Dog shelters in Cyprus are overflowing in what volunteers are calling a crisis caused by the abandonment of canines. More than 3,000 dogs are estimated to be housed in shelters across Cyprus. On the outskirts of the capital Nicosia, a husky with a purple-and-black collar stares out from its pen at a sanctuary run by SPDC, as other dogs nearby bark or paw the ground. At another shelter outside Nicosia, run by Simba Animal Aid Cyprus, several dogs play together in a large pen, while others seek shady refuge from the summer heat or lap up water from a bucket. Simba's Andreas Tsavellas, 43, says the number of strays "is always on the rise" due to "the economic crisis and other factors". Volunteers have called on authorities to enforce legislation on animal welfare and to curb illegal breeding and dumping. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES ARRANGED IN SEQUENCES