WE have grown accustomed to the screen washers, the headlight cleaners and children playing little accordions in attempts to take your money from you - begging by any other name, but there is now a new twist.
On virtually every corner of the roads around the main city of Heraklion and in the main areas of the city, you will be confronted by all of the above, now they are after the sympathy votes - using little puppies to tug at you heart-strings.
We were in the city today and saw more than four such new challenges. Usually the beggars are Albanian or Bulgarian and even Bangladeshi, but the new ploy is to hold a small puppy in their arms. It's not unusual in England to see beggars with dogs, but they generally are either older, or well looked after.
Of course the puppy knows nothing of what is going on. It thinks its being looked after, held close to the person with a piece of string or cuddled in their arms as they approach you.
We were however surprised when they actually tried to sell the puppy of unknown origin, there are so many dogs already abandoned, so we assume that these latest arrivals will be dumped as they grow bigger or start to cost them money to be fed.
There is nothing that the police can or will do, as they are not actually breaking any rules, other than being moved on sometimes. One has to feel sorry for the puppy - the whole reason that they are going down this route - they will really do anything to get passer by to part with some money,
On virtually every corner of the roads around the main city of Heraklion and in the main areas of the city, you will be confronted by all of the above, now they are after the sympathy votes - using little puppies to tug at you heart-strings.
We were in the city today and saw more than four such new challenges. Usually the beggars are Albanian or Bulgarian and even Bangladeshi, but the new ploy is to hold a small puppy in their arms. It's not unusual in England to see beggars with dogs, but they generally are either older, or well looked after.
Of course the puppy knows nothing of what is going on. It thinks its being looked after, held close to the person with a piece of string or cuddled in their arms as they approach you.
We were however surprised when they actually tried to sell the puppy of unknown origin, there are so many dogs already abandoned, so we assume that these latest arrivals will be dumped as they grow bigger or start to cost them money to be fed.
There is nothing that the police can or will do, as they are not actually breaking any rules, other than being moved on sometimes. One has to feel sorry for the puppy - the whole reason that they are going down this route - they will really do anything to get passer by to part with some money,
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