Today, July 27, is International Stray Dog Day, whose aim is to raise awareness of the millions of dogs living on the streets around the world. It is not a day of celebration, but rather a day that encourages people to become aware of this major social scourge for which we, as humans, are responsible. The street is no place for an ARISTODOG; they all deserve to know the love of a family and the warmth of a home, and the main reason so many ARISTODOGS are forced to live on the streets is the irresponsibility of their owners, who abandon them.
Animal abandonment rates are, to say the least, alarming. And summer is the most feared season, showing that many families do not think twice about the responsibility involved in having a pet. Sadly, during this season, the animal abandonment rate increases by up to 40%, which is even more alarming because 70% of the abandoned animals within that percentage are puppies and kittens, according to a study conducted by more than 20 animal shelters throughout Spain.
To combat this, the Community of Madrid launched a new animal abandonment prevention campaign this summer. Through this campaign, they also aim to promote responsible pet ownership and have launched the hashtag #mimascotaviajaconmigo on social media, where pet owners share images and videos of how they share their lives with their pets.
The main objective is to prevent animal abandonment, since every year in Spain alone, more than 104,000 dogs and 33,000 cats are abandoned, an utterly heartbreaking figure. Summer is the season with the highest abandonment rate, with more than 35% of abandonments occurring during the second four-month period of the year, according to Fundación Affinity's 2017 annual report.
And if during this period (or at any other time of year, of course) you come across an abandoned animal, what should you do? First, approach it carefully, gently, and slowly, as the animal will probably be very frightened. Once you have gained its trust, you can take it to any veterinarian to have them check for free whether it has a microchip. If it has no identification, you can contact the City Council's animal collection service or a local shelter.
Regardless of the reasons, the abandonment of domestic animals is punishable by law. Sadly, for now we do not have a nationwide law regulating this; instead, it depends on the criteria of each Autonomous Community, but in all of them it is considered a serious or very serious offense, carrying very heavy fines.
However, even financial penalties are not enough to stop the abandonment rate and deter those who are capable of abandoning their pets. At ARISTOPET, we continue working to reduce the abandonment rate more and more.