, so the centre takes them in, checks them out and then puts them back on the streets.

And if the dogs aren't back in a couple of weeks the people call the centre to find out where they are!

"We want the dogs to live with the people and the people to live with the dogs and not be afraid of each other," added George.

Some dogs are bit more aggressive than others, so they stay a bit longer at the shelter to get used to people looking after them.

And George says the rumours in the UK that dogs are being poisoned are just that: "They are rumours. They are going back after 10-15 days. That is the truth."

More Info

Pix of the stray dogs in Athens

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