A team of London volunteer vets arrived in Greece in September to lend their support to Panagiota Tsagkou, who runs a veterinary clinic in Lechena, western Peloponnese. Her town, like many throughout Greece, have been overcome by the influx of stray dogs.

Every night after midnight, she treks to the beach to feed the stray dogs and identifies animals that might have health issues. She treats animals at her own expense and has also conducted numerous surgeries to sterilize the strays.

The problem has been exacerbated by the financial crisis as many Greeks who cannot afford pets simply abandon them on beaches and town squares.

A team of British vets from London have lent their support, visiting Lechena for a week in September to help Dr. Tsagkou conduct more spaying and neutering surgeries on the local stray population. The effort was led by veterinary surgeon Dr. Hugo Richardson of the London Vet Clinic (LVC) in Marylebone and supported by generous donations from clients at Richardson’s clinic.

According to a BBC report by Emilia Papadopoulos, it is believed that there are more than a million stray dogs throughout Greece.