(PAN: Pessoas–Animais–Natureza, a political party)
.....and a complaint to all who don’t know (or don´t want to know) the real situation, but instead having a deformed image of truth and justice.
...but also many thanks to people who were able to look at the reality based on their own observations and a free mind, either giving us strength or giving critical comments, however with good intentions followed many times by offering help, real help.
15 August 2024.
Another day of attacking dogs to get them out of their living circumstances.
This time organized by Ribalta Gatificante (ComRaça).
However not only with the presence of some of the followers of Ana Pinto da Costa, but surprisingly a political party, PAN, was represented.
This became clear one day later when publications had been put on Facebook.
On appropriate places questions are directed to PAN and also some to all.
QUESTION 1 TO PAN
Why didn’t you contact us first before committing yourself to Ribalta Gratificante (ComRaça)?
PAN had not only committed themselves to Ribalta Gratificante (ComRaça), but was also directly involved in the action.
As far as I can remember PAN told me 6 years ago that they are a political party and so no activists.
After my presentation in June 2018 for the Assembleia of Santa Maria da Feira, you came to me and offered help in my effort to get a license for the shelter. As a matter of fact we had a good chance to get it, based on the meeting we had with CCDR-N (a regional governmental institution for nature and environment) where we were told that article 25 of the REN, which mentions services to the community, could be applied. As we sterilized at that time on the average 550 dogs and cats per year we could be considered as giving such a service.
Your reason to be together with Ribalta Gratificante (ComRaça) in Inha, as you described on your facebook publication: shows another PAN:
“É de facto necessário ir à raiz da questão e resolver um problema social……etc.”
By this, PAN has put themselves above the authorities, who are responsible within the framework of a democracy.
PAN is acting in the same way as for instance a popular court is doing (about 7 years ago a woman in Inha lifted her arm up, clenched fist, while shouting “Power to the people!”) and concerning the authorities you may think about a kind of coup.
It’s clear that photos have been published with the heading PAN Porto.
It's suspicious that just the dogs along the street which can be seen on the photos of PAN Porto have disappeared after the action.
That's to say the participants (also PAN was there) took them away.
It wouldn't be the first time that dogs have been taken away. Ribalta Gratificante (ComRaça) had been an obvious suspect when, for example, babies disappeared together with a big pan to cook food for the dogs and other tools from the then shelter.
QUESTION 2 TO PAN
By the way do you know that the shelter, after the demolishment on the 3.rd of May 2022, has not been replaced?
There are only two private jails within the area of our home and Berta is using them to keep pitbull-like dogs safe, two dogs who nobody else wanted to take care of and who could be too dangerous for other animals if they would stay free.
And the present dogs have all been registered under private names - there are no dogs under the name of ARC Canedo.
PAN has anyhow committed themselves to a controversial association, which has been quite a number of years illegal with also a doubtful financial management (invoices made in word shown as proof of payment in facebook, for example).
Ribalta Gratificante (ComRaça) with friends still accuses us that we are mafia, together with other associations and organizations, from which dogs will be send to the Netherlands or other countries.
The way they say it, tends to wrongly conclude that the associations in question should earn a lot of money from adoption (it was even called «selling») of stray dogs to other countries and therefore they should buy food instead of getting food for free from the BSA (Banco Solidário Animais) actions to collect food in supermarkets..
In the broadcast of TVI Ana Pinto da Costa firmly condemned the associations in question.
TVI is facing a criminal process by the court for their false and misleading broadcast.
Recently Ribalta Gratificante (ComRaça) mentioned in “País ao Minuto” again that there is a mafia around the animal cause with dubious and confidential intentions.
Ana Pinto da Costa has accused my counterpart in the Netherlands to sell animals from Portugal for the sex industry instead of getting families to adopt.
Last year they attacked for the second time (together with Carla Amaral) the IRA (Intervenção e Resgatez) Animal by accusing them to have myopia, as they had declared that the visit to the shelter in July 2020 had given no reason to take dogs away, although the shelter was not perfect.
Immediately after the demolishment of the shelter, Ribalta Gratificante (ComRaça) put a copy of a publication of Carla Amaral on their own Facebook – so, they know very well that the shelter no longer exists but still they want people to be misled.
In that publication it was mentioned that there would have now become an end of killing dogs, which would have been ´centenas´ in the foregoing years.
After 4 days ComRaça changed the publication, by mentioning ´dezenas´ of dogs.
Carla Amaral changed it more than one year later.
The action of PAN together with Ribalta Gratificante (ComRaça) has similarities with the action on the 25.th of January 2020 where the association Condeixa Patudos (backed by Carla Amaral) wanted to free 20 dogs from the then shelter.
The same tactics has been used.
Such as inciting people to rescue hungry and thirsty dogs and, when they failed, the group went under false pretenses ("that they will come back after lunch") to a house in Louredo where 3 robbers, with help of Carla Amaral and other accomplices, robbed my personal dog, 2 other dogs and 6 cats.
I’m still trying to find them and I got some information which became visible out of the hands of Carla Amaral.
It has leaded many years later to a bizarre reaction of ComRaça about a crash in August 2023.
Here is what happened.
As I said, I kept trying to find them among other things by many sit actions on public places among others on the public roads near the houses of the three robbers, while having a large photo of my dog Mike to track attention from people who were passing.
In August last year, twice, a car was trying to eliminate me.
The first time by intimidation, but the second time the same car crashed me, by which I had fallen on the road. The driver drove immediately away.
A publication on Facebook about the crash gave a lot of reactions, of which some from ComRaça.
On almost every comment showing support, ComRaça put a smile emoji as answer even saying that they agree with crushing people who treat animals bad.
After the demolishment of the shelter most of the dogs are living in freedom and are under care of Berta Brazão.
Anyhow concerning food, water, going to the vet in case of weak or wounded dogs or cats found in the street, also by people (who even are advised to go to Inha because they know we do always our best to help stray dogs and cats immediately),
If necessary by driving many miles to pick them up out of danger or to go for sterilization. There are no weekends, no holidays, no difference between day or night.
This leads to the dogs of Inha. Because, since the shelter is closed, our main activity is sterilization of dogs and cats, not only of less financially strong families, but also of stray dogs.
The free dogs are living mainly on the area of the former shelter, but also some of them are staying in the forest and the river banks. They organize themselves in groups (packs) and have different territories.
When the demolishment of the shelter took place, also the entrance gate has been removed, by which most of the dogs can easily walk out or lay down at the entrance near the road. Of course, when people come, they gather around.
Destroying the paved steep road up to the shelter has given inhuman personal implications and also took away the possibility for the dogs to lay down on it.
Berta often walks with one or two, whose freedom is for some reason restricted, to walk along the river, and the pack - despite their life in freedom - follows them (see photo).
All free dogs have been first neutered by us. After that, they stay almost all of them near our place as we take care of them giving food and deworming.
Still they are one or more packs in Inha - controlled packs.
The largest problem is about ticks, flies and other parasites.
Years ago we had a tick plague in the shelter. With help of a lot of people we could combat it, among other things by hanging up bottles with a special liquid to keep mosquitos and flies on distance; but living this dogs in freedom in the wild, it is more difficult to do it in only one time.
Many times we asked for help for food and medicines against external parasites and only one clinic offered some pills; but you (PAN) and people who are now asking how we can justify that there are tics, you did only offer critics without any help.
QUESTION 3 TO PAN
Were you aware of the following?
The disgusting role of some neighbors, who with Carla Amaral on the background were already against the shelter eight years ago, to provoke the dogs with sticks and throw stones to them.
They take food away which Berta puts every day in the forest. Some neighbors give the robbed food to their own dogs, others throw it in the river. Realistic neighbors (some of them who have even adopted some of our dogs) have witnessed it.
One of the bad neighbors even came to us to give a shoot with a shotgun.
In April last year I had a meeting with one of the city counselors and asked for a place to take care of dogs and cats just before sterilization until a short time after they had been sterilized. I also asked to get the private doghouses back also to put some elsewhere on places with stray dogs without houses..
We never got such a place although there are old school buildings deteriorating without any use being attributed to them.
PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS
On the 15th from midday until it became dark I was watching what happened with the dogs.
I saw that just as the action in January 2020 people came (with good intentions) with food and water, because they had got the message that the dogs would get not enough food and water.
However the dogs didn't immediately drink also not after several efforts of people to push them to do it. Food was also not very attractive, although it was delicious quality food. I saw that just late in the afternoon one of the larger white dogs was eating some dry food which had been put on a plate.
Some people put bowls with water on the middle of the road, while cars were passing nearby.
It was obvious that many people showed much pity to the dogs. I have no doubt that the people who were there would love dogs, but the dogs enjoyed their freedom, while getting enough water, food and attention, such as they were coming to the people.
A black dog got cold water over his back. I tried to warn the woman who did it, that if an animal is too hot, you might use instead a wet but not too cold towel and not dropping water over him because it can be dangerous.
Anyhow, even if the dog walked all the street up under the sun, it is difficult that she could get a heat stroke because they have the river a few meters down the grove and also at our house and even in the slope; and shadows, in the middle of the forest, is of course what you have more around here.
I think the woman did not understand English.
QUESTION 4 TO PAN
Am I right that you are accomplices in the actions of Ribalta Gratificante (ComRaça) and infected by the urge to make propaganda, also because you have not contacted us in advance?
Knowing that taking chipped and registered dogs away is an illegal action, before it might happen that the chips will be taken out by any corrupt veterinarian, will you give us back the robbed dogs?
I really hope that CED (Capturar-Esterilizar-Devolver ) will be formally allowed by law for all stray dogs and cats and not only for cats living in colonies. (We do even more than CED as we make an effort to take care of the neutered stray animals)
How might the still increasing overpopulation ever be reduced )without CED?
I am seriously afraid that Portugal will become the next Turkey.
QUESTION 5 TO PAN
Where is your strong effort to create awareness at the people about the absolute need of sterilization?
I know that in the Netherlands it came above in the sixties, together with birth control of humans.
In Portugal, 60 years later, other ways might be found.
Countrywide an obligation to sterilize should be established, at least for a substantial number of years.
If this would be considered by you a step too far, small steps might be help such as to oblige sterilization for each dog or cat who had escaped from a family, before giving them back.
Making CED legally possible would be another successful step.
Awareness of the importance of sterilization is part of the awareness about the value of a dog or cat as a mutual companion in life requiring respect and minimal empathy, which will have a positive effect on the need of sterilization.
QUESTION TO ALL
Do you realize what would have happened if we wouldn't have
sterilized stray dogs collected by ourselves or on request of other people?
Well, there would not be dogs along the Rio Inha.
And the whole circus on the 15th would not have taken place.
But sure the same dogs would be elsewhere in the country reproducing themselves, making the problem bigger.
How about the neighbors there, in those places? With growing packs of dogs causing damage, killing farm animals, and so on…
In the meantime, when they would not been picked up, more puppies had already been born (in the wild).
Thus more street dogs in the future and puppies who had suffered maybe until death.
By the way it should have cost a large amount of money considering all the GNR (the National Police) officials who had to go to Inha to be paid by the community.
I have read all the comments and reactions.
In one of them a woman put a photo of one of the dogs in Inha insinuating that we would be guilty if that dog would die.
Immediately the following question came up.
- WHY ARE THERE SO MANY STRAY DOGS AND CATS IN PORTUGAL?
That is for me the basic question to start.
The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany etc. have not brought them!
That means: from each citizen to the president of Portugal they all are accomplices.
So also the woman who put the comment.
Already as far as I know since 2018, as mentioned in one of the comments conflicts and even personal wars were going on. Even violent actions.
In 2018 a woman got a conflict with Berta Brazão who accused her not to offer help to another shelter.
The facebook conversation ended when the woman wrote: do you want war? I will win the war!
At that moment personal emotions and interests will prevail.
And that’s precisely how it may go. It escalates to the importance of a personal status. Ana Pinto da Costa always cries victory when dogs, who are in her mind badly treated, give her the opportunity to show up, but she shows not any willing to cooperate.
I hope the personal interest and the show see-me attitude will disappear.
Except personal wars and personal conflicts, people don’t stop with insults such as malafide dog traders, monsters, psychopaths, murderers, assassins, etc. Also in the last publications of 15 August.
When one would publish a video of a dying puppy, you may receive a tsunami of critics: you will be a monster, while the video had the intention to make people aware of what can happen when a puppy will be abandoned, dumped wherever.
Also here a question for all:
WOULD YOU CALL PEOPLE MONSTERS WHEN THEY ABANDON PUPPIES OR KITTENS WITHOUT ASKING FOR HELP?
The last question has an essential addition. Namely WITHOUT ASKING FOR HELP.
Every association or individual who wants to help dogs or cats needs also help.
So also we.
We for sure have realize the problems of the parasites, as I wrote before.
But when people stuck in prejudices and unnamed critics and offer no single help which has been asked on Facebook so many times… and then come teasing and demanding results…
About the adoption of the dogs, I am not satisfied that they just have transferred, despite I am sure they have a good place in the approved legal shelter in Aanifeira, because they were intended to be adopted in the Netherlands or Belgium where they are very good treated.
But again it’s an example of only listening to a complaint, but not to hear the other side of the story or situation.
There was even not the veterinary of the municipal canil who is required to look at the conditions of the dogs before they go to another place.
But that was the less damaging solution for them according the scenario that day.
ABOUT OUR WORK
Actually we let sterilize about 250 dogs and cats per year.
That will result, taking into account the average lifetime of dogs and cats, into the prevention of circa 375.000 births of puppies and kittens and the correspondent suffering, with also a positive effect to the community.
We help also individual people at the spot.
Also many communities of the gypsies such as in Gião, Sanguedo, 4 neighborhoods in Gaia and some other places because the message runs from one to another community.
They need not only sterilizations, but also good conditions (both the dogs and the human beings).
QUESTION 6 TO PAN
Why don't you use political influence to help the gypsy communities, having also children and animals and talk to them?
Don't have all Portuguese people the same rights?
Isn’t it a social need, in your own words “É de facto necessário ir à raiz da questão e resolver um problema social……etc.”
We have all the female dogs sterilized in 5 places. And now, in other communities to end. And we take their animals to the vet, and we give them deworm pills and work to give better conditions to their dogs.
What does PAN Feira and PAN Gaia do to help these animals? And the people (also children)?
You have never visited the gypsies neighborhoods.
QUESTION 7 TO PAN
Why are you not going to the people to help them to give dogs in a chain also the possibility to walk with them? For instance in consultation with the owners to ask neighbors or visitors of a café to walk with a dog on a chain (as obliged by law).
Where are your actions to increase respect for a dog or cat and even empathy so that an animal for companion will be real for companion in a mutual way. And not be adopted to go from a jail in a shelter or canil to another jail or a chain outside a house?
QUESTION 8 TO PAN
Are you not afraid that, considering the actual situation of an increasing population of stray dogs and cats will lead to Portugal as the second Turkey to eliminate by a so called friendly way but practical going back to the killing stations?
APPEAL TO PAN:
Be PAN as you were in the past, contact citizens on local scale.
Small is beautiful, create local groups to think about the community including the animals.
All over the world this creates more changes than large projects with a lot of politics.
You may read the book of Jane Goodall (The Book of Hope) which is also translated in Portuguese.
Local teams under the name of Shoots and Roots gain remarkable results in helping their suffering communities.
In Portugal you might think about local teams to consider the welfare of animals as part of the community and to reduce the suffering of the animals and at the same time reduce risks of diseases, accidents and nuisance for the humans and children.
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