Well, it's that time of year again...time to find dozens of dogs dead at the side of the highway each time you go out for a ride. Let's hope that gas prices go so high, there actually might be a dip in the numbers this year. The government came out with an official number, close to 600,000 abandoned dogs each year. Now, that's double last year's figure so I question the accounting but heck, even if it were only 150 -- that'd be 149 too many.
City and State governments try to do something about it. In recent years, they've even made it a crime for those who abandon dogs and adding jail time for those whose dog causes a fatal accident (7000 humans die each year this way). But, whose dog was it? Thus the microchips -- but I won't even go into what happens to about-to-be abandoned dogs with chips. A special mention however, does go out to the excellent furniture Company, Confalone, for their campaign started last month in which they show cute puppies on their sofas, labeled, "Don't Abandon Us". Too bad the ads have gone largely unnoticed.
This year, controversial photographer Oliviero Toscani (from Benetton fame), has been selected for putting his talent into the never-ending annual campaign, starting next week...
In the sneak preview he asks: What race (breed) are you? Human or Inhuman?
The subtitles read: Leave me with a friend, a relative, at the pound, in a kennel, but don't leave me on the side of a road. Abandoning a dog is a crime.
Let's hope it works.
p.s. Just for the record, I found Trevor zig-zagging across a main thoroughfare near Trevi in Umbria, which is where he got his name.
Tuesday, July 15
Doggone It!
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9 comments:
Why do so many dogs end up abandoned?
Does this happen in other countries or is it an Italian phenomenon? It's sickening...
From what I understand, (and I believe the Italian sources), the people trying to prevent this scourge seem to think it's because dogs are given as gifts, much like toys. And so, the families don't think of the responsibilities = daily walks, cleaning, and, eventually, what to do when you travel. When the kids get bored with their new toy, they simply let the dog go.
So, much of the info focuses on "I'm not a toy" type of publicity.
This is not an Italian phenomenon, as this is a problem across the Mediterranean basin: France also has a problem, Spain doesn't keep track, but, I'm sure it's there, too.
It's tied to the cost of putting a dog in a kennel for the month of August vacation.
Most places, especially if you rent an apartment, will accept dogs and even highway rest stops have dog watching corners now, so your dog doesn't die of dehydration in the car while you get a snack.
Italy is VERY dog-friendly -- which is why this disconnect is so abominable.
violetta and lisa asked 2 of my 3 questions! (great minds, i guess) so, #3, with the figure so high, do you think any of these families actually get another pet after once doing the abandoning act? or do they learn a lesson?
carol
The other side of the discussion is the fact that few practice sterilization on their animals and for the most part, people take them because they are cute for awhile but have no clue what it takes to be responsible and maintain an animal properly such as, boarding during vacations, regular vet visits, sterilization and proper diet. I rescued many dogs wandering the countryside when living outside of Florence and since 1984 nothing has changed.
Working in the veterinary field in the states I can say without a doubt, here in Italy the way animals are abandoned is epidemic and it seems to be one that is all over Western Europe.
I'd be interested in knowing about the USA: I read an article recently that it's a huge problem there, too. In fact, while the actual percentage may be low, the sheer numbers may be much greater?
Although you're spot on on the sterilization thing. That's a whole other blog entry!!!
I recall in Brooklyn, the vets sterilized strays for next to nothing if you were to bring them in and give them a home...
This just makes me ill... I visited the Torre Argentina cat sanctuary in Rome this Spring - I don't know how the numbers of abandoned cats compares with dogs, but the whole idea of taking a living creature into your home and then abandoning it is just unconscionable to me. I've got 3 cats, all of whom were rescued either off the street or from the pound (all in the U.S.), and I cannot even imagine abandoning them. They're like my kids...
Do these ad campaigns work at all? Do the numbers ever go down?
Hi Francesca,
Yes you are right about the problem in the states (you should have seen the mess of unsterilized males coming in from Hurricane Katrina) however I believe we are much more aware of the problem in the states and veterinarians are more willing to do something about it.
In Califoria it is becoming mandatory or already is that any pet adoption must show proof of sterilization. The counties offer money as well as an incentive. In our clinic, we did the surgeries at a reduced cost if they showed us the certificate from the county. I must add however that the cost of the surgery to us was the same, we also did not give out pain meds to low cost surgeries and many times the animals were not in great health and we ended up with many health complications as well as surgical. For the most part the program works and there are many many clinics performing $5 rabies clinics vs $20 as well as low cost sterilization clinics. The Neuter Scooter does a bang up business but they do not use a lot of drugs to perform the surgeries. Most people do not realize to spay a female, we are talking about an OVH! This is major surgery whereas the boys are just nip, snip and tuck.
Italian mentality regarding sterilizing males is ridiculous yet it fits if you have lived here long enough to know how macho they can be. What is worse, the pet store I frequent besides the multitude of signs for pet adoptions, many of which are purebreds, the store owners themselves breed purebreds! Hello! These are animals that get abandoned along the country roads every year and with the sterilization numbers so low, what the heck are they doing breeding????????
Sorry, this subject gets me going particularly after spending years in the large and small animal field.
This boggles my mind. As said Italy is dog-friendly and in some towns every second person has a little dog on a leash, how on earth can they pet it and dote on it for 11 months and then dump it? And then do they just get a new one in September or does the old one drag itself back starving to the doorstep? The numbers of people with dogs never seems to go down. It makes me furious and the refusal to sterilise cats out of some macho thing makes me want to go out with secateurs and sterilise some NON cats myself sometimes. Yes, I know, I am a bad person but the mentality makes me want to scream.
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