liveaboard

When we have badly neglected dogs tied up in the area, they usually get stolen by the dog rescue people.
Then they're exported to northern Europe and adopted by people who are unaware that they have kennels full of abandoned dogs in their countries too.

Free dogs that are not aggressive are ok with me; some are friends of ours.

macliam

But it looks as if some members of our community blame the dogs, not the owners.

PS - dogs adopted into Germany and Sweden (in my experience) must be neutered - and the reason that they are sought is because those countries do not, overall, have the issues of abandonment and overproduction that exists in Portugal........

liveaboard

All the kennels neuter animals before giving them for adoption; here in Portugal it's a business for veterinarians who are paid by the dog rescue charities to neuter, chip, and check for parasites, and certify for export.

There are fewer dogs on the streets in the northern countries because the authorities are more diligent about collecting them. But there are always animals in kennels hoping for adoption to save them before their execution date.

So for every dog saved from here, one will die there. The reality is that dogs are put down every day in every country. there are always more dogs than homes, because most people prefer to start with a puppy with a known history.

macliam

Sorry, you are wrong on several counts.

Firstly, many Canils work with foreign veterinary volunteers to organize sterilization campaigns.... and there are those who a "licensed" by Camaras to undertake sterilizations without being fully qualified veterinarians. It IS true that the veterinarians would LIKE to have the business tied up - and our Canil was raided by SEPNA due to a "tipoff" by someone local. In this case it was rather an embarassment all around as supportive representatives of the local Camara were there at the time. The "informant" was a local veterinarian, who was "visited" by the GNR and advised that the penalty for false reporting was very high........

However, I have had cats neutered by the Council operative from Agueda and we know a woman who runs a charity for street cats in the Algarve who can get sterilizations done (by a cooperative vet) at well under the "market price". My first dog was neutered at the Vetinary Hospital in Beja at a reasonable rate available to anyone sent by the canil - they did a wonderful job with no complications. The second by a visiting Russian vet at the Canil who was even better. I cannot find the scar from her operation at all - and the only charge was a donation. I worked closely with the official Vet of a nearby Camara at the time of the law change about abandoned dogs. He fumed that it was really difficult to get funds for sterilization, even though the cost was similar to that for euthanasia....

Secondly, the law in Portugal now states that no dog may be euthanised unless for a medical issue..... it is no longer legal to "put down" dogs to keep down numbers or because they are unpopular breeds, etc. If you are aware of any canils that do this, I think SEPNA will be very interested. In our Canil, NO dog is put down whilst there is any other alternative...... this has led to the expenditure of hundreds of Euros to help abandoned dogs back to full health - and we have some unfortunates who have been resident in the Canil for years. I doubt very much that the regular culling that you suggest is legal in other countries either..... and certainly not in our targets.

Rambling archer

Nice to hear from someone with close experience and knowledge of the various problems. There are certain Camaras who genuinely support their municipal canil, and offer reduced rates even to the public for low cost sterilisations, plus or minus microchip depending on the locality. Some just have a limited programme once or twice a year - one problem is how well-known or appreciated these services are to the local population. There is also the continued feeling among the population that sterilisation is not "good" for the animal ...

Also as to the Northern European countries ... in particular Germany, Denmark and some scandanavian countries, there is such a well recognised and controlled dog caregiving society that sterilisation of the local dogs has meant that there genuinely are so few "rescue" dogs available, that importing unwanted dogs from other countries is seen as perhaps not necessary but useful to satisfy the demand. In some places there all dogs are to be sterilised unless pedigree and registered for legal breeding ...