By 
Earlier this year, I sought assistance from well-regarded animal welfare organisations and charities about some stray dogs at my workplace. On the first occasion, a few individuals visited and took away the puppies of one of the stray dogs. I was told that the puppies would be put up for adoption and they were, pictures of them were posted on the Facebook page of the organisation for interested persons to adopt. I am grateful that they are receiving good care.
However, at the time of the visit when I asked whether the female dog and mother of the puppies can be put up for adoption as well, I was told that most likely she would have to be ‘put down’ if they take her because there isn’t much interest in adopting dogs that are no longer cute little puppies and the shelter is filled. And the other places I contacted told me that they were filled and couldn’t take in more dogs including puppies.
A few weeks later I found myself in the same situation; I was asked by the administrator for the contact information of these places because there is another stray dog with a litter of newborn puppies and it was requested that they be removed from the compound. I contacted them and was able to speak with someone from the Guyana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (GSPCA). They offered to collect the dogs for a small amount of money to cover transportation and food. I had no problem with this request however when I asked what would happen to the dogs, I was informed that most likely the adult female would be ‘put to sleep’ and the puppies depending on age and size may also be ‘put to sleep’. Where is the compassion for these innocent animals, how can an organisation that claims to be preventing cruelty to animals be so callous and cruel especially if the animals are healthy and not suffering from terminal conditions or injuries?
Can’t a more humane approach can be considered by these animal welfare organisations? Proactive measures and feasible solutions need to be considered and employed or else they would always be overwhelmed by the sheer number of stray animals on the streets, overcrowding at their facilities, giving adequate and proper care to the animals under their care and being ethical and compassionate at the same time.
In Guyana, animal welfare is seen as a trivial issue. In my neighbourhood there are many stray dogs that I and others would feed and unfortunately, the numbers keep growing.
Stray dogs on the beach
In April I went on a local tour with some colleagues. We visited two beach locations and at both, strays came up to us for food.
Many persons are ‘uneducated’ regarding the responsibility of caring for a pet. One of the best choices that can be made for a pet is to have it spayed/neutered, unfortunately, few in Guyana choose this route. And when the animal is no longer wanted it is ‘strayed’. This callous, inhumane act dooms it and its future offsprings to a lifetime of misery, ill-treatment and early death on the streets.
What can be done to improve the lives of animals?
I believe that spaying/neutering more strays and educating pet owners about the benefits of this procedure would assist in reducing the number of homeless animals and ensure that those in the care of shelters receive adequate care. I do know that spaying/neutering is being done but it should be more intensive, comprehensive and command extra resources so that a greater number of animals can benefit.
Countless puppies are brought into the world to suffer a short, cruel, miserable and painful existence through no fault of theirs. Unfortunately for dog lovers, the lifespan of these animals is too short however, the benefits to society and the dogs themselves that now exist from an intensive spaying/neutering campaign would be realised in a few years.
Improving the quality of life for animals through public donations
There are individuals and companies that care about the plight of animals and would contribute to a measure that prevents cruelty and reduce the number of strays without the need to kill unnecessarily.
Also, many shelters seem to lack available space for the animals and some ‘may’ be spending their existence confined to cages. Is there any animal sanctuary? If not a well-off donor (s) or funds gathered from donations from the public/government could be used to purchase land outside of Georgetown and the surrounding area (Mahaica/Mahaicony or upper Region 3 etc, where it would be cheaper) exclusively for the setting up of an animal sanctuary.
