The allegations from a family that a bailiff abused their dog twice to force them out of their home, which was up for auction in Petroupoli, are causing outrage.
According to the family’s lawyer, Katerina Fragaki, the family’s home in Petroupoli is their primary residence and was auctioned for 6,000 euros. “The home went to auction; unfortunately, it was lost, the difference in the settlement was only 6,000 euros,” said the lawyer, noting that the family had made an effort and gathered 25,000 euros.
“However, the company insisted that it needed to collect 31,000 euros, and they put the house up for auction,” she said, emphasizing that the elderly man living there with his wife had just undergone heart surgery. “We managed to secure an extension,” the lawyer said, highlighting that the company has already arranged for the property to be purchased by a short-term rental company.
However, “to force the family to leave the house, they abused the family’s dog twice. We do not know who it was, but it was definitely someone from the auction. Rat poison was found in the dog’s mouth after the eviction process was halted due to neighbors’ intervention. They took the dog to the vet, where they found rat poison in its mouth,” the lawyer stated. The dog is a 10-year-old large shepherd.
The first attempt to remove the dog took place in April, according to the complaint, followed by a second attempt in May, where the dog was given a sedative, the lawyer claimed. The family alleges that the only person who approached the dog appears to be the bailiff.
According to the mayor of Petroupoli, Vangelis Simos, the company has tried four times to evict the family from their home.
“The auction process is to serve the funds and the banks,” emphasized the mayor of Petroupoli to Open.
The mayor described the bailiff as “ruthless, who in an inhumane manner came with a locksmith to the house.” He also stated that indicative of the callous intentions of the company is the fact that while 80% of the amount requested by the company has been collected, it still insists on evicting two elderly people over a difference of 6,000 euros.