Starting Position

One has to assume that every year, in Puglia only, at least 40 million euro’s flow into the pockets of a number of profiteers under the headline ‘emergenza randagismo’ – stray emergency. There are exceptions to it but a wide, organized and fraudulent structure definitely exists where owners of privately run dog-shelters, government appointed veterinarians and mayors work to enrich each other. Under the pretext of ‘emergenza randagismo’ millions find their way into private pockets. At the cost of thousands of innocent animals being tormented the problem of strays gets artificially boosted and widely exaggerated because this corrupt business must go on.

That means: Nobody in the business is really interested in solving the ‘problem’.

To the contrary: Strays must be visible at all times, in order to keep the money flowing they are deliberately being bred and put out into the streets. The following measures would endanger the profits and are therefore antagonized by profiteering individuals:

Puglian animal lovers have been fighting these realities in vain for many years because there is very little interest in ending the suffering of these poor creatures.

The Italian newspaper Mezzogiorno has published an article on October 6, 2008 proving the effects of the organized torture of animals. The article states that 150’000 strays are roaming Puglia – a massive exaggeration. It is also a lie that 35 million euro’s are being spent every year for the ‘nourishment’ of dogs in shelters. Really, a very small portion of the money is spent on food.

In overcrowded animal-prisons we beg for permission to release fatally ill animals from their suffering; dogs that even lack the strength to get up any more. But the chief administrator doesn’t allow it, because the dog brings in money as long as it breathes.

A Swiss woman wants to adopt a bitch and her six puppies. It’s not possible without opposition. Every adoption is a battle. These shelters do not have an exit.

In the dog hell of Puglia, cruelty is routine. In Noah (Lecce) the owner of a canile, helped by government appointed vets, had the vocal cords of 200 dogs cut because residents had complained about their barking.

On the other hand, our work shows some results. In the dog shelter of Alessano, where we castrated and treated nearly 300 dogs in 2007, almost 50 boxes are empty today. That has not happened in 10 years. A dozen dogs have been released by the mayor of the village. Because they are castrated, they are now allowed to live in freedom as ‘village dogs’.