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Anastasia Balezdrova

They say that the man who does not love animals does not love people either. If the maxim is correct, this means that many people do not like anyone since many stray dogs and cats with chains or ribbons around their necks, which lack only the name tag of the animal and the phone number of its owner, are roaming the streets. Today is World Animal Day and because people do not understand what it is, we decided to talk to 32-year-old Mariana, while she was walking her dog in the park.

How many animals do you have?

I have two cats and two dogs. I do not remember a time in my life without an animal around. One of my dogs is one year old and the other is eight. The cats are 6 months and 6 years old.

Is it hard to take care of animals?

Yes, it is like having children. I could even say that it is more difficult because children begin to talk after a certain age and you know if something hurts them or if they are hungry, etc., while this is not the case with animals.

What daily care do animals require?

In the morning, you walk the dogs, give them food and water. You do the same in the evening, play with them. You take them to the vet and the groomer depending on the breed; bathe them more often in summer.

What do the animals give to us?

They make people show their best feelings. You go home and see a smiling muzzle, wagging tail, hear joyful barking. This is something that even a loving family could miss in an evening depending on developments. It is not the same with an animal. It cannot love you less, or get angry.

In addition to the animals I take care of at home, I feed 4-5 cats from my neighbourhood. I leave food and water out for them in one particular place. Fortunately, most residents of our neighbourhood love animals and take the cats to the vet to sterilize them, so as to prevent them from giving birth every six months, and they take care of them too.

What do you think of people who abandon their former pets in the street?

It is difficult to give a definition for people who take home a small kitten or puppy in summer or around a holiday like Christmas or Easter and then abandon it a few months later because it grows and they do not like it any longer.

They usually abandon them in places where they know animal-lovers live. I think these people become attached to them in a way, but do not want to change their way of life and take extra care. We often find abandoned animals in our neighbourhood. Obviously, the people know that someone here will take care of them. Others are abandoned in inaccessible places in nature where they are not able to find food. I think these people should be punished severely; there should be penalties for them so that they do not get away with just a fine because in practice they are taking a life.

Many advocates of animal rights argue that animals sold in pet shops have been harassed. How did you get your dogs?

I too am against shops selling pets. Their owners are people who earn a lot while harassing the animals. In most cases, they keep them locked up for the sole purpose of multiplying, so that they can obtain "goods."  

Similarly, they get animals from abroad too. They take off with a container from Greece and go to illegal kennels in neighbouring countries to take dogs. This trip can last 1-2 months during which about 50-60 puppies are clustered together in an iron container, often without food and water. They get sick, but their disease does not always appear immediately. 5-year-old dogs become ill with cancer or other diseases due to the harsh conditions during the first two months of their lives in many cases.

So, I'm totally against buying animals from such shops. It is quite different if someone wants to buy from the breeder. Then, the interested party pays all transport costs, the dog arrives here in the normal way and everything is all right. Personally, I would first examine sites advertising people who are offering animals. In my opinion, the breed of the pet is not important. I do not think about it as an accessory. One of my dogs is the keeper of our home and so I wanted a big dog. I got it from a woman who kept it in her flat and allowed it to walk only on a piece of carpet, and it is a German Shepherd dog. I think I saved it, because ultimately such a life is not suitable for that breed. The smaller dog ​​was a gift from a friendly family who has a Beagle couple. They had seven puppies and gave me one of them.

Since world days usually give reasons for assessment, the Greek Association for Animal Welfare submitted a report which is actually a blow below the belt for humanity. Millions of animals are killed worldwide, used for experiments and harassed each year. In her report entitled "Now, let's celebrate the World Animal Day," the chairwoman of the association Liana Alexandria wrote that 1,680 animals are killed every minute around the world for human consumption. "Most of them are killed while still very young and the chickens in poultry farms are killed before becoming 6-7 weeks old. Companies involved in egg sales in the USA kill 250 million cocks, because they do not lay and are therefore unnecessary."

The situation with animals used for experiments in various industries is similar. It is believed that these involve over 25 million vertebrate animals, including monkeys, chimpanzees, dogs, cats, rabbits, mice, birds and others. If we add the invertebrates, their number reaches 100 million.