Nina and the Animals of Greece

Hi, as you can see when we were in Athens and Crete, we met a lot, a lot of animals--dogs and cats. In Athens, no one owns the dogs that are on the street. Instead the city neuters them so there won't be more of their population roaming around and having babies. And all the shop owners take turns feeding them, so they are like neighborhood dogs more than family dogs. 

In Crete, we went to their aquarium and saw a bunch of sharks and snakes. So, Michael, here is a picture of one of the sharks for you!

Also, in Crete we went to a donkey sanctuary way up in the mountains in Anatoli. It's like a shelter, and the British family who runs it also adopts dogs and cats.  Lots of the donkeys have been abused or neglected and so that's why they take them.  A long time ago donkeys were like cars for the Greek people that lived in the mountains. They carried everything. Now they don't use them so much. The  donkeys in the pictures are wearing these masks that are like mops that pretty much keep flies from biting their eyes. You can adopt a donkey and learn more through their website Walk with Donkeys. They now love to be brushed and like to bite ladies' scarves--Bosco tried eating my Mom's scarf!

Also, my Mom wants to tell you that the Greek people believe that donkeys are God's chosen animal, even though some people think they are not as good as horses. A donkey carried the Virgin Mary to Bethlehem to have Jesus and that is why you can see a cross in the hairs on their back. You can see a cross in this picture:

I also met a mangy kitty in Mykonos. It was clear that people were afraid to pet him because he had plants growing in his hair but he was really nice and I petted him alot.