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Ending animal homelessness is a mammoth task. One thing that always strikes a novice visitor to many European countries, such as the Greek Islands and Portugal, is the amount of stray cats and dogs there are. Some of the Islands I have visited have had fairly well fed village animals that do not actually have homes. Others, unfortunately, have had painfully thin creatures who obviously receive a hefty smack now and then. It can be heartbreaking and much as many tourists, myself included, feed these animals whilst holidaying one can only sadly guess what happens out of season. Much of the problem in these countries is that the locals love small attractive puppies and kittens and never have them spayed or castrated. This leads to many unwanted full grown animals being left to the streets and the elements. I also get the feeling that they somehow think it is kinder to let dogs and cats have freedom to roam about. However, as animals are now domesticated creatures this is hardly fair. Education in these countries and animal rescues has unfortunately much work to do.

In England where I live we flatter ourselves that we are a nation of animal lovers. However there has always been some cruelty and abandonment and unfortunately this has worsened as standards in general have fallen. In the past I have had a sweetheart of a dog from the RSPCA who came to us when he was about five years old as he was no longer wanted. His crime? The owners hoped for a large Alsatian dog but, as he was a cross breed, he never quite grew beyond looking like a smallish Alsatian. He gave Hubby and I seven years of pleasure but unfortunately did not make old bones due to the maltreatment he received in his puppy-hood.

We now have two rescue dogs from a local shelter. We never quite intended to have two dogs but that's another story. One of these came to us when she was nine months old having already suffered starvation, cigarette burns and other cruelty before being tied up and left in a garden, when the owners moved house. As you can see aiming to have animals living in homes where they are cared for has a long way to go.

Personally I feel that we should:
Give out more severe sentences for animal cruelty and abandonment.
Educate people from a young age about the implications of taking an animal into your home and help them understand the long term implications.
Be aware of possible problems affecting animals and keep our eyes and ears open.
Enforce micro-chipping and castration or spaying of dogs and cats.

It is easy to turn your back on a stray dog limping near your home. After all acknowledging it can mean a lot of hard work on your part. Surely however as educated, civilized human beings we should be helping such animals. People will have to become more involved if we are ever going to stop these problems. Having animals spayed or castrated is a must in helping to fight the battle against homelessness. Similarly having animals micro-chipped means that animals can be reunited with loving owners or help to identify those owners who discard animals as they would a piece of rubbish.

The most relevant piece of advice I can give is a bit of a cliche. Always remember that an animal is for life not just for Christmas, and such other occasions. Overall animals give 100 times more than they ever ask of their owners. Don't they deserve a fair deal and a safe place to live?.

Learn more about this author, Ethel Smith.
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