The abandonment of dogs: the scourge of summer holidays
A few days before the summer holidays, the sun, the cicadas and the rosé are pointing the tip of their noses, but unfortunately the abandonment of animals too... and these are not a cliché but a tragic reality that is repeated every summer .
Reasons for animal abandonment
If every summer, millions of us are moved by the commercials broadcast by major animal protection associations such as friends of the animal world or SPA it is because they highlight a heinous and cruel act: the abandonment of dogs, cats and other animals.
Who are these terrible masters capable of leaving their dog tied to the side of the road and driving away like nothing? I would like to answer you that they are dangerous psychopaths but no! It is very often Mr. and Mrs. Everybody
Why do they end up abandoning their dog? These simple honest citizens at first glance are very often totally and desperately overwhelmed by their animals.
The "honeymoon" phase of the puppy's first weeks is over... A few months ago, they adopted a very cute puppy seen on an online ad, at a salon, in a store window, because the dog of a friend had just had little ones… And unfortunately, the puppy grew up and his nonsense with him. If a puppy is satisfied with a pair of slippers, a young adolescent dog can devour the walls of the house!
Personally, I am quite convinced that there will be massive abandonments in France as long as there is no dog possession license or certificate or diploma or any other name that will designate the fact that it is necessary to first learn what a dog is, its language, its needs, its behavior… before claiming to be able to welcome one into your home.
A family that adopts a new dog without knowing the burdens it represents can quickly find themselves overwhelmed: barking, destruction, biting, aggressiveness... They are then looking for an "easy" way out to put an end to their ordeal. Educating a dog is a real job that requires time, energy, involvement, love and respect. It's easier to dump your dog on the side of the road than to pay an educator and get involved in education classes for several weeks.
It is not enough for a basket and a jump of kibbles for pooch to take his marks. He must be taught the rules of life of the family and of the society in which he evolves. While our children go to school to socialize and learn, our puppies need to learn too! It's the same.
The causes of abandonment are multiple and are unfortunately not limited to the poorly educated puppy:
-
the animal ages, it becomes complicated and expensive to take care of it. I invite you to read the articleA few days of vacation with a senior dog"
-
we have "inherited" a dog following the death of a loved one and finally, we do not want to bear the responsibilities that a dog entails
-
the owner's living conditions have changed; he no longer has the time, the desire, the means… to take care of his dog
-
a behavior problem
Abandoned dog: what risk, what penalty?
Le Penal Code is very clear about abandonment being considered an act of cruelty, just like animal abuse.
Here is clearly what article 521-1 of the penal code says: "carrying out serious abuse, or of a sexual nature, or committing an act of cruelty towards a domestic animal, or tamed, or held in captivity, is punished by two years' imprisonment and a fine of 30 euros. In the event of conviction of the owner of the animal or if the owner is unknown, the court decides on the fate of the animal, whether or not it was placed during the legal proceedings. The court may order the confiscation of the animal and provide that it will be handed over to a foundation or animal protection association recognized as being of public utility or declared, which may freely dispose of it. »
For my part, I do not always find it easy toidentifier an abandoned dog. Is it really abandoned or is it a so-called “stray” animal?
If we refer to the law, here is what it specifies "is considered to be in a state of wandering any dog which, apart from a hunting action or the guard or the protection of the herd, is no longer under the effective supervision of its master, is out of earshot of the latter or of any sound instrument allowing its recall, or which is far from its owner or the person responsible for it by a distance exceeding one hundred meters. »
A wandering animal will be taken care of by the municipal pound service. There are 8 working days left. After this period, if his master has not taken steps to find him and has not claimed him at the pound, the local animal protection associations take over to, in the best case, offer him to the adoption.
How and where to abandon your dog?
I didn't really want to write this part of the article for fear of giving ideas to some people, but it's better to explain to them how to entrust their dog to someone else rather than finding tied dogs. to trees in the middle of the forest or wandering by the side of the road…
I remind you here that “responsible” abandonment is the last resort when all the solutions have been studied to keep your dog. “Responsible” abandonment is the fact of abandoning your dog to a third person identified beforehand to offer your companion a dignified second life.
The first solution to consider is to find a new home for your dog among your family or friends for example. Make sure your pet will be welcomed into a family this time around that can take care of ALL their needs. Abandonment is a real trauma for your dog, do not condemn him to another abandonment by choosing his new family badly. Make sure that he will have good living conditions there and that his new owners have very good intentions towards him.
Secondly, you can contact the animal protection associations around your home. If the reasons for abandoning your dog are justifiable, they will be able to help your dog and advise you.
As a last resort, if none of these solutions worked, go to a shelter. It's really the last resort: here your dog will go from his home to a life in a box. A real trauma! These shelters, although run by professionals, are often packed. You are about to abandon your dog, at least try to maximize his chances of having a successful second start in life.
Before abandoning your dog permanently to a third party, you must sign an abandonment contract. It is an obligatory formality which makes it possible to release the former master of his responsibility and the damage caused by the animal after abandonment. The abandonment contract also protects the new masters of the animal against any claim by the former owners.
Animal protection associations – the fight against abandonment
Whether they are nationally known or more local, each intervenes in favor of the animals either for the care of the animal at the time of its abandonment in a shelter or in a foster family for example, or to offer it for adoption. either to take care of an injured or sick animal…
They have a vital role to play in coming to the aid of our abandoned animals. Each year, they collect and save thousands of dogs. Personally, to fight against abandonment, I made the choice to create a solution that facilitates holidays WITH your dog; TakeTonDog.com...
Rather than telling people not to abandon their dogs, I preferred to act at the source. The holidays were cited as one of the causes of abandonment so for 4 years now, I have been working with my team, the Wouafer's and of course Musher FOR the holidays with his dog and AGAINST abandonment. Prevention is better than cure.
The second life of abandoned dogs
This article is rather sad, I grant you, but I was not going to leave you on this tone! Last summer, more than 60 dogs were abandoned in France. For some of these darlings, fate was sweeter: they were adopted by great families for their second life. Discover, for example, the beautiful stories of Bamboo and Johanna or that of Jupiter, Laita and Julie !