***THIS ALERT IS CLOSED***
ENGLISH TRANSLATION:
Gentlemen, Ladies,
I recently learned about the barbaric and violent treatment of the Galgos/Greyhounds
in Spain. I am horrified. I will not to travel to Spain or buy
Spanish products until Spain prosecutes people who torture and abuse dogs. What good
is having protection laws if they are not enforced? Civilized societies punish people
who abuse and torture animals.
Please do the right thing and ENFORCE the laws (article 337 of the federal Penal
code) that protect these docile, sensitive
creatures.
Sincerely,
Honorable Government Officials, Embassies, and Tourism Agencies of Spain:
With the conclusion of Spain's hunting season, the hanging of the
galgos/greyhounds begins. And once again the
world bears witness to dead dogs, dangling from wire nooses, inches above the ground.
Every year tens of thousands
of Spain's hunting and racing dogs meet a crude and senseless fate after brief lives
of loyal service.
The mutilation and slaughter of these dogs, most as young as two years of age, is
an affront to humanity. I
appeal to the Spanish government to outlaw the extermination of retired "working"
dogs and other abandoned companion
animals. All dogs and cats instinctively value life. Dogs hung from trees at the end
of hunting season suffer no
less because their purpose has expired. Animals hurled from bridges, tied to train
tracks, or asphyxiated in plastic
bags endure no less pain-simply because they are no longer needed.
I call upon officials to enforce article 337 of the federal Penal Code, along with
any other animal welfare laws,
that protect the galgos and companion animals of Spain. In addition, please ban all
hunting with greyhounds, like
the rest of the European Union.
Year after year the massacre continues, even as authorities claim it doesn't. I
respectfully demand action, not
lip service. Citizens of the world are appalled by reports and photos of dogs found
shot, strangled, mutilated, and
tossed into mass graves.
These are sentient, docile creatures. They are not trash. Law enforcers must
respond to incidents of animal
cruelty. Lawmakers must uphold laws to safeguard the galgos and other animals of
Spain. And the European Union must
intervene if Spain fails to meet even minimum standards of animal welfare.
Please inform me of any plans to raise the standard of animal protection in Spain.
Under present circumstances, I
cannot tour or otherwise support a country that sanctions the brutalization of
animals. I will advise family,
friends and colleagues to join me in a boycott of Spanish tourism and commerce until
animals are treated with
respect and compassion.
Sincerely,