SOME PEOPLE ARE waiting too late to get veterinary treatment for their dogs and then turning them over to be put down.
Others are giving them home-made remedies like bush tea.
This has been revealed by new Animal Control Officer Peter Belgrave who said, however, that most were cases of neglect rather than deliberate mistreatment.
He was speaking as the centre celebrated its National Animal Week with the theme, Celebrating Our Canine Companions – The Role They Play In Our Development.
“It is neglect,” he said. “What we are finding is not that it is outward mistreatment. It’s that a person’s dog is deteriorating and they are trying all kind of remedies. Only [last week] a person told me they were giving a dog bush tea for a remedy. But that was an older person and sometimes what happens is they wait until the dog gets to a deplorable state and then things do happen,” he explained.
However, Belgrave stressed he would never say there was no mistreatment of dogs in Barbados because there still were acts highlighted on social media and in the newspapers.
“But what we are finding is there are pockets of people who are waiting too late to seek a medical intervention,” he noted.
Belgrave said the centre had noticed a recent upsurge in the stray dog population, but admitted it might have had something to do with the passage of Tropical Storm Matthew.
Usually the stray dog population fluctuated, he explained.
“But generally speaking, we have not had much of a major, major problem with stray dogs. Our problem is most of the dogs that come to the Animal Control Centre is as a result of people surrendering dogs more so than strays.”
Belgrave also revealed the Animal Control Centre tried its best to rehome the majority of the dogs that came to its Lazaretto facility.
“We do a lot of rehoming and we tell individuals point-blank – and I am not going to hide it or sugarcoat it – dogs come to the Animal Control Centre for two reasons: either to be put to sleep or to be rehomed.”
Belgrave said officers used their powers of persuasion to encourage those whose dogs fit into neither category to reconsider.
“And we encourage persons if you have a dog that is not fitting within those two categories – maybe all it wants is worming – speak to the RSPCA, talk to the ARK, ask the HOPE, instead of it being a first resort bringing it to the Animal Control Centre.
“And we have had a lot of success. After talking and engaging with people, we find that many persons decide that ‘I will hold onto the dog a little bit longer’, ‘yes, I will take it to the vet’.”
Belgrave urged dog owners to ask their vet a question.
“It doesn’t mean that you have to have the money get a medical exam. See what the issue is and some of the vets do work out payment plans.”
The week of activities concludes on Sunday with a licensing and education outreach at the Barbados Kennel Club dog show at Waterford Plantation.
LEFT: Dog lovers have assisted in taking the pit bulls to the vet. At right, one of the dogs. (GP)
Pit bulls in better condition
THEY ARE DOING WELL.
This was the assurance of new Animal Control Officer at the Animal Control Centre, Peter Belgrave, to concerns raised by dog lovers about the state of a number of pit bulls.
The condition of the dogs was highlighted on social media, with some people expressing outrage about their condition and calling for them to be removed. Others pledged support and food.
Belgrave told Heather-Lynn’s Habitat that the case was not as it seemed.
“We did the investigation. We investigated it and what happened was the guy is a dog lover and saw the dogs in that condition. He was trying to get the dogs to a better state health-wise.
“And because of the outreach on Facebook, some people who were financially able to take the dogs to the vet [did so] . . . and now the dogs are, to the best of my knowledge, in a better state,” he explained.
