# Touchy situation



## Maggy Crawford (Sep 18, 2010)

I have a rather sensitive problem. The very elderly and sweet dog of one of our neighbours can no longer walk, his back legs have given way and he is in a very bad state. It makes us very sad to see him like this and if he were ours we would do the humane thing and have it put out of its misery. Unfortunately, the owner is a rather ignorant Portuguese and it is hopeless trying to talk to him. We would gladly pay the vet ourselves to have Rex put down but I have a feeling any conversation would not go well. Any ideas? Has anyone else had this problem?


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## thegypsyinme (Jan 17, 2014)

Sorry to hear about your neighbours dog Maggie,

We had an alsation many years ago and he was deteriorating over time - the vet said that as long as he could manage to get outside to do what he wanted to do then he would be fine. The day came when his back legs went completely, we did the humane thing and had the vet come to the house and give Kim an injection, heartbreaking but it would have been worse to watch him suffering. At the end of the day even animals should be treated with dignity. I hope you manage to knock some sense into your neighbour verbally!


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## Maggy Crawford (Sep 18, 2010)

I wish but chance would be a fine thing! He is a complete idiot.


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## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

Certainly a very touchy subject and you might have to hope that someone else has a word with him and tells him he's making a mistake keeping the poor thing alive in that condition.


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## wink (Aug 23, 2011)

If you are not bothered about being ostracised by the owner of the dog and all your other neighbours, report the dog's condition to the GNR. Sadly, the majority of Portuguese dog owners regard dogs no differently from an implement or a tool to be used as they see fit with no regard for the welfare of the animal. Frankly, if the owner is such an a***h**e, I personally would not be bothered about upsetting him.


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## Maggy Crawford (Sep 18, 2010)

Thank you for that. I agree with everything you say about the attitude here. We have, of course, considered this course of action but decided against it because 1) everyone here is related so the GNR could well be a relative or good friend of the neighbour 2) he lives very close to us and 3) we do not intend moving. So, maybe we can hope that someone else talks to him about it or the dog dies soon.


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## canoeman (Mar 3, 2011)

Would the President of your Junta help if aware?


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## Mattskii (Oct 28, 2009)

Is there an opportunity to do something yourself?

It seems the dog is very ill. It is reasonable to expect an old dog in such a condition to pass away at any time. Find a vet who will do a call out - even from a town up the road if you need to. Call him out when your neighbour is not at home. Have the dog put down. Neighbour comes home to a dead dog, and has no reason to question what happened. 

I know I am showing my Machiavellian side lol, but for the sake of the dog I would very much consider doing this if I thought I could get away with it. Pretend it is your dog when the vet arrives. Tie it up in your garden for an hour. Then move him back again after the vet has done his thing. 

I am not usually one for dishonest or subterfuge, but for the sake of the dog.......


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## canoeman (Mar 3, 2011)

Doesn't work like that in Portugal or UK, UK you'd have RSPCA.
Portugal for a start it would be illegal to enter another persons property and do that, as Maggy says it's a delicate situation and yes some Portuguese treat their animals badly but every Camara has a Vet that can be contacted in cases like this, it's the difficulty of dealing with owner


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## thegypsyinme (Jan 17, 2014)

*Touchy Situation*

Well Mattskii,

I have to give that idea "Thumbs Down." I wouldn't even like to think of the judicial implications such an action would evoke among villagers/townspeople, especially if you are a foreigner within their community. Sorreee.


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## Maggy Crawford (Sep 18, 2010)

Thanks to everyone the variety of solutions. Unforrunately, some of them we cannot take onboard. We live in a small village where everyone is related and we do not feel like confronting anybody. The only hope is that Rex dies shortly and painlessly but direct interference is not the way to go.


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## Mattskii (Oct 28, 2009)

Well, I might be a bit of a softy, and I might be my own worst enemy too! lol But I know what I would do. There is no way I could see an animal sufer like that day after day. I would talk to the owners. I would talk to anyone who would listen to me in the village. I would tell them to have the dog put down. I would call the camara and any other agency I could find. I would give the owner a headache about it day after day until something was done about it. Yes, I would have to still live there, and it might be uncomfortable for a while. But I would make it well known that i only want to help the dog. 

Jeez - I might even offer to BUY the dog of the dude so that I could take it to the vet and have it euthanased. I don't care if they understand me, I don't care if they think I am crazy. I would be as friendly as possible with everyone at all times, but I would make it clear that the situation is not acceptable. 

:fencing:


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## Mattskii (Oct 28, 2009)

Hindsight, Brillinat.

Buy the dog. 

We can have a wip round to pay for it on here. 

Seriously!


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## canoeman (Mar 3, 2011)

Very simplistic not that it's a bad idea just that don't think you have sufficient awareness of how things work here as Maggy points out she lives in a small community and this sort of approach could just make here staying there virtually impossible


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## windwalker (Dec 21, 2009)

Are you quite certain the dog is unhappy and not loved by the owner? I would sure hate it if a neighbor took it upon themselves to kill my dog. Personally, I do put my dogs to sleep when they are in bad shape and can't recover. But I know some people who keep them alive as long as possible because they love the dog.


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## Mattskii (Oct 28, 2009)

windwalker said:


> Are you quite certain the dog is unhappy and not loved by the owner? I would sure hate it if a neighbor took it upon themselves to kill my dog. Personally, I do put my dogs to sleep when they are in bad shape and can't recover. But I know some people who keep them alive as long as possible because they love the dog.


If they loved the dog they would have it put down. Keeping an animal alive when it is in pain and unhappy is not love.


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## siobhanwf (Mar 20, 2009)

Martini, things are not that simple here in Portugal. You might like to read this article in the Portuguese news. Abandoned animals double as associations show little confidence in new protection law - The Portugal News.


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