Kibkom North Cyprus Forum

I have lived here for almost 9 years. I still love my life here, but I do not feel safe nowadays.
When I read the posts on this forum it sounds as though if you should have a walk, you maybe attacked
by dogs. I love all animals, but it seems to me that things may be out of control.

In town 2 days ago at the George, enjoying my lunch and feeding various
dogs and cats, I did feel uneasy to see so many stray animals. These poor
animals were in and around the George. Too many!!

I just cannot uderstand the mentality of putting down cardboard boxes
for these sad and lovely animals to sleep in. This is not the way to take
care of animals........not in 2015 surely.

greenvalley, I'm not altogether sure what the main thrust of your argument is, so I'll try and respond with my thoughts on each point: -

I think if you go for a walk in a specific area where problems have been reported on here, then perhaps you are taking a risk, but as for the other 99.999% of the country, I wouldn't say so...

I think that the reason that there are / were a lot of stray animals around the George, is that the staff and kind people like you take pity on them, and feed them - that is a very charitable thing to do, and it is natural that the strays will then congregate there, where they know that they will be fed. I can't see why that would make you uneasy though...

As for not being able to understand "The mentality of putting down cardboard boxes for these sad and lovely animals to sleep in." - it's perfectly simple - people take pity on the animals. If one does not have the wherewithal to provide a home for all these animals (and I certainly don't - I can hardly find a free space on my settee as it is!) at least a cardboard box is better than hard concrete!

I suppose we could just get the Belediye to shoot 'em - that would solve the problem of 'Too Many!' strays - unless you wanted to offer them all a home, of course...

If you 'Do Not Feel Safe Anymore', is there perhaps some other factor, apart from the strays, which is contributing to your fears? - I ask this, because it does seem to be a rather extreme reaction, in my opinion.

Stay Safe, and Be careful out there!

Keith, as usual, you seem to have summed up the situation. It feels to me (my opinion) that maybe there is something else bothering this poster.

Actually I feel a lot less safe hear than I did l0 years ago, but it has nothing to do with four legged animals, but among other things with four wheeled vehicles, particular 4 wheel drives.i

Greenvalley: I think some of us are overreacting to the dog problem because we are so concerned about the animals - it is still only a very small proportion of the strays that are dangerous (my concern is to keep it that way). I dont want to add to your fears, but Statistically there are probably much greater risks than being attacked by a dog, apart from the human element and traffic accidents: snakes, insects etc. I think you are safe enough at a Cafe , the owners would make sure none of the "regular" animals are a risk to their customers! The people at most risk of attack by dogs are those of us who take our own (sometimes small) dogs walking, on leads.

With not just a tin hat, but full suit of body armour on, I would suggest, however, that feeding strays in residential areas is misguided kindness. It causes all sorts of problems for others (including those spending a lot of time and money giving full care to strays and domesticating them). I believe this in fact concurs with advice given by KAR.

The main thing with dogs is NOT to be afraid of them, they smell fear and then they get nervous and snappy, Keep calm and quiet around animals, dont make sudden or jerky movements and only approach them from where they can see you.

Read and watch about animals behaviour (I put in another thread a good BBC programme if you can access it) and learn the signs of animal behaviour. Oh, and if you feed them by hand put the food on the flat of your hand, not between your fingers - a starving animal will snatch a finger sandwich!!!!!!!!!!!

IMO there are a few more street dogs around George's at the moment because some of them are usually down at the harbour. There they are looked after and fed by local restaurateurs. At the moment these restaurants are closed until about March! Personally I was delighted to see that at last, the local Belediye is taking an active interest in helping to look after the street dogs. Some of them are known to locals and tourist by their adopted names and have been around for some years. Is it their fault that they are on the streets, with no homes of their own? Please don't deny them a card board box!

The great draw back to cardboard boxes is they are not waterproof and within a few days the rains came down and then the Belediye were forced to go around Girne collecting up brown squashy shapeless boxes. The other point of course, for those that know the basics about animal behaviour is that dogs and other animals tend to gather and "snuggle up" together. We may believe that a warm box is preferable, but dogs don't think they way we do. BUT AT LEAST the redeeming feature of the cardboard boxes is that some locals are finally beginning to take animal welfare to heart, and should be applauded for doing so.

sophie wrote:...dogs and other animals tend to gather and "snuggle up" together...

I wish you'd tell my dog that - I often come down in the morning, only to find that the dog has been obliged to drag his bedding outside, onto the patio, because his kennel is full of cats, and there's no room for him inside!

Perhaps I should invest in a cardboard box for him!

Mind you, that would probably soon fill up with cats as well...

Dogs with dogs, cats with cats. Don't think you're going to find too many feral cats with the street dogs. The dogs around George's are lovely. Occasionally an outsider (untagged) will come and join them and fur goes flying a bit, but they generally calm down very soon. Strangers come to the area because they know they are going to get food, which is very often in short supply at home. As mentioned above, most of the regulars have all got pet names, are usually over weight and low betide anyone who gives them a bit of bread, when they are used to fish and meat morsels. They soon walk away from such basics as a bit bread!

I sit down at the George quite regularly and no-one feeds me or gives me a drink.................

Hedge-fund wrote:I sit down at the George quite regularly and no-one feeds me or gives me a drink.................

Perhaps you ought to 'tip' a little more frequently...

The 4 cardboard boxes near the round tower are now 4 cardboard kennels complete with nice warm foam and bedding.

So we have a solution to the stray dog problem - shorten their lives by overfeeding

Feeding in cafes is one thing: the choice of the owners and those who patronise it.

Its a bit harder to move house and three dogs because the garden is overrun by stray cats (very well fed nearby) yowling, fighting, mating and sitting on the wall making faces and noises at the dogs; they have even taken over the shelter intended for the dogs.

The dogs have to be kept indoors not only at night, but when I am out, because they get so upset ... seriously diminishing their lifestyle and mine since I cant get out and enjoy at meal at say The George for more than two or three hours. And when I have to got out in the cold when I am ill to break up a cat fight, and shoo them away only to hear their progress down the street through the homes of other dogs. gratitude is not the emotion I feel towards those who encourage them!And I live in fear that someone will get fed up with the whole lot and poison them all.

The noise of animals of all kinds is something we all must live with (and personally I usuallly enjoy) in Cyprus; but encouraging large numbers of feral or wild animals into a largely residential area is not a good idea. Did the scheme for feeding points in Girne work out, and is it still going. If so why cant it be extended to the outskirts of villlages?? Thinking about it , often there are cheap offers which provide too much for three dogs, but too little to be worth delivering to KAR. It could be given to strays but I dont want to encourage more strays (dogs or cats) into this area.

In the long run it is far more humane to remove strays from the streets and if they can't be housed within say a fortnight, put them to sleep.

It's what is done in London at the best Dog's home in the world and London is free of strays and full of happy dogs (well....apart from the drug dealers' fighting dogs!)

People feeding the street dogs are merely prolonging a miserable existence. I'm a dog lover but not a dirty, unhealthy, noisy dog lover and object to having them around me when I'm eating.

Hedge-fund wrote:In the long run it is far more humane to remove strays from the streets and if they can't be housed within say a fortnight, put them to sleep.

It's what is done in London at the best Dog's home in the world and London is free of strays and full of happy dogs (well....apart from the drug dealers' fighting dogs!)

People feeding the street dogs are merely prolonging a miserable existence. I'm a dog lover but not a dirty, unhealthy, noisy dog lover and object to having them around me when I'm eating.

I fully accept what you are saying, and if there were Vets who were willing to euthanize stray dogs, then that solution might be preferable to the situation that currently prevails. Being pragmatic, and in the absence of such a solution, the alternatives seem to be: to re-home them, feed them, or let them starve to death.

I can appreciate that you may not want to be surrounded by animals when eating, and that, of course, is the decision of Cafe / Restaurant owners (not to mention the customers who also feed them!) - perhaps a viable solution might be to establish informal 'feeding stations' some distance from the actual venues, to which the cafe owners and customers alike could contribute waste food and scraps (and even 'proper' dog food ), and actively discourage the animals from congregating near the 'eateries' (and actively discourage customers from feeding the animals!). Actually, didn't I read something on those lines a while ago? - I wonder what became of it....

It is a particularly thorny issue, isn't it?

Some good ideas there and yes absolutely a thorny issue.

I come at it as a dog owner/lover who also has 3 cats so of paramount importance is the welfare of these poor strays - and hearing what you say about funding for professsional vets in this regard maybe KAR could redirect some attention towards that rather than just putting sticking plaster on what is a gaping wound on the town (let me emphasize that KAR do a fantastic job with limited funds and I'm merely exploring how those funds could be put to better use for a longer term outcome)

I often wonder about these people who recommend what KAR should or should not do. KAR raised a lot of money at their Christmas Bazaar and quite a number of people remarked, "Oh great, that will keep you going for a long time won't it" In reality it would actually pay for one months vets bills with just a smidgin over. BTW, there were one or two feeding stations - one was just to left of the entrance to Girne Belediye offices. Not sure if its still there, but if it is, then it was full of rotting bread and a couple of dozen cigarette ends. Anymore good suggestions? Don't forget, dogs that are "swept away" at the request of those people who "don't like animals around when I eat" are then condemned to life imprisonment. There are exceptions of course, but over 90% of the dogs never taste freedom again. Whereas the life expectancy of a tagged dog, if near food, is 7 years and above.. The shops, and cafes in the centre of town and around the harbour keep an eye on the dogs (including the roundabout dogs) and KAR is called out if they are obviously ailing for one reason or another. Which would you prefer? A little inconvenience to yourself or a dog imprisoned for life. Surely its a NO Brainer?

Sophie I've tried very hard to take the emotion out of the discussion and purely focus on what is best in the long run.



I often wonder about these people who recommend what KAR should or should not do

Discussion should be welcomed. If the present system is failing then what is wrong with discussing other options?




In reality it would actually pay for one months vets bills with just a smidgin over.

I agree and this is a major issue. If the funds were directed to the long term rather than just trying to do the best you can for as many animals as you can you will get real tangible resuts rather than just chasing your tail



Don't forget, dogs that are "swept away" at the request of those people who "don't like animals around when I eat" are then condemned to life imprisonment. There are exceptions of course, but over 90% of the dogs never taste freedom again

I've never requested a dog be swept away and there's nothing wrong with not wanting to eat around stray dogs! Take the emotion away from the sentence and what we are left with is that troublesome strays are taken away and imprisoned. I believe a good vet dealing with putting unhoused dogs to sleep is a far better (for the dog population, the human population and KAR) and sustainable way of dealing with the issue.



The shops, and cafes in the centre of town and around the harbour keep an eye on the dogs


Only on the one or two they adopt. The problem is this attracts more dogs who are then fed by some tourists - but mainly by well meaning ex-pats - and the issue escalates and perpetuates. Around by the jetty in the harbour there are groups of up to 8 dogs fighting at times and it is unsustainable.

We need a grown up dispassionate debate. We all love animals and simply have different opinions on what would benefit the animal population in the long run.

I am not going to enter the animal euthanasia debate, as I am still not sure myself.

However, I must make one appeal on the subject. If dogs are to be "put down" do, please, please keep them for longer than two weeks
There are many reasons why an owner may not reclaim a beloved pet in that time. Illness, hospitalisation or they have entrusted the animal to someone else while they were absent from the country. Or just mystery. Twelve years ago my small puppy escaped and went
missing a few days after I had adopted him, and after three weeks of seaching I had given up - he was too tiny to have survived that long, or to find his way home, he was so new he hadnt even been registered or completed his innoculations. Just then the door bell rang and and of the children from the village was there with a small bedraggled bundle of fur in his arms. I never found what had happened during the pup's walkabout but twelve years he is very handsome, healthy, happy loyal companion dozing beside me in a chair in front of the fire. I am so glad no one decided he was a stray and had him summarily executed!

Hedge-fund wrote:I sit down at the George quite regularly and no-one feeds me or gives me a drink.................

Hedge-fund: I missed this earlier! Don't they scratch behind your ears, or tickle your tummy either?

I am sure the majority of us are animal lovers me included, my dog is treated like our baby but i would not feel happy to pay to eat my dinner surrounded by street dogs. I dont even like going to places that have cats wandering the tables.
I have often looked at the dogs that live near cafe George and they all look well fed and happy but dogs when roaming tend to form packs and that is not a nice thing when you are out walking and come across one of these packs. We are fortunate enough here not to read horror stories of children being killed by dogs but i fear that this will change one day and that is scarey.
I know Kar do all they can but it is becoming a real problem now.
I live in a road that never had stray dogs until one day a tagged dog appeared. One of the neighbours started feeding it and it has now made this road its home. We are unfortunate that we have a shepherd that also lives in our road and several dogs have been poisoned in the past including this street dog. Thankfully they got it medical help before the dog died and it lives another day to jump the wall of the garden as you are driving up the road and chase the car.
Stray dogs are a problem and not all can be rehomed so the sooner they change the laws here to put unwanted animals down the better.