hopdog

thinking of going to cyprus for an extended period of time, but what is really putting me off is the widespread laying down of poison EVERYWHERE to kill dogs and cats ( and any unfortunate wildlife/birds as well ), and also the deliberate poisoning of pets in their owners gardens.

the constant daily poisonings and cruelty to animals in general is a horrific stain on the reputation of cyprus worldwide, it really is beyond the pale, and cyprus needs to wake up and stamp out this barbarity, cos many potential tourists will not visit cyprus whilst the endemic widespread cruelty to animals continues.

why dont people in the uk arrange demonstrations at uk airports to make potential visitors to cyprus aware that they are putting money into the coffers of rampant animal abusers, and also that the treasured pet dog that some take with them is at very real risk of dying a painfull death whilst innocently sniffing the ground in cyprus,

this is what is stopping me going to cyprus, the fact that I CAN NOT TAKE MY BELOVED WELL BEHAVED SMALL PET DOG FOR WALKS IN CYPRUS, i would have to leave her in the flat 24/7 cos even a short walk around the block could kill her, and no more enjoyable evening strolls that i enjoy in the uk.

MY PLEA TO BOARD MEMBERS HERE IS---

is their anywhere in cyprus that i can safely walk my well behaved and friendly small dog, on a leash i might add, without the very real risk of her coming across deadly poison, and dogs being dogs, she likes to sniff the ground or eat a tempting poison laced tidbit on the ground.
i understand that even a muzzle will not protect her cos some of the poisons can kill a dog if merely sniffed or inhaled.

i know 2 expats in cyprus with dogs, and they both have had their pooches poisoned, the damn stuff is laid down everywhere, towns/citys/parks/pavements/verges/car parks/thrown into private gardens/beaches/rural areas/footpaths/ad nauseum

CYPRUS, wake up and smell the coffee, you lose out on much tourist revenue because of your irrational hatred of animals and especially your hatred of dogs.

please, could someone tell me if i can safely take my dog on daily walks anywhere at all in cyprus, and if the turkish side of cyprus is better/worse for the laying down of poison everywhere ?

what if i walk my dog on the roads at night when no cars are about, could i avoid poison this way ?, do the evil poisoners tend to put the stuff on roads ?,
or if i am spotted doing this could there well be poison on the same roads in the future so as to kill my dog ?

cheers

Veronica-K

Oh for goodness sake. You have been told on several other forums you are being totally over the top and hysterical about this. Stop listening to the scaremongers. Your dogs will be perfectly safe if you take sensible precautions. This business of poison on the footpaths and roads is total nonsense. most poisonings occur when dogs pick up bait which has been put down for rats in rural areas. However this is becoming less prevalent as the tree rats are now being dealt with by poison packages which are hung in the trees.

joedolce

You are a babbling fool. There is no widespread dog genocide in Cyprus!

hopdog

and you are desperate to refute anything that tarnishes the whitewashed image of cyprus that those with a vested interest are so desperate to preserve.

its immoral that you ( and veronica above, who has vested interests in a cyprus property company ) so desperately try to belittle those that try to get the truth out to hoodwinked tourists and the like.

so, according to you, the widely reported and daily cases of deliberate dog and cat posionings, and other cases of outrageous cruelty, are not real ?

you should be utterly ashamed of yourselves for trying to cover up the reality of the appalling situation in cyprus, where widespread laying down of lanate and other poisons is a daily occurance, and official figures state 10,000+ animals a year die this way, many of them dogs and cats, and many of them are pets that are deliberately targeted by the poisoners.

i have stacks of newspaper stories by expats who are broken hearted about the killings of their beloved pets, stacks of links to well known cruelty cases, stacks of reportings of lanate laid down in public areas, stacks of official, and otherwise, warnings that say to take great care walking a dog outside, and even in owners gardens, stacks of accounts by expats who relate the blood curdling abuse of animals, etc, etc,

fact is, those that so desperately try to hide the truth, often by name calling etc, could not care less about the plight of cyprus animals.

Pollyana

A very strange thread, on a subject about which I know nothing so am not biased either way.

OP, i can't see that people in the UK are ever likely to hold demos at airports about this as it would appear to be something local to Cyprus and those who live there. However if you can post some links to news reports and internet facts about what is apparently happening to pets in Cyprus you might gain more support.
Otherwise it does seem that the two other posters, who appear to live on the island, have more of a realistic view.

If you want support from people on BE, you will need to back up your allegations

Laura69

Hopdog, in 3 years or so in Cyprus I have never seen a dead cat or dog in the parks where I go or along the roads where I walk. Can't you just make sure your dog doesn't eat anything while out and about? I am not a dog owner, but If you keep him on the leash and take some snacks along, surely this would be enough to prevent poisoning?

Veronica-K

I have not said it never happens. What I said is that most cases of poisoning are down to dogs picking up bait which has been put down for rats. If you are cautious when walking your dog in rural areas, train him not to pick things up the chance of poisoning is slim. You also have to be aware of snakes so you need to be doubly careful when out in the rural areas.
Yes there is a lot of cruelty in Cyprus, mostly down to ignorance as the church teaches that animals have no soul so the less educated Cypriots think it dosn't matter how you treat them. However ask the RSPCA about cruelty in the UK. Do you really think that Cyprus is the only place where cruelty exists. There is a lot being done to address the problem and every town now has dedicated police officers who are trained specifically to deal with animal cruelty cases. Progress will be slow but at least efforts are being made to change things.
Your hysterical rantings are totally over the top and if you really feel so strongly about things I suggest you either stay away from Cyprus or come here and join one of many groups who re working towards improving things.
Of the many friends I have who have dogs and cats I have never known one of them to die of poisoning. (apart from snake bite)
Also I would suggest you stop making erroneous personal attacks against my integrity.

zygiman

There is massive poisoning of dogs and cats in Cyprus, why are you trying to cover this up? It is all over the social media. How on earth can you say that the poison is for rats only? There are daily postings on social media of pet poisonings, animal abuse etc. I have attended the court case for every hearing about the dog that was dragged to it's death, tied behind a vehicle on Christmas Day 2013 in Limassol. The owner has been found guilty and will be sentenced later this month. Just keep your dog on a lead and watch was it eats. We took dogs out for a walk from the Sirius Dog Sanctuary, but were recalled, due to a dog being poisoned. This issue has travelled the world via social media, and people have quite rightly cancelled their holidays in disgust. Hopdog, you are right to be worried, we are just waiting for a child to be poisoned before action is taken.

zygiman

I can supply lot's more links, but this one should go some way to show exactly what is going on in Cyprus https://www.facebook.com/CyprusAnimalDefendersCalf

Just for the record, i live in Cyprus.

Veronica-K

I have never said it dosnt happen, what I said is that the OP is overreacting as some of the things he says are exaggerated. Yes unfortunately poisonings do happen and I pray that one day they become a thing of the past but if you are careful when walking your dog, keep it under control and make sure it is taught not to pick things up when out the risk is not as great as the OP made out. You do of course also have to be aware of the risk of snakebite.
Also I am very aware of the cruelty cases such as the dog being dragged to its death behind a vehicle and the case of poor billy thrown in a crusher. I am among the many people campaigning for the laws which are now in place to be implement more rigorously. I also make large contributions to our local sanctuary who are working hard not only to help abused animals but also to try to educate people. Thankfully at last prosecutions are happening and I hope that the perpetrators of these atrocities are brought to book.

I also made a point though that Cyprus is by no means the only place where these things happen. Every Mediterranean country has similar problems and even the UK has some terrible cases of cruelty. This dosn't make it ok that it happens here but does in my opinion put things a little bit more into perspective.

zygiman

To put it in perspective you have to then also say that Cyprus does not enforce animal laws already in place, unlike in the UK. You can also say that there is no equivalent of an RSPCA here. Just takes one child to die from poisoning and it will be around the world on social media. one plus point is that there is an Animal Party Cyprus going the political way to get things changed via the parliament.

Talagirl

In recent weeks it is pleasing to see many more dogs going for a walk when we are out and about in the Paphos area. The lane in front of our apartment is a regular route for Cypriots, English, Scottish and Polish owners to walk their dogs . We don't own a dog as we live in an apartment and some kind owners allow us to have a doggy fix! They are rather amused when we walk up and ask if we can say hello to the dog and to chat to it and give it a bit of a fuss before talking to them.

themajor

Of course there is poisoning here in Cyprus LOTS of it. However there are hundreds of dog owners who are happy to walk there dogs as they know which areas to go to and also take special care of there pets.