Greece Takes Important Step to Protect Animals During Disasters 

As Greece faces another challenging wildfire season, thousands of animals are among those affected by rapidly spreading fires. Alongside the impact on communities and the environment and wildlife, companion animals, farm animals and stray animals are at risk of injury and separation from their families. 

In response to the wildfires which ravaged the Boeotia and western Attica regions between 31 July and 5 August 2026, our long-term partner Dogs' Voice worked closely with authorities and other animal protection organisations to help rescue and care for affected animals. Their Animal Rescue Team was deployed immediately upon the start of the wildfires, searching affected areas and rescuing animals that had been lost, trapped in yards or properties, or found injured, disoriented or at risk from flames, smoke, heat and dehydration. 

Dogs' Voice also opened two temporary animal reception and care stations, where its teams and other animal welfare organisations received, assessed and cared for rescued animals. 

By the end of the six-day response, nearly 300 animals had been rescued, predominantly cats and dogs, but also farmed animals such as chickens and goats, as well as turtles and a fox. All animals have now either been reunited with their families or placed in foster care, adoption homes or other appropriate longer-term accommodation. 

The response highlights the importance of including animals in disaster preparedness and emergency response from the outset. It also comes at an important moment for animal protection in Greece, following the launch of the country's newly established National Plan for the Protection of Animals During Natural Disasters. 

The National Plan marks an important step towards making animal protection a formal part of national disaster management, moving it from ad hoc emergency response into Greece's formal civil protection system. The plan was launched under the joint authority of the Ministries of the Interior, Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, and Environment and Energy. 

Crucially, the new framework recognises that animals must be considered not as an afterthought, but as an integral part of disaster preparedness and emergency response. In a country increasingly affected by wildfires, heatwaves and other hazards, this can help responders act faster, improve coordination and ensure more animals can be rescued, treated, sheltered and reunited with their families.

The efforts of Dogs' Voice during the Boeotia and western Attica wildfires demonstrate how this coordinated response can work in practice.

At the centre of this development is Dogs' Voice, a Greek animal welfare organisation that has been responding to disasters since 2017. Over the years, the organisation has become a leading operational actor supporting companion animals affected by wildfires, floods and other emergencies. Its work includes animal rescue, emergency veterinary care, temporary accommodation, registration and identification, reunification with guardians, foster care and adoption.

Dogs' Voice has also advocated for animals to be formally included in Greece's disaster management and civil protection system, helping drive a major institutional shift. Under the new framework, the animal welfare movement has elected Dogs' Voice to serve as the national Animal Crisis Coordinator, with responsibility for coordinating animal welfare organisations during disasters and working within the broader civil protection framework.

Importantly, the framework creates a space for NGO collaboration in animal disaster response, regardless of which organisation holds the Coordinator role. Dogs' Voice has earned its position through its track record and operational experience, while the structure ensures that the NGO seat remains an independent partner to the state.

Over the next three years (2027–2029), Dogs' Voice will play a central role in implementing Greece's new animal disaster response system. Its work will include strengthening animal emergency response capacity, supporting dedicated rescue structures, contributing to firefighter training, providing temporary animal accommodation, and helping integrate animal-related procedures into Greece's wider disaster preparedness and response framework.

This will be a demanding phase. Formal recognition is a major achievement, but it is through implementation that the new system will be tested and strengthened.

FOUR PAWS has been partnering with Dogs' Voice under a framework agreement with the organisation. We were grateful to attend the launch on 15 June 2026 and celebrate this milestone with Dogs' Voice and its team. We warmly congratulate them on this important achievement and look forward to scaling up our partnership as they enter the next phase: turning this national commitment into a functioning system that protects animals during disasters.

Ahead of the 2026 wildfire season, FOUR PAWS supported preparedness efforts by helping equip response teams with essential supplies and equipment, enabling them to act quickly when emergencies occur. To support this work, FOUR PAWS is releasing a support package to help Dogs' Voice make the necessary preparations ahead of the coming wildfire season and ensure it is ready to respond and rescue animals as part of the Civil Protection system.

FOUR PAWS will continue to work closely with Dogs' Voice as part of a broader project to strengthen animal-inclusive disaster management in Greece, while advocating for animals to be considered in disaster preparedness and response from the outset.

For animals in Greece, this means their needs are now recognised within the systems designed to protect life during disasters. When disaster strikes, more animals should have a better chance of being found, rescued, cared for and brought to safety.

As climate-related disasters become more frequent and severe, this partnership demonstrates how coordinated action and long-term preparedness can help protect animals, support communities and ensure that no animal is left behind in times of crisis.