Dog abandonment and neglect on the rise in Cyprus

Dog abandonment and neglect in Cyprus are getting worse, with shelters struggling to keep up. Volunteers at local shelters say they are seeing more and more dogs being abandoned, not just in the summer, but all year round.

Monica Mitsidou, who volunteers at D.O.G Rescue Cyprus, says that the problem is getting worse every year. More stray dogs are turning up at shelters, and fewer people are adopting them. Many of the abandoned dogs don’t have microchips, so it’s hard to find their owners. A big part of the problem is that many dog owners refuse to neuter their pets, leading to more puppies and even more stray dogs.

The shelters are running out of money because it costs a lot to care for these neglected animals. Volunteers are working around the clock and are completely worn out. “It’s a tragic situation,” says Mitsidou. Shelters are filling up, and there just aren’t enough people adopting dogs anymore.

The government hasn’t done much to help. Even though there have been talks about fining dog owners who don’t take care of their pets, nothing has really changed. This leaves shelters to deal with the problem on their own, with very little help.

Constantina Constantinou from Saving Pound Dogs Cyprus (SPDC) agrees that the situation is bad and getting worse. She says that dogs are abandoned not just in summer, but also after holidays, hunting season, and long weekends. She believes that more people need to step up and help when they see an abandoned or mistreated dog, instead of waiting for volunteers to do it all.

Both Mitsidou and Constantinou say that things need to change. They believe that everyone, not just volunteers, needs to take responsibility for these animals. They’re asking the public to help out, support local shelters, and make sure that their own pets are well taken care of. If people don’t start taking this seriously, the problem is only going to get worse.

Source: CNA