Feral dogs in third world countries

“Travels with a Biro”

There has been quite a lot of talk in Belize recently about destroying feral dogs. Some people throw up their hands in horror – it’s cruel ! But it is not.

These feral dogs wander around in packs in most third-world countries, and even countries like Belize which is just dragging itself up out of the third world, accept these bands of dogs. There are many places in the world where it is dangerous to walk, especially at night, because the dogs are so vicious, and they will actually eat small children, cats and – in some cases – other small dogs. They will certainly attack and kill other dogs. They not only carry but spread disease. Their shit is extremely infested and can cause blindness in very young children, along with a whole range of other nasties.

Now, listen, I like dogs. We had a dog of our own till recently. When I lived in Spain I rescued and kept five dogs. But destroying the feral ones is the only way to solve a huge problem. The rest need to be neutered.

When I lived in the south of Spain in the 1970s dogs were a big problem. Exactly as it was in Hopkins (Belize) till fairly recently, bands of dogs would roam the area, barking on and off all night, defecating left right and centre, attracting flies and creating a disgusting smell. It put off tourists, tourists were needed, and the situation came to a head when an old boy in a nearby farm got bitten by a rabid dog and died a horrible death.

The Spanish police swung in to action and shot all stray dogs. People who owned dogs were warned to keep them at home (which they should do anyway). In a matter of weeks the problem was solved. Now, in the south of Spain, people own or do not own dogs in a normal, responsible manner, as they do in any industrialized country (RSPCA matters notwithstanding).

If you ever visited Istanbul in the 80s or 90s, you will recall a similar problem with cats – cats everywhere. I also remember cats all over the Colosseum in Rome. It was horrible. And these creatures themselves are miserable – starving to death, thick with lice and fleas, wounds and sores left unattended, and producing litter after litter, year after year. The only sensible thing to do is to destroy them as quickly as possible and allow nature to create a normal balance in the feline and canine world, with responsible owners who are educated enough to at least keep their dogs at home.

Click here for my blog and sketch(es) on Belize

Catherine Broughton is a novelist, a poet and an artist.  She is widely travelled and writes regularly for magazines and blog sites.  Her sketches are on her web site http://turquoisemoon.co.uk .  Her books are available from Amazon and on Kindle, or can be ordered from several leading book stores.

 

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Catherine Broughton is a novelist, a poet and an artist.  Her books are available as e-books on this site:-

https://payhip.com/b/tEva            “A Call from France”

https://payhip.com/b/OTiQ          “French Sand”

https://payhip.com/b/BLkF         ”The Man with Green Fingers”

https://payhip.com/b/1Ghq        “Saying Nothing”

They are also available on Amazon & Kindle, or can be ordered as paperbacks from most leading book stores and libraries.