Raquel Aguilar, head of PACMA in Valencia, explains that the abandonment of pets is common at any time of the year, not just on vacation. This idea has been installed in the collective imagination of society and it is necessary for everyone to be aware of the reality that companion animals experience when faced with the harrowing experience of being alone on the street.
Where do the cats and dogs that arrive at an animal shelter go?
According to data from the Affinity Foundation study, 61% of the animals that arrive at a shelter return to their families or are adopted. The rest go to foster homes, they are reintroduced in colonies as is the case with cats.
They die as a result of injuries or illness and 16% will spend the rest of their lives locked up, waiting for a second chance that, unfortunately, will never come. Pet abandonment is terrible for animals because there is rarely a happy ending.
Under what conditions do animals arrive at shelters?
Many of them arrive sick, with malnutrition of varying degrees of severity, some with fractures and injuries due to being run over or beaten.
Few arrive in good physical condition. What they do all present is psychological damage, due to stress, fear and the feeling of loss caused by the breakdown of the bond with what they consider to be their family.
The abandonment of pets causes many of these animals to need professional help for long periods to recover. Others never get over it.
Pet abandonment
Is it in summer when there are more dropouts?
That is the belief, but the data from the study, mentioned above, indicates that dogs are abandoned throughout the year. In the case of cats, as the litters concentrate in the second four-month period, they register an increase in the number of abandonments during those months.
How are abandoned animals?
Big, small, young, old, racial, mixed race. Animals of all kinds are abandoned. For those who decide to abandon their animal, nothing matters.
Why do some people abandon their pets?
Obviously, because they have a great lack of empathy. The reasons that those who do it allege are, among others, the lack of financial resources, change of address, allergies, bad behavior of the animal, and, even, because they have tired.
The cases of elderly dogs and cats are not unusual, after living together with their family, abandon them or give them up for sacrifice, claiming that it is a nuisance to have them at home.
It should also be noted the number of dogs that are used to hunt and then abandon. This happens when they no longer serve the people who use them as mere instruments. On the other hand, a large number of litter arrive at the shelters due to a lack of sterilization.
Owners versus pets
Can we do something to improve this?
Of course. Thousands of animal protectors, animal protection entities and volunteers, we dedicate many resources, in a totally altruistic way, to alleviate the consequences of this scourge that plagues our society, but it is the different administrations that have in their power the key to reverse this situation.
Legislation and education
You need a state law that truly protects animals. Among other aspects, it must contemplate issues related to its execution and that it be prohibited if they are abandoned in any autonomous community.
In our proposal for the Zero Law, delivered to the Congress of Deputies together with more than 200,000 signatures that endorse it, and which can be downloaded here, this figure, among other initiatives. And, we demand, that means be allocated to enforce the law.
We must raise awareness from school, through education in respect for all "sentient" beings as transversal teaching, as we have been claiming for a long time.
Responsible ownership also includes proper animal education and mandatory sterilization, which are essential to reduce abandonment rates. And that is where administrations must invest in powerful and effective campaigns.
And, of course, you can't keep selling animals while hundreds of thousands are running each year in kennels. This, moreover, occurs due to the indifference of our governments to this situation. It is necessary that PACMA reaches the institutions, so that the animals, finally, are relevant to the political agenda.
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| Picture:25701 (Pixabay) |