I’ve been in correspondence with Gareth Thomas, International Project Manager for RSPCA International, on the subject of the abandonment of dogs and cats in Spain, particularly with regard to galgos in my own case.
He has been extremely helpful with explaining the Society’s stand on this subject, and this is what he has to say:
‘RSPCA International focusses its aid and training on strenghtening local partners’ work to improve animal welfare, such as projects to improve responsible pet ownership, increase neutering and introduce animal welfare education into schools.
By taking this approach, we hope to reduce the number of animals suffering in the long-term.
A big priority for our work in Spain is the improvement of provisions for stray animals at the municipal level. This year, the RSOCA and the Kismet Account worked with the municipal authorities and animal welfare groups in Granada to help them manage feral cat colonies in a humane way.
We also supported training in neutering and spaying techniques for vets working at local shelters and held a workshop at the Analucian Veterinary Chamber to promote the importance of neutering and responsible pet ownership for the veterinary community.
Politically, Spain is one of the most decentralised countries in Europe, being divided into 19 Autonomous communities that have varying degrees of autonomy from the central government. Therefore it is very important to look at the region where one wants to make a difference, and design the lobbying/campaign strategy accordingly. This is particularly the case when dealing with the laws governing companion animals.
It is the same case for the European Union. The EU has evolved as a political organisation from an initial focus on trade, therefore the animals governed by its laws are generally those affected by trade. For example, see this reply by the EC Commissioner Ollie Rehn to a question by an MEP’s constituent about the EU’s powers to influence the laws governing stray dogs in two candidate countries, (Croatia and Turkey):
The Commission deplores all forms of cruelty and ill-treatment of animals. a considerable part of Community legislation covers protection of animals, although it addresses primarily livestock on farms, transport, and slaughter of farmed livestock and laboratory animals. The Protocal on Protection and Welfare of Animals annexed to the EC Treat lays down clear ground rules for the actions of the EU on animal welfare.
However, the EU’s competence in this area is limited. Issues such as the welfare and potential cruelty or mistreatment of stray dogs are areas which remain under the sole responsibility of current or future Member States. Therefore, the responsibility for defining and implementing measures to solve the problem of stray dogs lies entirely with the authorities of the States concerned.
As the current European acquis does not provide for any competence of the Community in the area of the protection of stray animals, the Commission cannot take any immediate action in this matter.
Gareth Thomas again.
Therefore the strategies that work to improve the welfare of companion animals have to be very aware of the local, legal and political framework. We work where we can to encourage municipalities across Europe to adopt humane strategies of stray animal management.
Good strategies should use legislation and public education to discourage the abandonment of animals and control deliberate breeding. They should also encourage elements of responsible pet ownership such as dog registration, vaccination, and neutering.
A similar approach is taken to our work in education. The majority of the resources which the RSPCA has produced in the UK are focussed on the needs of the national curriculum in England and Wales, for this reason they don’t necessarily transfer very well to the needs of other countries.
Our international education projects support local partners who are developing resources or teacher training to fit the needs of their local education system.
For example, we are supporting our associate organisation in Serbia who are working with the Ministry of Education to develop teacher training in animal welfare for citizenship classes. In Bosnia we are supporting the Pedagogical Academy at the University of Sarajevo, who are developing teaching resources to fit the needs of the curriculum there.
Information about our education work in the UK is at www.rspca.org.uk/education.
If there are any people or groups interested in education work such as this, we have booklets and videos which can be a useful base for their work. These are not available electronically, so please email Gareth Thomas direct with your details, and please mention that you read about this on Galgo News.
Two websites which have been recommended by Gareth Thomas, International Project Manager for RSPCA International:
Comments
2 responses to “RSPCA International – going to the dogs in Spain!”
my niece has just moved back from spain to England but left the cat behind is there any rescue firms in spain that can help me to locate it and have it sent to me in england
Where did she live?