2018 saw an average of four dog attacks on humans per day registered with the Portuguese authorities.
The 1359 attacks were 170 up on those registered in 2017 and are seen as one of the down-sides of the fact that municipal kennels these days no longer destroy animals in their charge.
Explain reports, kennels are now ‘full to bursting’ which leads to more stray animals on the streets.
The Association of Veterinarians – which has always opposed the ‘no kill’ policy, explaining that it will actually reduce the likelihood of stray animals finding new homes (click here) – blames owners of medium to large dogs for not properly understanding how to look after them.
Says Jornal de Notícas, the association goes as far as crticising adoption campaigns for the fact that too many animals with potential issues are entrusted to owners that have no knowledge or experience of how to deal with them.
Highlighting the situation, RTP news has said there is every indication that dog attacks will continue at the same rate this year.
Already the first three months of 2019 have seen 282 attacks registered, mostly in urban areas.
