Around 100,000 dogs and cats are abandoned each year in France, including 60,000 during the summer.
Yet people continue to encourage the birth of litters: animals continue to be born, without any control or regulation, adding to the animals that no one knows what to do with anymore, and animal protection associations are increasingly overwhelmed...
France holds the sad record for abandonment in Europe
In 2018, there were a third more abandonments, reaching around thirty per week. In three years, the number of abandonments has increased by 20% for cats and 6.5% for dogs.
This represents almost 12 animals abandoned every hour.
Overwhelmed by this sad reality, the founders of MIKIZI decided to donate 5% of its profits to associations dedicated to animal protection. For more information, see Our History page.
What are the causes of animal abandonment?
Daily care, veterinary treatment costs, space issues and organizing summer vacations are all problems that lead some owners to abandon their pets.
Financial problems, moving... Various life events lead to pet abandonment.
It is important for prospective owners to realize that acquiring a pet must be a thoughtful choice, as it represents a multi-year commitment. Such careful consideration in advance would help limit the number of annual abandonments.
How to fight against abandonment?
In France, abandoning a domestic animal is considered an act of cruelty punishable by two years' imprisonment and a fine of €30,000 (Article 521-1 of the Penal Code).
Abandonment is defined as leaving a pet without care, without the possibility of food or water.
One of the major problems arises when school holidays arrive, when some owners do not know how to look after their pets.
However, many solutions exist.
-
Boarding : This is the only type of care that is subject to control by the veterinary inspection services to which the activity must be declared, so pay attention to this point.
By boarding your pet, you can be sure that the person you are entrusting it to has the necessary qualifications to take care of it and that health regulations are in place within the establishment.
Please note: for the health of your pet and others, it is essential that their vaccinations are up to date.
-
However, boarding assumes that your animal tolerates contact with new animals.
-
Home care : This solution allows your pet to maintain its familiarity and surroundings. The pet sitter comes to your home and takes care of your dog or cat on a daily basis.
-
Visits : In case of short-term absence of the owners, the pet sitter comes to feed and walk the owner (for a dog) several times a day.
- Care at the keeper's home : This method is suitable for animals that are used to human presence and do not like being isolated.
-
Pet sitting : This is an exchange of good services between pet owners. The owners take turns going on vacation, allowing them to take turns caring for each other's cats and/or dogs for free.
It's possible to meet the foster family before entrusting your pet to their care. This will be an opportunity to discuss your dog or cat's habits, discover their future temporary residence, and check whether they're comfortable living with other animals.
Many abandonments also result from unwanted litters. Neutering your pet is very important because it helps prevent unwanted litters and thus helps limit the number of abandoned young dogs and cats, while also providing health benefits for the animal.
Many animals, too few homes...
Right now, in France, there are many stray dogs and cats. They are left to their own devices on the streets or in the countryside, where they suffer and often die after being hit by cars or attacked by other animals, victims of extreme temperatures, hunger, contagious diseases, or many other dangers.
Animals are often abandoned by the people they depend on and who are supposed to care for them. The news is full of such tragic stories.
Open shelters accept all animals in distress, care for them, and offer them safety, warmth, food, and attention.
But due to the large number of abandoned animals and the lack of homes willing to adopt them, shelters quickly become overwhelmed.
There is then no choice but to euthanize them, an act that is quick and painless for the animals, but always heartbreaking for the shelter employees or volunteers who must perform it.
Thousands of animal donations are also made each year, which goes some way to addressing the problem of rehoming animals, whose owners at least make the effort to give them away rather than abandon them.
On average, keeping a dog costs around 1500 euros per year, and a cat 800 euros.
If you are planning to get a new pet, encourage adoption from shelters and associations.
What you can do!
By spaying and neutering your pets and choosing to always adopt and never buy animals from pet stores or breeders, each of us can work toward a world where every animal has a loving and stable home.
Also, encourage everyone to do the same! Before adding a new member to your family, it's also important to make sure you're ready to take on the long-term commitment of caring for a pet.
Witness to abuse, what to do?
Beaten, abandoned, malnourished... Many of you wonder what steps to take when you witness animal abuse.
What to do? Who to contact? How to intervene without putting yourself in danger?
In the most serious situations, acts of cruelty, such as abandonment or deprivation of food, the first thing to do is to contact the authorities, as they alone are authorized to intervene.
It's also advisable to contact an animal protection association. Many have investigators who can conduct inquiries. They can take charge of the case and gather sufficient evidence to file a complaint.
Please note : these associations are not authorized to seize animals without being duly authorized by the authorities (gendarmerie, police, prefecture services, justice).
The main thing to do is to gather evidence of the situation, such as photos, videos, testimonies, etc. The more there are, the more likely the case will be brought to justice.
If you encounter resistance from the police or gendarmerie, you can write directly to the Public Prosecutor of the High Court in the territory where the facts were recorded, preferably by registered letter.
The intervention of an animal protection organization, through the constitution of a civil party, can help to give weight to the case.
The person suspected of mistreating their animal then faces a penalty that varies depending on the seriousness of the facts: a fine of 450 to 30,000 euros, including a temporary or permanent ban on keeping pets and a prison sentence of up to 2 years for acts of cruelty (article 521-1 of the Penal Code, editor's note).
Social media is now widely used to identify perpetrators of wrongdoing. The Ministry of the Interior has provided Internet users with a website dedicated to reporting "illegal content or behavior."
*Call 17 or 112
Please feel free to leave a comment below this article if you have any suggestions or questions. We would love to answer them and help you with your relationship with your pet.
