Today, is a day that Chico and I will remember for the rest of our lives, he is having the snip, as the Spanish say he is being “castrada”, (it does not need translating). It does sound painful, even though the vet assures me, (whilst she takes my 170 euros), that it is not. She would like the Spanish people to follow my example and have their dogs “castrada”. This would help reduce the number of stray dogs and cats, although to be fair, the situation has improved considerably since we first came here.

We sit in the reception area, smiling and nodding at the other dog owners, however, both of us are shaking involuntarily. Dogs seem to know that a trip to the vet is not going to be a pleasant experience. Our names are called and I take him into the surgery. I have a terrible feeling of betrayal, I say goodbye to Chico promising that I will return and then I make a dash for the nearest bar, a quick brandy should do the trick, and suddenly I remember I have given up the drink for Lent.

The waiter smiles - Buenas dias
I reply “Coffee con leche, por favor”

I thought I would write this article on the subject that is without doubt closest to a mans heart. No, it is not his wallet, although that is very close, it is his dog. Now the Spanish have a somewhat tarnished reputation when it comes to caring about animals. In the past, they have inflicted cruelty to animals that we British just cannot accept.

I still think bullfighting is horrific, if you get the chance to go, and then do not, you have been warned. Irrespective of what people say about tradition and art, bullfighting is gory, but it is big business, there is a lot of money involved, some of it even coming from the EU in the form of subsidies. Surprisingly, the majority of Spaniards are actually against or indifferent to bullfighting and the disgraceful behaviour of so-called “hunters” appalls them. Following the bombings Madrid, there has been a change of government and now the ruling PSOE is considering introducing the much-needed national animal protection legislation; we will have to wait and see how.

However, the good news is, it is getting better, helped of course by the Brits, who open charity shops, rescue centres, and do a truly wonderful job. Here in the southeast corner of Spain, in the little coastal town of Mojacar, there is a charity rescue organisation called PWAS (Peoples Animal Welfare Society), who since 1990 have done outstanding work, rescuing and caring for abandoned animals. Their work was recognised in 2000 when they were awarded a prestigious Certificate of Association by the R.S.P.C.A.

When we first came to Spain, we brought our two dogs with us, both Yorkshire terriers, brother and sister. In a moment of madness my wife christened them Cagney (apparently after James Cagney, because the dog looked like a little toughie, bless him)

bio = Tony Roberts has lived in Spain since 2001. He is now an established estate agent in south east Spain and has written a free e-book Buying a Property in Spain, to receive your copy contact Tony at http://www.pocomed.com

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This entry was posted on Friday, December 29th, 2006 at 5:33 pm and is filed under Pets. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.