Cross Breeds

Why do the Spanish appear to have a different view on keeping animals?

I have changed the title of this as I dont think some people liked it so here goes again... I was recently in spain for a few weeks and so got to notice alot just how badly the Spanish treated their dogs. There were so many homeless older dogs. We went to a shopping centre one day and saw a very thin, scared looking dog wandering around. The English lady next to me said that she had picked up 3 dogs which she kept as pets from that shopping centre and that when the dog gets older, maybe vet bills may be on the cards, they just drop them off at the shopping centre. We noticed that a vast majority of people had the tiny little cute dogs or puppies, they sell these in cages at supermarkets. It seems to me that once they are no longer cute little puppies they just throw them away. I also noticed this on my travels in Malta and Italy but neither place was as bad as Spain. We also visited a Donkey sanctuary several times and got to know the owners (who were english) they had rescued donkeys from the most terrible of situations, baby donkeys left to starve in ditches, worked far too hard carrying weights that they shouldn't be allowed to carry etc. I just wonder why the Spanish don't seem to care for animals? In the UK our dogs are a member of our family - and so would a donkey be if we kept one as a pet!, and we wouldnt dream of throwing them away or leaving them to die. I would love to do something about this and teach people over there how animals deserve to be treated but would I just be talking to people who just arent interested? Any feedback from Spanish people would be interesting on this one?

Public Comments

1. people in america abuse there ani8mals to. like my friend put her kitten in a microwave and killed it.
2. I have no idea but Im American and I love and care for my dog deeply. Probably theres more heartless people in Spain? Idk?
3. everywhere has animal cruelty. some people think its ok to eat animals we would have as pets. i don't judge them though its just what they do. but even here i live in scotland and i have a lot fo pets. 3 rescue horses one is a cob who is blind in one eye and is terrified of strangers from what his last owner did to him. 5 rescue dogs 2 rescue cats 8 rescue rabbits all of these my family adn i adopted because we see its the right thing. animal cruelty happens everywhere but it gives this owners willing a chance to bring that animal back to its self. it also means we can seperate human from animals themselves
4. Im latina, not from spain. but in my country and other latino countries its common to see animals abandoned in streets. This is because there are no sufficient funds or animal rights to take good care of animals. animals reproduce really fast and in the united states and as I can see in your country UK there is problably more animal rights and shelters available in every part of the city to take care of rescued animals. Other countries dont have a priority for these animals. I dont know about spain, but they should have enough funds to have shelters and take care of animals, now other poor third world countries cant afford it. I guess its just that spaniards dont see animals as a priority so there for animal rights and care is not as important in their lifestyle or culture. Im hispanic born in the USA and I love animals and it breaks my heart to see animal cruelty and abandonment.