Tortured Dog Recovers, Becomes a Symbol of Animal Rights in Greece

The dog who was the victim of a brutal knife attack in the Athenian suburb of Nikaia has now fully recovered, and is a symbol in the campaign for animal rights in Greece.

The attack occurred earlier in October, when a man, reportedly a school teacher, put the poor dog in a headlock and repeatedly stabbed the animal. According to reports, the attacker pierced the dog’s lung.

A different man, also present at the attack, hit the dog, named Hector, on the head with a metal broomstick. When the police arrived, both men fled, but the teacher was found and arrested at his home.

According to neighbors, the man had repeatedly expressed his dislike for strays, and threatened those who left food and water out for the animals in the neighborhood.

Hector has now been released from the veterinary hospital after recovering from his injuries and is now been adopted. The dog was left in critical condition after the vicious attack.

This case, along with the torture of a dog in Crete, caused outrage in Greece, as many criticized the country’s lax punishments for animal abuse and pushed for stronger animal rights.

That situation changed, however, when Agricultural Development & Foods Minister Makis Voridis announced that he would introduce legislation to make animal abuse a felony rather than a misdemeanor in Greece.