Why I Love Athens Part II

In Crete and Athens I noticed dogs and cats lounging around in the grass soaking up sunshine.  While sitting on a terrace they will pass by with maybe a glance in your direction never in a hurry to get anywhere.

The dogs and cats didn’t seem to belong to a specific person they seem to belong to the city.  Happy and content is how I would describe them.  Well-fed, well-behaved, and living a life without walls. 

One local wrote how the dogs in his neighborhood are very smart and well-adjusted to life in the city.  The dogs go to a pedestrian crossing and wait for someone to come and then cross with them.

Researching on the internet I found outrage by groups other than Greeks that dogs and cats were roaming free.  I read about various ways they were rounded up, especially, during the 2004 Olympics in Athens. 

I never remember seeing dog poop on the sidewalks or streets or grass in Athens, but see it in Krakow where all dogs are on leashes.  

The cats and dogs fit the city.  Like graffiti.