What a tourist can do about abandoned dogs in Spain and Portugal

What a tourist can do about abandoned dogs in Spain and Portugal

I don't know if I've got the right section or even whether I'm allowed to post the following - and I'd certainly welcome any advice. I'd like as many visitors to Spain and Portugal as possible to know what they can do to help abandoned dogs there, as well as other cases of animal cruelty. It doesn't involve money!

Animal Cruelty in Spain & Portugal - What a Tourist Can Do.

Some of your friends, neighbours, colleagues and relatives may spend a holiday in Spain or Portugal this year - and some of them will be upset by the sight of abandoned or ill-treated animals, particularly dogs, but also cats, horses and donkeys. If they feel strongly enough, they should take photos and ask the tourist office or hotel for the postal address of the town hall and/or the local newspaper.
They should then compose a letter or e-mail briefly describing in clear simple English what they saw and, as precisely as possible, when and where. They should send this to us [with photos if possible] at Portuguese Animal Welfare UK .[Google it!] We will forward their e-mail or letter in Spanish or Portuguese to the relevant animal welfare organization in the area. If they can give us the postal address of the town hall and/or the local newspaper, we shall send them a copy too.
In 2012, we had a number of requests for help from British tourists who saw cases of animal cruelty and neglect while on holiday in Portugal - dogs generally, but the latest was a horse and her foal. Sometimes these cases were observed in very remote areas. We made contact with officials in the localities, animal shelters, vets, schools and the police. [ The latter have a department dedicated to this problem.] Our intervention was often successful. The tourists had no idea what to do in such situations and had been very distressed by what they saw. From now on, we are including Spain in our ‘remit’.
Please keep this as a reminder, and pass on the message.

Going to Portugal in two weeks. Wondering statistically how many of these unfortunate animals are put to sleep? Do you know?

That's very interesting and I will pass it on to my brother and sister in law who often holiday in s
Spain. Last year they were followed by a sickly stray who they felt sorry for and after a long long process found a rescue centre for him. Left him there for four months but with little chance of him ever being adopted they eventually shipped him over here. My brother felt it was a bit immoral seeing as there were so many dogs here needing homes but has wanted a dog for twenty years or more but never felt their lifestyle suited one. His wife has never been a doggy person but fell head over heels in love with this pup and didn't want any other one.hes now very happy here with me and other friends and family as dog walkers. : )

Statistically I don't know, but those not picked up by a refuge are eventually collected by the town council and the official vet 'dispatches' them. However, many dogs succeed in living off the streets and provided they don't become a threat, there they stay. We suggested solutions to the latter problem [ see 'petition' on our website] but we don't know whether they were implemented.

Come across anything will certainly report it.Thankyou for your reply.

Good news! I've met Germans who have fallen for a dog on a Portuguese dog refuge website, and have lived happily ever after! The UK is much easier to bring a dog back to these days, and for a reasonable sum you don't have to organise it all yourself.

Unfortunately I won't be in Spain or Portugal any time soon. What worries me is if their media is inundated with lots of letters and photos of cruelty to and stray dogs etc, to save face are they not more likely to have a huge sweep and cull to simply remove the animals out of tourists eyes. If I was out there I would be spending my entire holiday feeding them. My neighbours go out frequently to Spain owning a flat there. I will certainly ask them to take photographs and do as you suggest - they are huge animal lovers.

Good luck.

My lovely dog walker friend is in Spain at the moment and I have just passed this info on to her as she is looking after these two beauties the best she can but she is only there for 12 days.



Bull is on the right and lady is on the left. They are locked in the grounds of the next villa to hers. It's partially built and been abandoned, their 'owner' comes back to feed them...but only comes once a week! So they have no human contact or food apart from one brief visit once a week. She says they are gorgeous dogs and are taking treats through the fence really well, she thinks she could go in with them fine...but isn't. Her husband is distracting them with treats up one end of the grounds while she squeezes bowls of food through the gate.

She spends all day every day with dogs walking and boarding other people's and her three and this is supposed to be her holiday from dogs, she's now looking after these plus volunteering at a local shelter walking dogs there once a day.

Look to me like guard dogs, and so it would be in the owner's interest to keep them healthy. However, that doesn't mean there isn't a degree of neglect. If you could provide as precise a location as possible?

I have to say that they don't give the appearance of dogs that are only fed once a week?

I presume they've got adequate supply of water - as it is hot in Portugal this time of year?