Recently I've been going around with a vet, who is also responsible for checking conditions of food storage etc in public areas around the island. This morning we went to a large supermarket to verify that the fish and meat is all kept correctly, and that the areas are cleaned up properly, and as we were driving home, we came across a large Alsatian lying in the middle of the road. He'd clearly been hit by a car going pretty quickly, and he couldn't move. We lifted the dog into the boot of the car, but Jose Antonio (the vet) said we'd have to drive him to a surgery and put him down, as there wasn't the money to operate to save him.
This is the 2nd time this problem has been mentioned to me- last week I went down to an abandoned dogs kennel to walk the animals there- and the vet there told me the same thing- that Terceira has a big problem with animals which are surplus to requirements, and despite being relatively healthy, they are put to sleep just because no-one has a use for them. Apparently, the situation nowadays is much better than it used to be- the Camara Municipal is taking steps to intervene and get animals fixed to prevent further cases happening in the future, but for now, there still seem to be many domestic animals who are abandoned- if they're lucky, these animals end up in the kennel, where they at least get food (although most are put down, rather than adopted), and the rest just wander the streets until it by a car. It was a great shame to see all these magnificent animals looking so miserable, and the sound of the slow raspy breathing of the dying animal by my side in the back of the car on the way back to Angra this morning served as a reminder that being a vet here is not all fun and games, taking dogs for a run or playing catch with them.
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