There is a ‘discussion’ on facebook about Spain, expats, volunteers, on the subject of animal welfare and rescuing and rehoming dogs. I have copied the comment below by a Spanish lady, which I think sums up how most of us feel about the problem, especially at this time of year now hunting is finished and galgos and podencos are dumped and abandoned and killed in their hundreds of thousands.
Eva Crespo Corral
January 31 at 1:04pm
Spain is the land of contrasts. Being one of the worst countries in Europe when it comes to animal welfare, it is also the place where an army of private individuals work as hard as they can 24/7/365 to save the lives of the 150.000 abandoned animals every year.
The main problem is the absolute lack of interest in the matter by the local and regional institutions not to say every government that has been in power. Without regulation, institutionalisation and control, without serious punishments and educational politics every effort that we make is only a drop in the ocean. As we say in Spain, todo cae en saco roto.
Exporting and shipping dogs all over Europe may seem like the perfect solution but it does nothing but enhance the problem. Many Spaniards abandon their pets or their hunting dogs at shelters, it is true, but they still get abandoned, they still get uncontrollably bred for each hunting season or to be sold in the more than dodgy and dark pet black market. As long as we don´t finish with that Spain will forever be a shit hole to be an animal…
NB 150,000 abandoned dogs is a conservative number, it’s at least that for all the hunting dogs on mainland Spain and in the Canary Islands.
Comments
One response to “Spain – a land of contrasts”
It may be a drop in the ocean but until things change the only hope for these animals is to get a home out of Spain. If the view is that I have ‘enhanced the problem’ by giving a home to a a galgo who had spent five years of his life being beaten, starved and terrified, or by giving a home to a big black dog abandoned by ex pats and left in a shelter for four years (no chance of being adopted in Spain, or much chance anywhere else – no one wants big black dogs) then sorry but I wouldn’t do anything differently. It may be a drop in the ocean but what’s the solution? Put to sleep or just left in shelters? If people in Europe want these dogs then let them have a chance of getting a home. Unless someone has a magic solution to change the mindsets, moral values and laws of the local governments and councils then at least rehoming in Europe gives some dogs a chance they otherwise wouldn’t have, drop in the ocean or not. Hopefully organisations like PACMA and Actin can put pressure on the government to change the laws, stop overbreeding, educate people, neuter dogs but until things change for good I don’t think the dogs of Spain should be denied the chance of a home and happiness.