Ingles

As from the 23 off this month , it will be illegal to euthanize any animals taken in by Municipal Kennels / Catteries
Seems to be a great & human idea , But last year over 60.000 animals where abandoned here in PT !
My take on this is :- pressure should be brought to bear on the various Vet's Associations to drastically
lower the cost off sterilisation procedures.
As Ex President Jorge Sampaio wife is President off the Governing Body off all Vets Associations
perhaps this good lady could do a bit more than "prance around" & start to advise them to take some
responsibility because off the extremely high cost they charge for this procedure !!!

Ingles

Just in case you had not seen this.
‘Peaceful March’ for animal welfare rights fills Faro’s streets - The Portugal News

macliam

I visited the kennels in Beja as part of a group from ACGRA, my local association. With us was the municipal vet from one of the towns we cover.
We discussed the upcoming change - and he said the ridiculous thing is that it costs much the same to sterilise an animal as it does to euthanise it.....
Then a few months back the association organised some foreign volunteer vets to come and sterilise animals at cost, for those who would never pay the full fees. The event was raided by the GNR and although there was nothing illegal, the time taken to show all the documentation etc., blew a hole in the time available for work. When asked why the GNR had come, they said we had been denounced..... by one of the local vets. Moral: Never come between a vet and his money.

Ingles

The "Vet's" point off view !
http://www.algarvedailynews.com/news...laughter-rules

"macliam" agree 100% with your post.

Ingles

The PSP now have a e.mail address & Phone Number so joe public can report Animal Abuse

PSP creates email to report animal mistreatment - The Portugal News

GeniB

Maybe they should start with those who breed dogs for the hunting season and then cripple or throw out all those they don't want .My friend was told of a 'bag' of puppies thrown into a bin outside her rural property. When she went to investigate, indeed there were three ,weeks old puppies of the hunting variety. She raised them ,losing one in the process. She can't really afford four dogs ( two of her own) I being more cynical wondered how the 'local' who told her of the puppies, knew they were there ?( they were too young to make much noise ) My guess is he or his mates put them there knowing she had dogs ,was an ex-pat, would be horrified and take them in.
Its these men who should be being 'raided' by the GNR not vets trying to help a chronic situation. I hope that 'greedy' vet is proud of himself. Our local vet will neutre for free

macliam

"Free" means the vet is paying for drugs and consumables out of his own pocket, so you won't see too much of that - but it should be the government or camara "investing" in avoiding issues in future, at least until current attitudes change. Even then, females may get spayed - but try persuading someone to get their dog castrated, in macho Portugal the mere look in the eyes tells you it isn't going to happen.You are also battling the old wives tales scenario - a few weeks back a neighbour complained that she had mice, because her daughter had her female cats spayed and it's "well known" that toms and spayed females don't catch mice!!

The results are scenes like you described. Every few months a box of six or seven black puppies is left on the doorstep of my local associação - almost identical, so both the parents must be the same. Currently, friends have seven of them awaiting adoption in Sweden or Germany, because "black dogs aren't popular in Portugal". Given that several sterilization clinics have been held locally, this means the owners can't even be bothered to take up the offer, but would rather dump the resulting puppies on someone else - and if the associação wasn't there I shudder to think.....

liveaboard

The vets that do free sterilizations are paid by a charity association. The association pays per animal at a discounted [bulk] rate.

Vet's assistant told me how it works.

macliam

That's interesting, given the crap in my area - maybe the vets are more altruistic in the Algarve! The vets up here (well, one of them) offered €15 euros off their price to the associação - still making the price between €70 and €95 per animal! That's why they were working with foreign vets, who give their time and skills for board and lodging, so all it costs the associação is the price of the drugs,etc. Even the local camara was on board with that..... but not the vets! I paid €70 euros to have my first girl sterilised in Beja on the associação account a few years back, but only a €25 donation last year for the second, who was operated on by a Russian vet who did the neatest surgery I have ever seen - even on the first night it was hard to find the incision!