I felt so blessed to finally see this beautiful mural of Loukanikos by @billy_gee @alex_martinez_graffiti and @naip_n_grams with my own eyes. Loukanikos (meaning ‘sausage’) was a stray dog who hit the headlines in 2010, when he randomly began appearing in the front line of anti-austerity protests in Athens. He was affectionately known as the ‘Riot Dog’, becoming a media sensation and touching the hearts of the public by regularly showing up on the side of demonstrators and yelping at police amid the chaos of tear gas and flying petrol bombs. At the height of his fame, Loukanikos even featured in Time Magazine’s review of 2011

According to Avgi journalist Petros Katsakos, the dog’s health was adversely affected by tear gas and from being kicked from police, forcing him to “retire” from active protest in 2012 and dying in 2014 from a heart attack. It felt appropriate to add my #nohatefamily stickers just opposite the loving Loukanikos, with the kind help of Proheroes. #alldogsgotoheaven

Content source Guardian and Reuters

'Sausage' was Greece's Riot Dog who faced down cops at many Athens anti-austerity protests http://t.co/dThGlcrFhQ pic.twitter.com/y3rZvgnUS0

— Tom McArthur (@TomMcArthur) October 9, 2014