It gets cold in the middle of the year if you’re Brazilian. Winter is in June for them, and most Brazilians have their coats and warmers ready by then.
Though despite being naturally furry, dogs and cats can’t quite tolerate the bitter cold as easily.
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Indoor pets can chill by the fire and heaters. Strays though, are a whole different story. The streets are cold and unforgiving enough for the rest of the year already.
The folks at Barreirinha bus terminal in Curitiba thought the same. So when 3 stray dogs came into their vicinity in the winter, it wasn’t much longer till they were sleeping in warm beds. Meet Zoinho, Pitoco and Max.
https://www.facebook.com/dogsinmylife/photos/a.967030153481174/1133482483502606/?type=3
Yes, their names were given to them by the people at the bus terminal!
Zoinho, Potico and Max were greeted with food and water upon first stepping foot in the bus terminal. The staff there was happy to accommodate the trio. When working at a busy terminal all day, some tail-wagging, furry company is greatly appreciated.
The beds are made from tires, with actual blankets over them. I bet they feel like fancy hotel beds to a stray dog.
And in the middle of winter, a warm blanket is a godsend. Their faces are ripe full of joy and content, and we’d have it no other way. Bless you, Barreirinha bus terminal.
All snuggled up in a nice, cozy blanket with two of your friends nearby sounds like my idea of unwinding.
A staggering number of dogs and cats roam the streets around the world. The sad reality being that many of them aren’t as lucky as these three. Not every stray is going to wander into a warm bed with food and water.
In the U.S alone, there are about 70 million stray animals roaming the streets. 70 million is a very big number, and it’s kind of impossible to get every single one into a shelter or home. As a matter of fact, less than 1/10th of them even do.
And I don’t think we can just throw more tires and blankets at them and call it a problem solved.
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The worst part of it all is that even if they do make it to shelters, they could still be euthanized if the shelter’s capacity is exceeded, if they find the animal to be suffering too much, or if a really long time passes and no one adopts them.
Millions and millions of animals in shelters are put down for that last reason. Ever wonder why you always hear people saying “Adopt, don’t shop”? That’s why.
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It’s indeed a very deeply rooted problem, and any solution we think of has to go as deep as those roots.
That said, Brazil’s animal rights laws have progressed a lot for the better. Though strays are still suffering the stray life, at least no extra danger is on their list of things to worry about. Abusing or causing any sort of intentional harm to an animal is going to land you in a lot of trouble.
Much like homeless people, homeless pets are a big issue that’s going to take some large-scale demand for change to fix.
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In the meantime, maybe don’t abandon your pets in the streets.
Sure, there’s no way that every single stray animal is a former pet. But those that are? They don’t need more company. There’s plenty already, and the idea is to get that number down.
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Adopt, don’t shop. Neuter your pets if you can, and don’t leave them outdoors unattended. Most importantly, don’t get a pet if you’re not absolutely, positively, definitely 100% sure you can give them lifelong care.
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