Where do the dogs come from? The dogs in the shelter are strays collected by the Elefsina Municipality for different reasons: puppies who cannot survive on their own, calls for help to the Municipal by residents, needs for medication and rehabilitation. Their time at the shelter can last weeks, months or years. Most are neutered, vaccinated and released because Athens has millions of stray animals and limited shelter space.

Who are the volunteers? We are dog lovers from Greece and other countries who contribute our time, experience, money and compassion. Together, we help with feeding, walking, socialisation, medication, cleaning, transport, advocacy and adoption support.

What's the backstory? Elefsina and its neighboring areas are some of the most popular places for abandoning dogs because they can’t find their way back to the city. A group of locals who wanted to improve the situation founded a group in 2016, initially focused on going to schools and teaching children about respect for animals. Adespota Mystiria (Stray Mysteries) has since evolved into a team that responds to emergences, provides daily support to dogs under municipal care, does weekend walks to destress the dogs from the shelter environment, and works to find them homes in Greece and abroad.

What's with the name? "Stray Mysteries" is a nod to the location, the ancient city of Eleusis, now commonly known as Elefsina. The Eleusinian Mysteries were top-secret religious ceremonies held every year in ancient Greece to honor the nature goddesses Demeter and Persephone. For nearly 2,000 years, people gathered in the city of Eleusis to celebrate the myth of how the seasons change. Uniquely, almost anyone could join in—including women and enslaved people. Participants walked in a massive parade from Athens, drank a special brew that might have caused hallucinations, and watched secret, life-changing performances inside a huge, dark hall. Whatever they experienced completely took away their fear of death, promising them a beautiful afterlife just like crops returning every spring. The ceremonies were eventually banned, and the site was destroyed around 400 CE, but the legend of Eleusis lives on.

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