fionamw

If you were about to run a [poster/advertising campaign encouraging the population in your area - furriners, Spanish, whatever - to neuter dogs and cats in preference to allowing them to breed then taking the litter to the basura for a long, unpleasant and unnecessary (life and) death, how would you phrase it? Would it be in different terminology according to the different language?
Would you struggle to get vets on board to the campaign?
Something needs to be done, and soon. I've been asked my views and I have them but decided a concensus might be a good way of expressing opinion!!
btw it won't help to have a slagging off match, I seriously wonder how to phrase any posters, notices, etc., that are likely to be used................

Domino

a quick response because all our dogs have been neutered before we took responsibility for them

but would suggest a couple of vets taking active part in this, its to their advantage, costs them little to support you in the venture but gives them custom. would also suggest involvement with the local government - town or city, it gives you and the others involved credibility which can be reinforced by articles in the local papers.

I wish you well, there is nothing worse than seeing a female dog or cat dropping a litter and then being pregnant again. after a few cycles of that they are not fit for the knackers yard, and if living rough on the campo only last a couple of years.

rgds

stuboy

The Spanish in general don't give a toss about animals, they feed their families first and a dog is just that, a dog, not a member of the family.
I love dogs enormously and still support an Algarve based charity but it's a hopeless cause.
I wish you well in your quest but fear that you are not going to change a nations attitude anytime soon,regretably.

stuboy

We tried a similar approach in Lagos a few years ago. All those we tried to enlist couldn't understand what the fuss was all about. Most people looked at us like we were mad.

fionamw

Precisely why I'm canvassing opinions from people with specific understanding of why/for what (however questionable)reason folk seem to consider it irrelevant or unnecessary to neuter pets. For example, if it's some religion-based belief that every animal is entitled to breed, maybe the argument should be to rationalise 'from God's point of view' that the 'great scheme' doesn't require god's creatures to reproduce simply for them to be put to death'. (obviously a hard one to follow through on given our propensity to eat farmed meat......) If the thinking is 'what harm does it do to breed because the weak ones would die anyway' then maybe one could attempt to get vets on board to provide the service at a reduced rate after the first litter (still distinctly questionable but better than after repeat performances and dozens of weaklings and deaths) ?? I know this is a difficult one, but want ideas for how to argue the corner, please!!

angiescarr

I had this argument last year with my neighbour who's cat dropped a litter in our laundry room. Her answer was "hand them over and I'll get my brother in law to despatch them" Then she was annoyed with me for keeping them alive in case they ended up coming to her house for food. In the end 3 out of the 4 died of cat flu and she did indeed end up with the 4th. But she's happy to have him because the mother dissappeared. She absolutely refused to have the mother 'tied off'. and it didn't matter how I pushed her religion under her nose and pointed out the glaring hypocrisy of it all.
Funnily enough the whole experience has made me think about having a cat now. Even though I'm a bit allergic to them and haven't had a cat since I was a child. I've got as far as having my laundry room door made with a cat flap in it and I'm going to look and see if I can find timed cat feeders before I do anything hasty because we do go away for weekends up to full weeks and although we do have a neighbour in to water the garden and check the electricity hasn't gone off. He's a bit unreliable I fell in love with a friend in Denmark's long haired ginger cat when I stayed with her and didn't have any allergy problems and I'm honest enough with myself to say I do want a pretty and friendly cat so It's no good me homing an unfriendly stray. Anyway I digress. I agree it's going to be a struggle getting the message across but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try. And I think you'll get a lot of support from the younger generation many of whom are against bullfighhts and pro animal welfare. So that's where you should aim your message. That's who are going to be the pet owners of the future and they can push their parents into anything! Let's face it pester power does work and it's no good changing the mind of the granny only to have the grandchild grow up with a different 'anti-adult' opinion.

fionamw

Good point which I might have got to eventually but hadn't yet, so thanks! It's only a couple of days ago an 18 year old was telling me how many of her friends are against bullfighting, which possibly illustrates your point.

caroline c

fionamw I wish you all the luck in the world as you are going to need it. Most of the people here simply do not have any respect at all for other living creatures. They just treat them as things to do with as they want. We have four rescue dogs who have all been "done" Where we live there are so many dogs roaming the streets, puppies and kittens thrown away at the bins in my opinion this is the worst thing about living here how they treat the animals.

MaryJones

we have alot of charity and rescue organizations attached to the various albergues. the vets are involved and give reduced rates for sterilisation to those animals who have been rescued and are going to be rehoused. The animals have to be sterilised before rehoming. Thats just the charities policy. Then every couple of years, volunteers get together to gather up enough cats to be 'done' who then have their ears nicked (a small cut to show they have been sterilised).
You'll never stop the local spanish from having animals as 'working dogs' guarding their finca etc but as you say, talking to the children in schools and getting them involved with dog walking for those dogs in rehousing centres, seems like a good idea.
We have a big problem with podencos. They are hunting dogs and are taken up into the mountains to hunt. Sometimes they loose their owner and are found wandering around the tourist areas, starving and very frightened. They arent chipped so you cannot track down the owners, who dont care anyway. These are beautiful dogs, very gentle and loving. Additionally we also have people who come to live here for the winter and then get an animal tokeep them company. When its time to return to their own country, they dump the animal and leave the problem for someone else to sort out.

fionamw

While accepting and agreeing, I wonder how, if you HAD to, you would make a case for neutering? Believe me I'm not being confrontational, just trying to get any feel for approaches which I might not yet have considered!

Beaverstate

I have a farmer friend who neuters his own cats. Something about a hot sterilized knife. Says he hasn't lost one yet.

Pocaloca

OK, this bothers me too and I've been banging my head against the wall for years trying to convince people round here that they should neuter their dogs. But even if you convince them of the need, it costs too much, especially these days when nobody is earning, so you must have some sort of charity like the PDSA or vet willing to do it for nothing.

I don't think not neutering them is a religious thing. It just doesn't occur to them. The puppies from good hunting dogs and guard dogs can usually be sold, so this has always been a handy source of income.

Cats aren't pets and no-one would spend good money neutering them. They are there to keep rats and mice down. In the past the kittens would all have been drowned at birth all except one from each litter. People are getting a bit more squeamish about this though, especially the kids, so Dad caves in and lets them live so the kids can play with them. Then they are dumped by the bins on the edge of the village and go feral, living on scraps until they get run over.

Pocaloca

The owners of male hunting dogs and guard dogs believe that neutering them will reduce their abilities to do their jobs. You have to convince them that this is not the case and they might actually be more focused on the job if they aren't chasing bitches!

dorishaslop

There's a beautiful German Shepherd mix who has been left to "guard" an abandoned storage area where I am staying, she has obviously had puppies in the past as she has hanging teats... but her "owner" has now been taken into care as she has dementia and the dog is left behind bolted gates.. I have been feeding her dried dog food whenever I pass but I am only here every six weeks or so and only for two weeks at a time.. it breaks my heart to see her as she wags her tail when I approach, but she won't let me touch her,, she has never known a stroke or a hug, never had the chance to play or run in fun, I believe someone comes a couple of times a week to feed her, but what is wrong with people that think these lovely creatures are no more than a tool.. they DO have feelings, and they Hurt too...

Fred James

It wouldn't be so bad if that's all they did - at least they have a chance. It's when they put them in a plastic bag and drop them in the bin that gets to me. Last year we pulled a bag of five kittens out of the basura in 35 degree heat. They were still alive and mewing. They were too young to survive as they were about 2 days old. The vet put them down free.

I hate to say this but I wish they had the courage to drown them rather than treating them like that - at least it's a quick death.

The only place I know that had any success with neutering, and it was only cats, was a large urbanisation in Nerja where with help from the local animal charity and a friendly vet they round up the cats and neuter them and clip them. They also have communal feeding stations for them. Some stay feral, others get adopted.