Tragedy of Cats Killed by Out-of-Control Dogs
The Lagos Ferry Cats are a group of volunteers who feed stray cats at and around the marina, with food paid for by Nandi. The Nandi charity was established in 1996 and has two popular second-hand shops in Lagos: a furniture shop and a clothing shop. The charity looks after around 500 cats in the western Algarve, which includes covering food and medical expenses. The LFC group consists of seven volunteers covering a day each and a couple more who are active in the background. We would appreciate hearing from potential volunteers, as it is difficult to cover shifts during holidays or sickness.
The Lagos Ferry Cat colony is just off the beach in a large gravel area that is popular with people walking their dogs. This is a cause of regular conflicts when dogs running loose chase, attack and sometimes kill the cats. Two cats have been killed in the last six months; the latest death was on 20 December, when a beautiful ginger cat, Valentina, was killed by two dogs in the area outside Linda’s Beach Bar. She was beloved by the staff and customers of Linda’s where she was affectionately known as Linda!
However, the number of cat fatalities may be higher, as cats sometimes disappear without a trace. Although the police are aware of the problem, there is not much they can do without evidence. Around five years ago, a video of a cat being killed led to the destruction of the two dogs involved. That happened after a period where a large number of cats had disappeared.
Laws on dog control
In Portugal, the behaviour of dog owners and animals in public areas is covered by Article 7 of Decree-Law 314/2003 (artigo 7.º do Decreto-Lei n.º 314/2003). The article states:
that dogs are prohibited in public areas unaccompanied by their owner and without a functional muzzle, unless on a leash
in the case of dangerous or potentially dangerous dogs, in addition to the muzzle, animals must be moved with restraints.
A dangerous animal is any animal that, because of its species, characteristics, aggressive behaviour, size or jaw strength, has the potential to cause injury or death to people or other animals, specifically dogs of the following breeds: Brazilian Dane, Argentine Dane, Pit Bull Terrier, Rottweiler, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Tosa Inu. Animals that have already injured humans or other animals also automatically fall into this category.
What can be done?
It would be a great help to the volunteers if there were signs in the area indicating that dogs must be leashed. It would provide the necessary authority behind a polite request to put a dog on a leash. As it is, requests are mostly met with verbal abuse. Fortunately, there are many kind people who do the right thing and control their dogs, not to mention those who leave food donations at the green cat house.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/lagosferrycats
FB post from Linda the Beach Bar
This morning our beautiful, friendly house cat was unfortunately killed by two brute dogs, with no leash to control the dogs and no owners in sight. One large German Shepherd with a brown collar and the other unknown, usually in the Lagos Marina area. Please, if anyone knows the owner or where the dog is, this can be a child next time!
Sweet Dreams Linda ♥
