‘Close all perreras’ – the debate – and one in Murcia which SHOULD be closed

A post appealing for people to sign a petition to ‘Close All Perreras’ on my Save the Galgo facebook page generated a lot of discussion, after I posed the question – if the perreras are closed, what is your alternative solution to the problem of Spain’s abandoned dogs. Posted here are many of the responses.

Independently, Viv Wharton of ACTIN wrote this article“>this article.

So I asked the question – I don’t quite understand ‘shut down kennels in Spain’. Are you talking about breeding kennels belonging to hunters and those who breed dogs to show and sell? Or are you talking about the refuges and perreras? Because if it is the latter -what would you do about all the thousands of rescued dogs in residencias and dogs taken off the streets into the perreras? We may not like the perreras but they have to be better than being injured on Spain’s roads and dying a slow death…or starving to death in the campo…or dropped alive down a deep well. Please explain.

Helle Larsen My opinion – Perreras HAS to be shut Down IT IS A BAD AND TERRIBLE money-machine for certain COLD and EVIL people !! Money instead should go to good refugies and built more of good refugies. Also I think Fermin Perez Martin Thinks that PERRERA has to be CLOSED DOWN for ever. ONE OF THE MOST TERRIBLE SHAME SPOTS ON SPANISH non-existning welfare. You have to think long-termed. My opinion.

Helle Larsen I do NOT believe, that perreras are good in ANY ways ! Not at All. Better shoot the dogs at once – in ONE shot – if that is the only Alternative. SAD but TRUE.

Beryl Brennan Some perreras are good, the staff care for the dogs, some of them work with rescue associations to get the dogs out for adoption. If there were no perreras, what would happen to those dogs? And I know of certainly one perrera which a rescue association is working with successfully to improve conditions for the dogs kept there. Surely that is a much better way to go – what an uproar there would be if people were allowed to go around shooting dogs instead. The story of the Motril podenco is an example – she would have stood a much better chance of a good life if she had been caught and taken to a perrera if there was no room at a refuge for her.

Fermin Perez Martin I am going to answer , only because I have been mentioned. I am sorry but I think that perrreras are needed in Spain, if not what is going to happen with all the stray dogs, the only thing that should change is that should have more money to run properly theses places.

Helle Larsen Thanks for answering, and sorry I thougt that it was your opinion Fermin Perez Martin

Fermin Perez Martin And now that we have started this discussion , I think that we should continue, in the most of the cases the perreras are meant to rescue the stray dogs from one area but also in many cases , these are public contracts and anyone can get it so if there are perreras is because we, the animal welfarist don’t want to get those contracts, I suppose that is not always like this but in many cases it is like that, for example in Zamora and Salamanca there are not perreras but this is because Scooby has the contracts.

Nancy Marble erreras are a necessary evil,like animal “shelters”here in the United States. Most dogs going in never leave except in a body bag. But for some there are rescues waiting, adopters who come along, there is hope (even in Hell). It is a system, broken and inhumane, but what is the alternative, clubbing dogs to death like they do in the streets of Romania.

Helle Larsen I do not know. Nancy Marble Look at Denmark, for ex. No perreras no clubbings. Shelters yes, but not bd ones, and not in those numbers and no killing-stations and no gas-chambers. I do not know how ‘we’ do i Denmark. Maybe wiser men know it.

Nancy Marble I think the Danes are a more humane people than the Americans and are willing to fund human and animal services more appropriately. Without getting political it is the DOD and the war machine that gets the vast amount of our tax revenues. Disgusting.

Helle Larsen What is DOD ?

Nancy Marble Department of Defense a/k/a the American war machine

Nancy Marble It was Ghandi who said, “A society will be judged by the way it treats its weakest members”. This is so true

BB Unless people actually visit Spain and the shelters and away from the tourist areas, spend a few days with volunteers rescuing dogs, they cannot comprehend the enormity of the problem. Come up with a workable solution to make a move in the right direction. And as I said before, not all perreras treat the dogs badly.
And as I said before, not all perreras treat the dogs badly.

Evy Bardrum A thought. If the Spanish government make a law that determines state aid to all Perreras in that they MUST work with help and rescue organizations in the country. A common objective about a dignified and humane management of the many abandoned and abused dogs / animals. Such a solution might benefit animals, minimize misuse of funds and prevent corruption and extortion. Is this thought totally naive?

Helle Larsen Evy Bardrum Exactly how I think too, and the many Spanish that already sign the petitions about closing the perreras, I think it is there opinions too !!!

Helle Larsen And to Beryl Brennan s post: Then I think we shall create a list over Good Perreras. So that people know what is good, and wht is not good. I do not understand why you have changed your minds about perreras – by the way. I do not have to live in Spain to comprehend the enormity of the problem. I have known about it for almost 45 years.

Nancy Marble Here in the USA most counties and larger cities have “animal shelters”. Lexington County animal services around the corner from me has an 85% euthanasia rate and is funded by the city, county, and state. Columbia Animal Services which is much larger facility euthanizes dogs after seven days unless there are extenuating circumstances. These are not true shelters they are death warehouses. The problem is the asshole dog owners who do not neuter and spay or who get a puppy on impulse with no idea what a responsibility it is. People must be educated and with a few exceptions I say good luck with that. Sorry to be so negative.

Helle Larsen You know that they burn them and stick them and beat them to death and more terrible Things in the socalled killingstations. I cannot and I will not support the konzentrations-camps for dogs and cats. I will support the petitions to close the perreras. And then we can agree to call the good once for Refugies. If they prove it.

Evy Bardrum I want to stress that I do not want the goverment Perreras closed. I Would want a partnership adopted at the State level.

Nancy Marble Be cautious when there is government involvement, then everything is bottom line and cost containment. IMHO The best rescues are run by private individuals and charitable donations

Beryl Brennan If you have not been to Spain, have not lived and worked with the volunteers who rescue and care for abandoned and injured dogs and cats and horses….and seen and experienced the size of the problem, then you have no grounds for expressing strong opinions on perreras.

Helle Larsen Yes of course I have !! I do not understand how you can say that. Of course I can. But besides that remember that all those many many tens of thousands of Spanish people that want to close the perreras, they LIVE in Spain. Many many of them are volu…See More

Fermin Perez Martin The worst perreras are the ones run by private people or private companies but not animal welfare people, because the most of them have the contracts and the money given , they keep for themselves, it is clear they want to make money and much money the…See More

Evy Bardrum Hi Helle. We are all only human and unfortunately can not change the animals’ conditions in Spain from one day to the next. All of us in one way or another involved in rescue work in Spain, do our very best to help where we can. No and I emphasize NONE…See More

Helle Larsen I cannot see I am sticking any motives in WHOS ? shoes. I REALLY do not understand, what you mean Eva Evy Bardrum. Really I do not. I have contacted Tom Sawyer, WHO is one of the ‘headmen’ in this huge movement about closing the perreras. It is better some of those people also answers about what they mean to close the perreras.

Lisbeth Mønsted Larsen I am with Beryl on this one she has a lot of experiences throughout her years of dedicated rescue of the galgoes and podengoes the problems in Spain are cataclismic in proportion to anything else going on animal rescue wise so if all those perras were …See More

Helle Larsen Tom J. Sawyer Wah Kan Isel Kuu It would be very nice, if you would please be so kind to explain here to Beryl Brennan s questions and others – What is the alternative after your opinions to close the perreras ?? Por favor. Please.

Isel Kuu google translate: What is required is that the kennel animals are kept alive and which are managed by protective without profit motive and not by private companies.

Evy Bardrum Helle Larsen. Sorry for my attack. I missunderstood something in my Reading.. Please forget the 3 last Lines in my comment. SORRY:))

Isel Kuu Helle Larsen In Spain it is not the same kennel or shelter. We are against and protective shelters where animals are cared for and given in adoption. Most kennels rescue after the animal for sacrifice in within a few days. In addition many of them do not have good conditions for animals.

Helle Larsen Do not worry Eva Evy Bardrum – it is OK

Isel Kuu Maria Mercedes Garcia Mauri

Wah Kan I think that there is a concept confussion. In”perrera” or Kennel, kills healthy dogs and cats, because are enterprises that win lots of money with this actions.

Wah Kan They don’t get voluntaries and adoptions because this ending their business

Isel Kuu Gracias Wah Kan

Wah Kan We fight to change this situation, we want respect life’s places,

Wah Kan And for this we need all signs that we’ll can get,

Maria Mercedes Garcia Mauri well yes, to make the long story short, it is just a kind of hidden interests beyond Spanish perreras what we are fighting against. Townhalls give the ruling of pounds/kennels to private companies which most of the time, not to say always, try to make profit out of it. The most dogs they take from the streets, the more money they get. The more animals they kill…the more free space for others to come along…and that is it. “Rescue”, kill, clean and rescue again. What we look for is associations searching for animal welfare to rule these places with public money, along with donations from privates. Veterinary care and spaying first aims and points of the list. No sacrifice, no slaughter. Looking for owners with the help of volunteers (Many Spanish pounds don´t let all volunteers get into) and looking after the animals. Public money used for a real pro-life insight in ruling the pounds, together with volunteer work (free work) which is being offered non-stop to these kennels. The money would definitely go to its original purpose, and not to these companies profit / benefits

Wah Kan Perfect explication Maria Mercedes Garcia Mauri !!

Fermin Perez Martin I am sorry to be a pain in the ass, but many many times the townhalls gave the contracts to these killing companies because animal welfare organisations don’t go for it , if not in the same conditions the animal welfare orgs are first so the idea is no…See More

Lisbeth Mønsted Larsen This is where I agree with both Fermin and Beryl especially on the euthanasia part. Many animals are in severe pain and the outlook for a life in pain every day is cruel in itself. It is far better to put a dog or cat in those circumstances to sleep. …See More

Helle Larsen You are not a pain Fermin, it is VERY good you explain so much, thank you very very much. It is good to get more and more Cards on the table. I also want to thank you very much to Maria Mercedes Garcia Mauri and Wah Kan and Isel Kuu

Helle Larsen Lisbeth Mønsted Larsen I am sorry I cannot answer to your later comments it would be so very very long to say my opinion. But it appears from the Whole story in this thread – readed in its entire context. It is very complicated and not that easy as you say, yes – and maybe I am sorry that I have another opinions, but I have.

Lisbeth Mønsted Larsen There nothing to be sorry for since I have read your comments and thus know what you stand for.Cheers Lisbeth and the lads.

Helle Larsen And of course as – like – Fermin says, Plan B is of course good and to start with sterilization campains and more and ……… so on – in Fermins comment 9 hours ago – therefore the (end)goal still CAN be to close Down the bad perreras.

Lisbeth Mønsted Larsen In English we call it spay when its a female and neuter when its a male and its a good way to handle an overpopulation of dogs.

Beryl Brennan Now that we have a proposed alternative to ‘closing all perreras’ – which seems to be amended now to ‘closing all bad perreras’ – as demanded by the petition, I will be extracting all the informative comments into an article which I will post on my blog Galgo News so that the suggestion and proposals and possible alternatives can be read in their entirety for people to make an informed decision on whether to sign the petition or not. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the discussion. At the end of the day, we are all singing from the same hymn sheet – just with different words – that we would like to see an end to the mass abandonment of dogs in Spain – which could be started by a nationwide neutralization campaign.

ACTIN UPDATE 19/12/2013

Today Viv Wharton of ACTIN visited a perrera. Here’s what she writes.

A terrible terrible place that we had to visit today and totally unacceptable. I was not prepared, as I thought perhaps they would hide their bad management of the place and the conditions of some of the animals..I could not be more wrong, they must think what they do is ok..they have no idea about animal welfare and they have no compassion..certainly not the vet.

We adopted 9 dogs and reserved 2. Out of the 9, one is now put to sleep kindly and gently and out of its horrific suffering. 3 Lhasa apso pups are in the vet hospital with parvo, 2 Dalmations – the female had an emergency sterilisation due to serious Pymetra, the male is having tests too and they are both in the hospital. One sweet terrier is ok, will post photos. 2 reserved – a black Cocker spaniel who is severely distressed and maybe missing owners and a sick galgo.

Besides that, cold wet puppies shivering, one litter with their fox terrier Mum and the others 4 weeks plus with no Mum’s and obviously will soon be sick with the parvo that is rampant in this ‘concentration camp’ for dogs.We could not do more and clearly have not space for the ones we adopted.

Our vet was in tears when she saw the very sick one. I know we must be able to do something. I never saw a vet less caring about animals than the one I met today at this pound…I am devastated and will not sleep tonight, with thoughts of the helpless Mum and pups left behind, and the pups with not even a Mum.

Estefanía Actin Spain and I will not give up until we have stopped this kind of disgusting behaviour, of a company that only has interest in making money…for legal reasons, I cannot say where this is, or the name…but be sure when we can we will and when we have some kind of result for the work we are doing to get justice….

ACTIN need funds to pay their lawyer to fight cases such as this one. Please donate if you can.