Humane Society polls residents on dogs

If you are among those unlucky Belize City residents forced to deal with stray dogs on a daily basis, you will be interested to know that steps are being taken to get the animals off the streets and into a shelter. The members of the Belize Humane Society, junior chapter, hit the streets of the northside of the city to conduct a “doggie” survey. The findings of the survey will be published in a report and handed over to the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.

Interviewer

“Is the dog leased or tied?”

Interviewee

“No, just loose.”

Interviewer

“What kind of shelter does it have? Kennel? Pen?”

Interviewee

“It just has a little dog house.”

Interviewer

“How do you exercise your dog?”

Interviewee

“We don’t, personally at this stage.”

Maria Villanueva, President, Belize Humane Society

“Since we want to build a shelter, they would like to put it in record of the populations that are around streets, how many people have yards enclosed that they keep the dogs; how many have dogs tied, so that we could know the problems with the strays, rabies. How many bites in the last year that was reported and just generally the dog population so that they would have an idea, so that government could see exactly how this shelter is really needed.”

Villanueva says response to the survey has been positive since residents seem eager to have the stray animals removed. She says the dogs not only pose a health risk by carrying diseases but also destroy personal property and delight in spilling bagged garbage onto the street. In an attempt to provide immediate relief, the center is holding a fundraiser at the Angelus Press parking lot on North Front Street on August 28th. While your vehicle is being washed, your dog gets a bath from veterinarian Michael DeSheild. The money raised will be put towards a temporary facility.