AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums The Cayes Ambergris Caye San Pedro Belize Dog Eradication Controversy

I'm just curious, what is the adoption process like at SAGA? Puppies cannot be spayed/neutered until sexually mature; do you follow-up with the new owner to make sure they are eventually altered? Are records kept as to owners and animals and if any of the animals previously adopted are a part of the problem?

Dog lady, we adopted our puppy at around 6 weeks from Saga and they spayed her before we took her back to the States. I was shocked! I was to understand that's their policy. Knowing nothing about vet medicine I can only assume that wouldn't be as easy for males? Not sure. In any case our vet stateside was surprised too. She did just fine in her surgery despite being a tiny little 5 pound pup.

Spay/neutering can be done as early as 6-8 weeks so long as you can dose the anesthesia correctly and know what to look for when digging around inside the belly. Interestingly there seems to be no true consensus on when it's best to do it.

I don't think any of the controversy over timing should be a consideration when dealing with potlickers and the need for population control.

But it is a consideration if animals are allowed to leave shelters without spaying or neutering. It is also a consideration (but less likely) if the animal dies on the table due to complications due to age. Or worse, survive with ongoing health complications. Animals leaving the shelter with a voucher or a promise to spay/neutered often do not return and that should be a huge consideration. One female can produce over 2000 puppies in her lifetime. That multiplies out to around 40,000 dogs in 5 years or so.

Also, animals that are not old enough to be neutered, and some vets really push the age; have health complications and/or death which waste vital resources and money. Animals that have health issues are more likely to be returned to shelters or put out on the streets.

In a town where overpopulation and money are the biggest concerns for animal control, both are important to consider in an overall program. It shouldn't be controversial, it should just be of the consideration when implementing a program.

The Reef TV "Morning Show" with Mayor Danny went well this morning....he is very clear that he is depending upon SAGA to handle the humane eradication of the island dogs in an efficient and timely manner.....or the town council will authorize the poisoning by strychnine again. The first week of August is when we are planning to begin the roundups.....please....if you possibly can contribute any amount....it will be earmarked for humane eradication rather than a slow death by poisoning. Also....please stress to your friends and neighbors that they need to make preparations to have their companion animals contained within their yards. And not just temporarily....on a continuing basis. Any dog or cat captured during these roundups will be held 3 days and if not claimed by the owner....a decision will be made as to the adoptability of the animals and they will either be humanely euthanized or kept a short while longer in hopes of finding a good home for them. Animals that are claimed by owners will be altered....either spayed or neutered....and vaccinated if they have not already been... before being returned to the owner....at the owners expense. The town council and Mayor Danny are serious about controlling the animal population and this is the way its going to be. You can contribute by going by SAGA or through our website www.sagahumanesociety.org We are a 501c charity through the United States which makes us 100% tax deductible for Americans.

A round of applause for Mayor Danny and for all of the volunteers that are going to make this happen......good plan...now to execute it.

Work Starts on Humanely Eradicating Stray Dogs in San Pedro

Earlier this month the eradication of stray dogs via strychnine poisoning, conducted by the San Pedro Town Council, caused an uproar as some residents did not agree with the inhumane process of controlling the dog population in the country. While some residents support the idea and had been asking for the eradicating problematic stray dogs, the humane society and dog lovers adamantly objected to the method used by the SPTC.

Mayor Daniel Guerrero had stated the main reason for his decision to carry out the eradication was because of the complaints by tourists and island residents and the increasing health issues which were brought to his attention by local doctors. It wasn't something he wanted to do but had to do it for the best of the community. He also mentioned that the council would continue eradications to lower the population of problematic dogs.

Both the SAGA Humane Society and the San Pedro Animal Hospital (SPAH) met with the San Pedro Town Council to address the current situation and discuss the best possible and humane way to deal with stray dogs. It was established that the eradications will be conducted by SAGA and SPAH personnel, who will go out, identify areas where problematic dogs are, round them up and hold them up for three days for pet owners to claim.

Click here to read the rest of the article and see more photos in the Ambergris Today

SPTC, SAGA and SPAH to work together to humanely euthanize dogs

The San Pedro Town Council (SPTC), SAGA Humane Society and the San Pedro Animal Hospital (SPAH) have decided to work together in humanely euthanizing stray dogs on the island. The decision to work together was made during a meeting by the two organizations with Mayor of San Pedro Town Daniel Guerrero and his councilors. The meeting was as a direct result of a decision made by the council last week where 31 stray dogs were eradicated using strychnine.

Mayor Guerrero defended his position by saying that the decision taken by the council was because there was a number of issues arising from stray dogs in the community. The issues ranged from serious health concerns expressed by medical practitioners on the island as well as complains from both locals and tourist about dog feces found all over the island and the garbage scattered by these dogs. But even with the serious concerns being highlighted, the humane society adamantly objected to the method used by the SPTC. The SPTC used strychnine capsules, placed within pieces of meat, to introduce poison into the body of the stray dogs causing a slow and painful death. Both SAGA and SPAH took their plights to the SPTC proposing a more humane way of conducting the eradication.

Considering that the council had expressed that they would continue with the eradication of stray dogs, all three interested parties met on Monday July 16th to discuss the best possible and humane way forward to deal with the situation. Speaking to The San Pedro Sun, Mayor Guerrero expressed that better heads prevailed and a more humane way will be used to reach the same goal of eradicating stray dogs off the streets of Ambergris Caye. "We have decided to work together and we have set out a plan of action how we intend to eradicate stray animals in San Pedro. It will be done by SAGA and the San Pedro Animal Hospital with support from the council. We have given them some tasks to do. First they will go out and identify problematic areas and find out the amount of dogs that are problematic. Our goal is for us to eradicate 20 dogs per week until we can bring the number of stray dogs completely under control," said Guerrero.

Click here to read the rest of the article and see more photos in the San Pedro Sun

To the Honorable Danny Guerrero and esteemed members of the San Pedro Town Board:

I am writing to you as a visitor to your wonderful island, a friend to many of your constituents, and also as a dog owner. I do not expect to receive a response to my email but I would like to express my dear hopes that you reexamine the current process of eradication of stray dogs and animals on the island. Reading via the online news publications, social media and emails of the late night unannounced poisoning of stray animals sickens me and begs the question is there not a better and more humane way?

I live in a large metropolitan city that also has its fair share of stray and dangerous animals and would please hope that you please explore how other towns and cities handle this problem before using a barbaric and inhumane method of eradication. I acknowledge that this problem is from pet owners that do not either spay/neuter their pets or abandon them but yet there are those who do follow the rules that are now living in fear. My friends on the island, who also treat their pets like family members, are now in fear of letting their pets go outside as they are afraid if anything was thrown into their yard in the middle of the night with no warning and this is not right.

As a gringo who is sitting in the states right now, I don't have a dog in this fight but as a pet owner I humbly ask that you please consider the outcry of my friends and extended family that do live in your town and look at other options.

Sincerely yours and a friend to the island,

John S Robilio
Memphis Tennessee
[email protected]

Good letter...such a diplomat you are!