2024-08-22 15:00:00
oneManda Piirois, who is responsible for adoptions, and Kheit Larcher, spa director of Bordeaux and the South West, made an initial assessment of the situation over the summer.
What are your thoughts on the amount of abandonment this time of summer?
Summer isn’t over yet for us. From mid-June to the end of September there are many abandonments, especially of kittens and puppies…
oneManda Piirois, who is responsible for adoptions, and Kheit Larcher, spa director of Bordeaux and the South West, made an initial assessment of the situation over the summer.
What are your thoughts on the amount of abandonment at this time of summer?
Summer isn’t over yet for us. From mid-June to the end of September, there are many abandonments, especially of kittens and puppies. Adoptions are rare and many people go on vacation. And the climate conditions didn’t help with the heat wave, which wasn’t easy on the animals.
What has been the trend these past few years?
During the quarantine, fewer animals were abandoned. But since then we’ve had a backlash that’s been hell and it’s still going on. Animals that spend all day with their owners during the coronavirus pandemic cannot cope with being alone. We have had a number of large dogs, Malinois and Mastiffs abandoned for about a year and a half. This is very problematic because these are not the breeds most in demand by adopters. Part of the reason most people want a puppy is because of the size of their apartment. Additionally, large dogs are generally not suited to typical family life, which can be complicated if children under 10 are present. The little Malinois is cute, but he needs a lot of exercise. Owners quickly became overwhelmed. When you don’t know anything about it, you need to invest time and money.
How does this work in terms of space and placement in the box?
We tried to bring the two dogs together through boxing, but it wasn’t ideal for the dogs or the team. We are unable to process all waiver requests on a daily basis. There are approximately ten incidents of dog abandonment every day. This is much less common with cats, although we currently have a lot of mothers with their kittens. We cannot accommodate everyone. People are put on a waiting list and based on the characteristics of the animal, they are sent to other facilities.
We can accommodate up to 250 dogs and 100 cats, excluding kittens and puppies. Not all animals under six months of age count toward this ability. If we have space, we can exceed our quota. Currently, we have a total of 180 mixed cats and kittens. Foster homes help us collect kittens and puppies under eight weeks of age, as adoption is prohibited at this age. Last year, 216 animals were placed in foster homes. As of 2022, we are launching a Certificate of Commitment and Knowledge to remind you of your obligations to animals. The pre-adoption reflection period is 7 days.
Are donation drives effective?
Regarding financial donations, the situation is complicated, but the mobilization of equipment is going well, especially for food. The more animals there are, the greater the need for medical and wage reinforcements. We lack swimming pools for dogs, breast milk for kittens, and kibble or biscuits.
More information: www.spa33.fr361, avenue de l’Argonne, Mérignac
1724338937
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