SUNDAY MAIL / CYPRUS MAIL
Record numbers of dogs abandoned
"By Nathan Morley"
Britons packing up are not only kissing goodbye to their life in the sun, but their pets as well
Despite UK's reputation of being a nation of animal lovers, British expats are rapidly becoming the main culprits behind the growing scourge of pet dumping in Cyprus.
A bleak picture has recently emerged, with Animal charities and shelters being forced to deal with the heartbreaking situation of caring for once loved pets that have been tossed aside.
Dazed and confused, many family pets have been discarded because owners face financial problems or are returning home and refuse to relocate their pets, an endeavour which some claim is too expensive.
Weve heard all about the Cypriots and their treatment of animals, now its time for some home truths, this is simply not a question of money, its about morality one animal activist told the Sunday Mail.
The British are quickly getting a reputation, for some, once their lifestyle changes; the dog is their last worry. They are more concerned in making sure the flat screen TV is shipped back.
Shockingly, there is also a growing trend of people leaving their pets at dog hotels and private kennels for short breaks, never to return, leaving unpaid debts, fake phone numbers and of course their dogs and cats.
We get many instances where private boarding kennels call us to take animals after families have dumped their own pets, on the pretence that they will come back for them, this is the picture across Cyprus, says Stella Stylianou the President of the Argos charity.
Owners would rather dump their pets at a kennel than on the street, because they know it will be taken care of.
Celia Shayler, the co-ordinator for animal support group Helping Hands, says she also has first had experience of the worrying new trend.
The worst cases are when people come into our shop and say, for example, on a Wednesday that they are leaving on Saturday, and then they ask, what can I do about my dog? Its terribly upsetting; some people have had their dogs for as long as 8-years how can they suddenly do this?
Shayler also believes that there are many people who have been forced to return home that do everything possible to re-home their pets.
Some people do find homes for their pets, Im not saying everyone dumps them, but if their flight is coming up and they have to go, they go. Its because these things are left to the last minute.
Stylianou partly blames the bureaucracy surrounding exporting animals from Cyprus, and says she can sometimes comprehend the motives for leaving animals behind.
Shipping a dog to the UK can take up to eight months, with a pet passport required, a series of blood tests and course of injections and then finally the actual transportation.
A recent case in Paphos left animal rescuers close to tears when they were tipped off by an anonymous caller that a dog had been left alone in an apartment.
Rescuers were forced to break down the door, only to discover the family had packed up and fled to England, leaving the dog locked indoors and left to starve.
And only last week a family had abandoned their pet dog and cats in their garden and left for the UK, a concerned neighbour told the Sunday Mail, they were such lovely people, I cannot understand it.
Ex-serviceman Gerry Farrally has been tending stray cats in the Protaras area for the past five years, but in recently he has been receiving a different type of cat dumped at his door.
Tame pets, loving cats just left here in boxes, because they know I will not let them starve, its bloody disgraceful, he said.
It is shocking, said Stylianou, especially when we know the British as a nation of Animal lovers, I simply believe this is down to the costs of getting their pets back home.
A similar picture is emerging elsewhere, with the number of unwanted pets abandoned by expats and left to starve has lately soared in Spain, Dubai and Bahrain.
http://www.cyprus-mail.com/news/
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dog shelter in Cyprusby animalscyprus1,622 views
Dog's are abandoned on a daily basis in Cyprus, and it is from all nationalities, not just pointing out a particular race. It has got to a very bad state where abuse is also on a daily basis. The problems are that tourists come and see for themselves the amount of uncared for animals, in hotel areas,rentals,villages etc. If this was dealt with in a professional manner, then this little Island could be great..and yes..the Babes on the beach.. they are fed up with the Animal abuse here too!!
abarlow532 1 year ago
that last dog was lookin dirty!
informasean 2 years ago