EEN SOCIAAL PROBLEEEM OPLOSSEN? AN OPEN LETTER TO PPP

15 Augustus 2024 - EEN SOCIAAL PROBLEEM OPLOSSEN?

Er zijn goede en slechte buren.

Zo ook de buren iN het gehucht Inha een  halve kilometer verderop in het n de deatuurgebied boven ons terrein waarop de shelter staat.

Als echter een aantal buren die al meer dan 7 jaar de shelter weg wilden hebben samenspannen  met een activisten groep met eveneens kwalijke intenties (aangevoerd door Madame X), een dierenhulp associatie van slecht allooi (onder leiding van Madame Y) en er bovendien een politieke partij (PPP genaamd) zich zonder enig contact met ons te hebben opgenomen onvoorwaardelijk committeert aan een actie tegen de vrije (én gelukkige) honden (gesteriliseerd , geregistreerd en onder onze hoede), dan ontstaat een heftig probleem.

En dat gebeurde.

De honden  komen behalve op en rond het terrein van de shelter soms ook op de geasfalteerde en bochtige  bosweg, die leidt naar het gehucht Inha.  Sommigen gaan ook naar de nabijgelegen rivier om daar het water in te gaan of te drinken, hoewel er ook grote waterbakken staan op ons terrein waar ook voer aanwezig is. Een aantal blijft liever in de nabije omgeving waar ook voer wordt neergelegd.

Alle honden zijn gelukkig en kunnen ook schuilen.

De actie gebeurde op 15 augustus 2024.

Ik heb mijn ervaringen verwoord in een open op facebook gepubliceerde brief gericht  aan de betrokken politieke partij die ik verweet politiek onwaardig te handelen en propaganda te maken. Dit laatste omdat deze partij bij de laatste recente parlements verkiezingen 75% van haar zetels verloor.

Hieronder staat de brief,  geanonimiseerd en hier en daar ingekort tot de meest relevante aspecten, die bedoeld zijn om een duidelijk beeld te geven van dierenhulp praktijken die ook nu weer weinig bewustwording tonen van het werkelijke probleem m.b.t de zwerfdieren.

PPP:  What are you doing? Making propaganda?

 .... for us a complaint to all who don’t know (or don´t want to know) the real situation, but instead having a deformed image of truth and justice.

...but at the same many thanks to people who were able to look at the reality based on their own observations and a free mind, either giving us strength or giving critical comments, however with good intentions followed many times by offering help, real help.

15 August 2024.

Another day of attacking dogs to get them out of their well living circumstances.

On appropriate places in the letter questions are directed to PPP and also some to all.

QUESTION 1

PPP had not only committed itself to the association but was also involved  in the action. Do you agree?

As far as I can remember PPP told me 7 years ago that they are a political party and so no activists.

After my presentation in June 2018 for the Assembleia of Santa Maria da Feira, you came to me and offered help in my effort to get a license for the shelter.

The reason to be in Inha together with the association of Madame Y should be as you described on your facebook publication:

“É de facto necessário ir à raiz da questão e resolver um problema social……etc.” (It is necessary to really get to the root of the issue and solve a social problem…)

By this, PPP has put themselves above the authorities, who are responsible within the framework of a democracy.

PPP is acting in the same way as for instance a popular court is doing (about 7 years ago a woman in Inha lifted her arm up, clenched fist, while shouting “Power to the people!”)

It's suspicious that just the dogs along the street which can be seen on photos of PPP have disappeared after the action.

(Note outside the letter.

Next morning we discovered that a number of dogs did not show up. They had been secretly taken away in the night.

Only five easily approachable dogs has been catched.

The majority is still in our area accepting only contacts with us. Anyhow we have continuef our activities without any hesitation.)

QUESTION 2

Did you know that we still have a number of jails and.cages for dogs who have been reserved for adoption, have been not sterilized yet, should undergo medical treatment or just need medicines, should be separated from other animals to prevent attacks etc.

PPP anyhow committed themselves to a controversial association, which has been quite a number of years illegal with also a doubtful financial management (invoices made in word shown as proof of payment in facebook, for example).

 (Note outside the letter.

In a meeting at the municipality one of the city counselors  expressed spontaneously his aversion against the association about that)

PPP should have known that the association to which you have committed still accuses us and also other associations as being mafia as we and the other ones would sending dogs to the Netherlands or other countries.

we have been accused to earn a lot of money from adoption (it was even called «selling») of stray dogs to and therefore we should buy food ourselves instead of getting food for free from the BSA (Banco Solidário Animais) actions to collect food in supermarkets.

In a broadcast of TVI Madame Y firmly condemned the associations in question.

Madame Y has also accused my counterpart in the Netherlands to sell animals from Portugal for the sex industry and tests in laboratoria instead of finding families for adoption.

The action on the 15th of August has large similarities with an action on the 25th of January 2020 (backed by Madame  X and Madame Y)  to try and take 20 dogs from the shelter.

The same tactics has been used.

I call it emotional blackmail: inciting people to rescue hungry and thirsty dogs based on slander and defamation that the dogs and cats would be bad treated as we did not have (yet) the required conditions such as electricity and a water system. (In 2022 we had a solar energy system connected to a large natural water source).

When the action failed,  the group went under false pretenses ("we will come back after lunch") to a house in Louredo where 3 robbers, with help of Madame and other accomplices, took brutally away my personal dog, 2 other dogs and 6 cats. 

I’m still trying to find them by various actions.

It has led many years later to a bizarre reaction of the association of Madame Y about a crash in August 2023.

Here is what happened.

As I said, I kept trying to find the animals among other things by many sit actions on public places among others on the public roads near the houses of the three robbers, while having a large photo of my dog Mike to track attention from people who were passing.

In August 2023 twice a car was trying to eliminate me.

The first time by intimidation, but the second time the same car crashed me, by which I had fallen on the road. The driver drove immediately away.

A publication on Facebook about the crash gave a lot of reactions, most of them were sympathetic, but not from Madame Y and her association.

On almost every comment showing support, they put a smile as answer even saying that they agree with crushing people who treat animals badly.

The largest problem is about ticks, flies and other parasites.

At the action accusations also from PPP came to us of bad treatment

PPP, you should know our efforts to try and solve that problem.

Years ago we had a tick plague in the shelter. With help of a lot of people we could combat it, among other things by hanging up bottles with a special liquid to keep mosquitos and flies on distance; but living this dogs in freedom in the wild, it is more difficult to do it.

Many times we asked for help medicines against external parasites and a clinic offered some pills; but you (PPP) and people who are now asking how we can justify that there are tics, you did only offer critics without any help.

QUESTION 3

Have you been aware of the behaviour of some of the neighbors?

The disgusting role of some neighbors, who with both madame's (X and Y) on the background were already against the shelter more than seven years ago, to provoke the dogs with sticks and throw stones to them.

They took food away which Berta puts every day on special places in the forest. Some neighbors gave the robbed food to their own dogs, others threw it in the river. Realistic neighbors (some of them who have even adopted some of our dogs) have witnessed it.

One of the bad neighbors even came to us to shoot in the air with a shotgun.

PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS

On the 15th from midday until it became dark I was watching what happened with the dogs.

I saw that just as the action in January 2020 people came (with good intentions) with food and water, because they had got the message that the dogs would get not enough to eat and drink.

However the dogs didn't immediately drink, also not after several efforts of people to push them to do it.

Food was also not very attractive, although it was delicious quality food. I saw that just late in the afternoon one of the larger white dogs was eating some dry food which had been put on a plate.

Some people put (unbelievable) bowls with water on the middle of the road, while cars were passing nearby.

It was obvious that many people showed much pity to the dogs. I have no doubt that the people who were there would love dogs, but the dogs enjoyed their freedom, while getting enough water, food and attention.

A black dog got cold water over his back. I tried to warn the woman who did it, that if an animal is too hot, you might use instead a wet but not too cold towel and not dropping water over him because it can be dangerous.

I think the woman did not understand English.

QUESTION 4

Am I right that you are accomplices in the actions of the association on the 15th of August  and infected by the urge to make propaganda, also because you have not contacted us in advance at all?

Knowing that just taking chipped and registered dogs away is an illegal action, even a crime. It's even more criminal to let  the chips be taken out by a corrupt veterinarian.

Will you give us back the robbed dogs?

QUESTION 5

Where is your strong effort to create awareness at the people about the absolute need of sterilization? And the pressure to allow CED by the authorities?

I really hope that CED (Capturar-Esterilizar-Devolver ) will be formally allowed by law for all stray dogs and cats and not only for cats living in colonies. (We do even more than CED as we make an effort to take care of the neutered stray animals)

How might the still increasing overpopulation ever be reduced) without CED?Z

Countrywide an obligation to sterilize should be established, at least for a substantial number of years.

If this would be considered by you a step too far, small steps might be help such as to oblige sterilization for each dog or cat who had escaped from a family, before giving them back.

Awareness of the importance of sterilization is part of the awareness about the value of a dog or cat as a mutual companion in life no requiring respect and minimal empathy, which will have a positive effect on the need of sterilization.

QUESTION TO ALL

Do you realize what would have happened if we wouldn't have sterilized stray dogs catched by ourselves or on request of other people?

Well, there might be no dogs along the Rua Inha.

And the whole 'circus' on the 15th would not have taken place.

But one can be sure that the same dogs would be elsewhere in the country reproducing themselves, making the problem bigger.

How about the neighbors there, in those places? With growing packs of dogs causing damage, traffic accidents, killing farm animals, and so on…

In the meantime, when they would not been picked up, more puppies had already been born (in the wild).

Thus more street dogs in the future and puppies who would suffer maybe until death.

By the way it should have cost a large amount of money considering all the GNR (the National Police) officials who had to go to Inha or other places (to be paid by the community).

I have read all the comments and reactions of your publication on Facebook about the action of the 15th.

At one a woman put a photo of one of the dogs in Inha insinuating that we would be guilty if that dog would die.

Immediately the following question came up.

  -  WHY ARE THERE SO MANY STRAY DOGS AND CATS IN PORTUGAL?

That is for me the basic question to start with.

The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany etc. have not brought them!

That means: from each citizen to the president of Portugal  all are accomplices.

Thus also the woman who put comment ánd PPP.

And then since 2018 there have been personal conflicts and even personal wars. Even three violent actions.

A main source of conflicts has been when in 2019 Madame X got a conflict with Berta Brazão who accused her (X)  and not to offer help to another shelter after having put slander and defamation  about bad treatment. The facebook conversation ended when Madame X wrote: do you want war? I will win the war!

At that moment personal emotions and interests are prevailing. And that’s precisely how it may go. It escalates to the importance of a personal status but don't lead to help or cooperate.

 I hope the personal interest and the show see-me attitude will disappear. Don't start with blaming volunteers who try to help, but the real culprits: the people who abandon or torture animals and the authorities and politicians who fail in making effective and efficient measures for the animal cause.

ABOUT OUR WORK

Actually we let sterilize about 250 dogs and cats per year.

That will result, taking into account the average lifetime of dogs and cats, into the prevention of circa 375.000 births of puppies and kittens and the correspondent suffering when they would have been born. It would have also a positive effect on the community as a whole.

We help also individual people on the spot. For instance with better accomodations for the animals,  vaccinations, deworming etc

.

We go (on request) to communities such as of gypsies in Gião, Sanguedo, 4 neighborhoods in Gaia and some other places. They need not only sterilizations, but also good conditions (both for the dogs and the human beings).

QUESTION 6

Why don't you use political influence to help poor communities, having also children and animals and talk to them?

Isn’t it a social need, in your own words “É de facto necessário ir à raiz da questão e resolver um problema social……etc.”?

QUESTION 7

Why are you not going to the people to help them to give dogs in a chain the possibility to walk with them? For instance in consultation with the owners to ask neighbors, family or friends  or visitors of a café to walk with a dog which is chained many hours each day chain (always in a chain is forbidden by law).

Where are your actions to increase respect for a dog or cat and even empathy so that an animal for companion will be real for companion in a mutual way. And not be adopted to go from a jail in a shelter or canil to another jail or a chain outside a house?

QUESTION 8

Are you not afraid that, considering the actual situation of an increasing population of stray dogs and cats will lead to Portugal as the second Turkey to eliminate by a so called friendly way but practical going back to the killing stations.

APPEAL TO PPP

Be PPP as you were in the past, contact citizens on local scale.

Small is beautiful, create local groups to think about the community including the animals.

All over the world this creates more changes than large projects with a lot of politics.

You may read the book of Jane Goodall (The Book of Hope) which is also translated in Portuguese. Local teams under the name of Shoots and Roots gain remarkable results in helping suffering communities.

In Portugal you might think about local teams to consider the welfare of animals as part of the community and to reduce the suffering of the animals and at the same time the risks of diseases, accidents and nuisance for the humans and children.

<End of the letter>

Berta often walks with one or two, whose freedom is for some reason restricted, to walk along the river, and the pack - despite their life in freedom - follows them (see photo).

All free dogs have been first neutered by us. After that, they stay almost all of them near our place as we take care of them giving food and deworming.

Still they are one or more packs in Inha - controlled packs.

The largest problem is about ticks, flies and other parasites.

Years ago we had a tick plague in the shelter. With help of a lot of people we could combat it, among other things by hanging up bottles with a special liquid to keep mosquitos and flies on distance; but living this dogs in freedom in the wild, it is more difficult to do it in only one time.

Many times we asked for help for food and medicines against external parasites and only one clinic offered some pills; but you (PAN) and people who are now asking how we can justify that there are tics, you did only offer critics without any help.

nce for the humans and children.