The main PPP breeds in Chapala are Pitbull, Rottweiler, Doberman and Bull Terrier.
Sofia Medeles (Ajijic, Jal.)– The Animal Protection Office of Chapala has launched a campaign to register dogs classified as PPP perros potencialmente peligrosos or potentially dangerous dogs – to encourage responsible ownership and have basic information to help in cases of any type of report related to these dogs.
The registry is called REPPOPEC -Siglas de Registro de Perros Potencialmente Peligrosos de Chapala-, which is free. Four breeds will be registered: Pitbull, Rottweiler, Doberman and Bull Terrier and mix breeds that inherit the dangerous characteristics of the PPP breed. The campaign will run from May 1st until May 28th at the Ecology Department on Niños Heroes street, next to the municipal police station.
The owners of the dogs registered during this period will be able to participate in a raffle carried out by the Ecology Department in partnership with the rescue organization in charge of the Chapala dog shelter. There will be 10 prizes, including sacks of kibble, collars and anti-parasite treatments. Registrations will continue after the raffle’s closing date but will not be entered for a prize. The results of this raffle will be announced on Friday, May 28, through a social media post at 11:00 a.m.
Dog owners must bring the dog’s vaccination record, a proof of address and some official identification. The dog will be checked for characteristics such as weight, eye and coat color, and stains. A unique identification code will be given to each dog, a photo will be taken and its paw prints will be printed on a record that will be filed in the Ecology Department.
The benefits for the registered dogs include a PAW MISSING alert that disseminates its image and characteristics, and help for medical treatment in case of accidents or terminal illnesses (restrictions apply).
Ana Luisa Maldonado, head of the Animal Protection Office of the Department of Ecology, is promoting the project and plans to raise awareness for responsible dog ownership and to end problems such as clandestine breeders and fights. She also wants to quickly identify PPP dogs brought to the Department’s shelter in poor condition. The registry will also aid in handling reports from veterinarians, and will provide a reviewable record to verify and register dogs involved in attacks.
«My priority for now are the PPPs, which for the most part are pit bulls in Chapala. So far, there are only 12 records, we want to keep reporting and if possible, we would like to have a census to know the true population of PPP», said Ana Luisa Maldanado.
Pitbull, Rottweiler, Dogo Argentino, Boxer, Bull Terrier, Doberman, among others, are classified as PPP.
Sofia Medeles (Ajijic Jal.)– In the last six months at least three cases have been reported of attacks on humans by the so-called PPP, (Perros Potencialmente Peligrosos), dog breeds. In response, Ana Luisa Maldonado, head of the Animal Protection Office of the municipality of Chapala has announced that her office will enforce the obligations of the owners of PPP dogs.
PPP (or PDD in English) is derived from the Spanish Royal Decree 287/2002 that has been used in several Latin American countries to designate breeds with characteristics that can represent a danger due to injury or even death to humans because of their strength, energy, and aggressive character. PPP breeds include Pitbull Terrier and all its variations, the Rottweiler, Doberman, Dogo Argentino, Boxer, Mastiffs, Dogue de Bordeaux, Akita Inu, Fila Brasileiro, Bull Terrier, and any other dog with the PPP characteristics.
The Director of Ecology, José Jaime Ibarra, and the head of the Animal Protection Office, Ana Luisa Maldonado, explained that the danger with this type of breeds comes mainly from the lack of training of the owners about their dogs, and by the owners of the dogs.
Three of the most serious incidents in the municipality have occurred with Pitbull dogs; in one incident, the Pitbull was mortally wounded by the owner of another dog that it allegedly assaulted; in the second incident an aggressive dog killed a puppy; and in the third, a dog brutally bit an elderly woman in San Antonio Tlayacapan.
The obligations for the owners of these dogs are three: to keep them muzzled while in public spaces, not to remove the leash at any time while walking with them, and finally to register this type of dog in the Ecology Department so it can better monitor the population and behavior of each one.
Ana Luisa Maldonado said that in the coming months, PPP dogs that do not comply with the established rules will be cited and the municipal police will be able to remove them from their owners.
The trials of the owners of the dogs involved in three incidents have been moving slowly, according to Maldonado, because of witnesses, victims and owners who do «not want to get in trouble» so they distort their testimony. The judge involved, Judge Guillermo Hernandez, has been accused of errors and omissions in the case of the puppy named Alexa, and Ecology Director Jose Jaime said that the judge was sanctioned with a suspension of activities without pay.
Meanwhile, in the Department’s dog shelter there are 8 pit bulls in rehabilitation after they were assaulted and are not considered dangerous. However, because the shelter is staffed by older adults, the dogs represent a problem when dealing with them due to their size and strength, so Ana Luisa Maldonado wants to set up an exclusive space for PPP dogs where they can coexist and interact properly.
Both José Jaime Ibarra, and Anna Luisa Maldonado stress that it is urgent to de-stigmatize these breeds and educate the population regarding dogs in general, because problems with dogs always come from the lack of respect for pets. «A dog is a reflection of the owners and the situation of their home, we must start with education to eradicate any kind of problem,» they said. Translated by Patrick O’Heffernan
Cortesía.
Miguel Cerna: Anonymous signs have been posted in the streets of Jocotepec offering newborn puppies for sale, an action prohibited by the Regulations for the Well-being and Dignified Treatment of Animals in Jocotepec.
The director of Ecology, Diego Palmeros Suárez, attributed the purchase and sale of dogs to the Christmas season, a time of year when many families give them away as pets; although he did not rule out the possibility of also using them for training fighting dogs.
Palmeros Suarez warned those involved that these actions are prohibited in the municipal regulations and that the sale of animals on the street was also illegal.
«The regulations do not allow you to do that (buying and selling. You need to be registered, in case of a kennel, you have to hand in all the papers, a veterinarian who is aware of them, etc.; besides explaining what they are going to be used for,» he said in an interview.
In addition, the Animal Welfare and Treatment Regulations of the Municipality of Jocotepec do not allow sales on streets, highways or any other location that does not have the corresponding permits.
Animal protection activists like non-Mexican association «Tails of Mexico» and Rescate Canino Jocotepec, asked people to remove the signs to stop the mistreatment and suffering of the puppies.
Another problem in the Christmas season is increase in the number of stray animals abandoned by their families so they can replace them replace them with puppies”, explained Diego Palmeros.
«The problem has grown a little lately, because of the season, people who want to remove an older dog so they pretend they lost it or that it ran away; the child becomes sad and the parents buy another one», he explained.
Added to the inhuman conditions in which the dogs are found in the streets, dog poisoning is another problem people need to be aware of due to the frequency with which it happens. The last dog poisoning was registered last December 7th in the center of the town, which, after hours of agony from the poison, the poisoned dog was put to sleep.
Diego Palmeros said that the poisoning of dogs is the result of a vicious circle that starts with a lack of education for the care of animals, so he invited the population to adopt to prevent the problem of street fauna from getting worse.
» It’s like a chain: I abandon a dog, it is wandering the streets, it acts according to its instincts to look for food; it makes garbage, people get angry, kick them and even poison them,» he said.
Translated by patrick o’heffernan
Un ejemplar de talla grande murió el pasado sábado 24 de octubre.
Miguel Cerna.- Al menos 14 mascotas han sido envenenadas en lo que va del año en el fraccionamiento Puerta del Lago, ubicado en la agencia municipal de Nextipac.
Con el mismo método y seleccionando a sus víctimas, una persona ha matado en tres tandas a 14 perros de hogar, es decir, no callejeros, denunció la protectora de animales y vecina de la zona, María Aparicio Cid.
Los últimos dos casos ocurrieron el 24 y 25 de octubre, el sábado se envenenó a un perro de la calle Patos y el domingo a otro de la Flamingos, ambos se encontraban dentro de sus casas cuando ingirieron el veneno y pese a que recibieron atención médica, el par murió.
“Se tomaron la molestia de subir al segundo piso y ponerle veneno al plato, de tal manera que ella (la dueña) no se fijó y cuando le pone las croquetas empieza el perro a convulsionar”, explicó Aparicio Cid sobre el caso del domingo.
Los envenenamientos iniciaron en marzo en la calle Garzas, cuando seis perros murieron tras ingerir salchichas que contenían una sustancia tóxica: cinco de ellos le pertenecían a una misma persona, mientras que el otro se trataba de una perrita comunitaria, es decir, cuidada por los vecinos.
La segunda tanda de mascotas que perdieron la vida de la misma forma, también ocurrió en la calle Patos, afectando a otra media docena. Con estos últimos casos, según los registros de la activista, el número llegó a 14 en lo que va del año.
De acuerdo a lo que los mismos vecinos afectados han podido averiguar, se trata de una misma persona que ha dado muerte a los canes, ya que algunos de ellos recibieron amenazas previas de la perpetuación del crimen.
“Estamos hablando de un psicópata, es la misma forma de operación, nada más que mata a determinados perros, no los ha matado a todos, porque hay otros que llevan tiempo afuera y no les pasa nada; sí es una persona enferma”, concluyó María Aparicio.
Además de dar parte a las autoridades municipales, los afectados buscarán llevar el caso a la Fiscalía del Estado de Jalisco para dar con el responsable de los envenenamientos y así parar los atentados contra sus mascotas.
De acuerdo con el Reglamento de Bienestar y trato Digno para los Animales en el Municipio de Jocotepec, quien resulte responsable de dar muerte de manera dolosa a un animal recibirá como castigo una multa de 8 mil a 15 mil pesos más arresto.
En cuanto a este caso, el Director de Ecología, Diego Palmeros Suárez, informó que una vez que se dé con el responsable, será el área jurídica del Ayuntamiento quien se encargue de determinar si los actos criminales son acumulables.
Dogs in shelter.
Patrick O’Heffernan and Domingo Flores, Ajijic. After interviews with representatives of homeowners impacted by the government animal shelter established in west Ajijic and the Director of Ecology, José Jaime Ibáñez, Laguna has learned that possible alternative sites have been located, a financial agreement has been floated, and the parties are working together – although in fits and starts – to move the shelter and create a new one that better accommodates stray dogs.
The shelter was established on land donated to the municipalidad sometime ago for a cemetery, but was not usable for that purpose so it remained on the books until the Department of Ecology, which supervises animal protection and control, decided to use it for a shelter for stray dogs and other animals in the area. However, the 24-hour a day barking of the sheltered dogs has upset the residents of nearby developments of Puerta Arroyo, Sierra Viva, Los Abinos, Villas Colorado, and Los Alebrijes and La Canacinta.
The residents of those developments – about 200 households, half of which are estimated to be Mexican by the HOA officers, submitted a petition to 7 government agencies to solve the noise problem and met with Jaime on July 28 to find solutions.
Since that meeting, the frustrated HOAs have filed a complaint with the Human Rights Commission and scheduled a meeting with Mayor Moisés Anaya (which was canceled at the last minute), and met twice with Director Ibáñez. They have also located 4 possible sites for a relocated shelter, two off the Libramento, one near Santa Cruz la Soledad and one near the international university. One of the sites is quite large, has access to water and can be rented for 5 – 10 years, a cost which might be shared between the government and the residents.
The existing shelter is currently managed by Ana Luisa Maldonado, an advocate for animals and a staff member of the Department of Ecology. While her salary is paid by the Department and she has been given wide authority to manage the shelter, she has the responsibility of raising the $75,000mx a month needed to operate the shelter. To do this, she has recruited local volunteers for staffing, and for funds has turned to local donors and to the Meximutt Project, a 13-year-old Oregon-based organization that transports dogs from Jalisco to the US for adoption. The organization, which also partners with Lakeside’s The Ranch dog shelter, provides about $150 per dog plus other costs, according to its website…
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