William: One of the Lucky Ones

I was walking Pepper early one morning, when I came upon a woman and her cute little white poodle mix, whom I had never seen before.  She told me she and her husband had been living in Brazil until recently, and adopted William in Brazil just a month ago, and brought him with them when they returned to the U.S.  Here are a few details regarding how they came to adopt William.

Every year when the summer season begins in Brazil, around early December, many residents close up their homes and either travel or live in a summer home somewhere else.  Apparently the pets that they have cared for are disposable, because tens of thousands of dogs and cats are abandoned each year when summer comes.  They are either thrown out of car windows or abandoned when the family moves.  I could not believe this story, but the woman confirmed it to be true.  She had never heard of it either, but said that everyone living there seemed to know about it.  When she heard about this problem, she went to the local shelter and adopted William, who had recently been abandoned.

We've all heard of the thousands of street kids in Brazil, but I did not know of the up to 150,000 stray and unwanted cats and dogs roaming the streets of Rio de Janeiro, many of them sick or injured.  When my neighbor adopted William, he was emaciated and near death.  Today he is a happy, healthy dog.

There is a great deal of cruelty to these innocent creatures, with many dogs being poisoned, beaten, denied medical treatment and intentionally run over.  Animals are ruthlessly killed in municipal shelters and there are no public policies to ensure them any kind of humane treatment.  No spay and neuter centers are available, and the laws are insufficient to guarantee their lives and dignity.  Stray dogs live near trash piles, tear up bags containing discarded food, and are a health and safety  hazard, yet the government does little to control the situation.

Fortunately there are a number of rescue organizations that have stepped in to help, yet it is a drop in the bucket.  With 150,000 stray animals on the streets of Rio, much more must be done.  It seems that an inexpensive spay and neuter program would be a good start.  I have no answers, but thought you should know about this terrible animal crisis.