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GosSOS stated: “We believe that the sale and purchase of pets should be banned in Andorra”. The kennel management unit pointed out that the number of abandoned dogs between June last year and the same month of this year was 92, while the number of animals adopted in the same period was 90. If we compare this data with the period from 2022 to 2023, we will see that the entries have decreased by about 10%, while the adoption rate has remained. According to the management of GosSOS in Andorra, the data shows that people prefer to adopt younger dogs.
There are several reasons why dog owners decide to bring them to the kennel. The first one that GosSOS highlights is the allocation by owners. Some people or families surrender their dogs because they can no longer take care of their own dogs for health reasons or because of a change of residence. They admit to us that this is a very painful process for both the animal and the family. The number of cases was particularly high in 2023. On the other hand, there are also entries of stray dogs, that is, those that the various circulation services of the public or flags have found in the street or on the hill, that have no identifiers, no microchip and, therefore, the owners who contacted them. Finally, less often, dogs are detained by people in judicial proceedings or who suffer from some disability that makes them unable to take care of the animal.
In order to maintain and have a functional entity, GosSOS has several types of volunteers. There are about fifteen people who help once or several times a week, or even every day. In addition, hundreds of people come every year to help in a more sporadic way, many of whom are young people. The work of all of them is very important, since they collaborate in walking the dogs, letting them play, improving their mood and even helping to promote their socialization. GosSOS points out that in this sense, it should be remembered that the more they come into contact with different people, the easier it is for them to be adopted.
Summer’s Abandonment
One of the most common reasons for abandonment comes with the arrival of the summer holidays, with some people thinking that since it is vacation and there is no one to leave the dog, it is easiest to just abandon it. In fact, the organization claims that they have observed that people who do this often do so because they are not aware of services that can take care of dogs while the family is away. This is a resource that temporarily takes care of the dog, and everyone has to pay for it, which can be inconvenient. Again, kennels also offer this service as long as there is space.
Adjusting the family’s profile to accommodate the adopted dog
The association guarantees a very low and on-time return rate after adoption, as they carry out a very strict adoption procedure that does not allow a large margin of error when assigning a home to an agency. They try to adapt the possibilities and lifestyle of the adopter to the needs of the adopted dog. For example, a dog that needs a lot of exercise should live with a family with an active lifestyle. Before the adoption, there is a trial period called pre-adoption, which includes a few days to evaluate the coexistence between the dog and the adopter. If everything is correct, the adoption is official.
Keeping a pet costs money, but transfers are not usually made for economic reasons. When the costs are very high, for veterinary treatment caused by a certain pathology, some people contact the association for help. Therefore, GosSOS offers two lines of help in this area: the Food Bank and the Veterinary Assistance Program. They try to respond to the requests they receive, but they are not always successful, since the resources they mobilize are first allocated to the needs of the kennels. To increase the amount of resources they receive, remember that citizens have the opportunity to establish contact with GosSOS by becoming volunteers, providing financial help through the purchase of the organization’s goods and donations. Therefore, they maintain close cooperation with the government, municipalities and other animal organizations to promote responsible ownership and animal welfare.
Andorra has had an animal protection law in force since 2016. Animal rights organizations guarantee that the law will definitely be updated and they are optimistic that they will be able to contribute their vision and opinions. Likewise, the organization’s main priorities for the next year in terms of improving animal welfare are also based on the reality of the country’s animal husbandry issues.
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