The tale of an anti-establishment dog

RECENT anti-establishment demonstrations in Athens were marked by the absence of one frequent participant who spent his life at the forefront of marches and demonstrations; Kanellos, a dog who acquired legendary status among students and the activist circles in Athens, had made headlines as ‘the dog who eats up cops’, but passed away recently, sparking a frenzy of web-based tributes.

“Kanellos’ wish has been granted, to spend his last days at the hands of his comrades and friends, in the place he loved and was loved, where he spent over a decade with self-sacrifice, watching the Polytechnic night and day,” announced alternative media network, Athens.indymedia.org.

Kanellos was born at Athens Polytechnic and was raised by its students. From the beginning of his life, he showed an affiliation with anti-establishment demonstrators and a mysteriously strong distaste for police officers, as he often saw them clash with his friends at marches.

The dog was always seen at the forefront of rallies and marches, becoming the mascot for students and anarchists. His love for action nearly cost him his life. During a march that turned violent, police threw chemical gas at demonstrators paralysing Kanellos at the two hind legs. To aid his mobility, his friends placed him on a wheel-cart, and Kanellos was back at the demonstrations.

Kanellos’ popularity, however, also attracted the attention of authorities, who trapped the dog and secretly sent him to a dog pound at the Markopoulos area in Athens. The dog’s disappearance inspired a wide scale campaign, in which Kanellos was tracked down and eventually returned to the students

But he was old and frail and no longer allowed to attend demonstrations. He was placed in a loving home, where a student looked after him until Kanellos died peacefully at the age of 17.

His life inspired numerous internet blogs, a song by Stathis Drogosis titled ‘A Song for Kanellos’, countless clips on youtube and a Facebook group.