The situation in Mexico.
Mexico stands at first place in Latin America’s ranking of countries with dogs in street situation
this means that 70% of dogs in our country do not have a home. In addition to this, according to a study conducted by the pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health, 15% of those canines have not been vaccinated or dewormed in their lifetime. These dogs face dangers and difficult situations every day, they are exposed to diseases, mistreatment, hunger, cold, discrimination, death, and worst of all: indifference.
To buy or adopt?
In Mexico, unlike in other countries, it is still very common to hear comments about a family that decides to buy instead of adopting a pet, it is also very common to give pets to children as a birthday or Christmas gift without thinking well about the responsibility and commitment that are involved, that is why these same gift animals end up abandoned before their first birthday. Some of the most common reasons families give about abandonment are: "it grew a lot"; "it is very hyperactive"; "it barks a lot"; "it became aggressive"; "we moved from home and we could not take it with us"; "we will have a child"; among many others, added to the fact that a pet is not valued as a living being capable to feel and, above all, who requires attention to their physical and emotional needs.
Mating
Another serious cause of stray animals is a lack of knowledge. There is a lot of ignorance about purebred dogs, in most cases, families choose a purebred dog for its appearance without thinking about its social characteristics and, much less, about its needs. For example, a family whose members lead a sedentary life that buys a very active breed or vice versa; or families that buy large breeds (without researching the size the dog will have when it grows) and live in a small house, etc.
There is also a lot of misinformation about whether or not dogs should be crossed. We hear a lot about "we want a dog with certain characteristics"; "we want our dog to have at least one litter"; we wash our hands off by saying "I know perfectly to whom I am going to give each of the puppies, and each of them will have a family” but we continue not being part of the solution. It is proven that 70% of street animals are the result of crossings between individual’s dogs.
It is for this same reason that the Pan American Health Organization decided to change the name of "stray dog" into "dog of irresponsible owner" since 1994. We have to start generating awareness to understand that dogs are worth by the fact of being dogs, regardless of races, and that they are also living beings which have an incredible ability to love, but that also have needs, and that they require a full commitment from us as humans beings as the only kind capable of reasoning. Unfortunately, pets, like few species in the world, depend 100% on humans, so it is a social and moral responsibility to make the right decisions to reverse this situation and give those beings the opportunity to have a decent life full of love.
