Complaint letter against the dog kennels in Chilean desert Caldera

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PLEASE SEND THIS LETTER OR YOUR OWN OPINION TO: alcaldia@caldera.cl

Ms. Brunilda Gonzalez Anjel, Mayoress, Caldera Town Hall - Chile

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In our consideration:

It is with much regret that we have received numerous reports from various regions of the country, both from persons and animal protection organizations and media, about what happens in their neighbourhood and has to do with your local animals kept in a sector the town of Caldera, apparently a kennel shelter for stray animals.

Video about dying dogs in Chilean desert Caldera: http://www.meganoticias.cl/2010/visualizador_nacional.php?x=307&y=241&idvideo=25059

This is confirmed by observing the images on the news of Megavision, broadcast throughout Chile on 21th of February, 2011, shocking images of dying, sick dogs, destitute of shade, exposed without compassion or any protection to  the intense cold of the night and the extrem heat at day in the desert.

WE REPUDIATE what your municipality is carrying out with the animals in their municipality. We do not support or undertake in any way for abuse policy, installed officially in those cages without a regular medical supervision. Ms. Brunilda Gonzalez, our opinion is not capricious, but is supported and ratified by the images displayed on television, as observed by people in our organization who have visited his kennels and by the repudiation of their own taxpayers who fill our pages with complaints.

Hereby we announce that animal abuse is a punishable crime by the Chilean Penal Code, which states that sanction the abuse or cruelty to animals, Article 291 * bis, which was incorporated by Law No. 18,859  at 29th of November, 1989 and came to repeal the provision in Article 496 number 35* of the same Code, which set the penalty for excessive abuse to animals only as a infraction. That article sanctions the abuse or cruelty to animals as a misdemeanor, setting the penalty of imprisonment from 61 to 540 days and a fine of 1 to 10 minimum monthly income, or just fine. The Article 291 bis of the Chilean Penal Code states literally: "He who commits acts of abuse or cruelty to animals is punishable by imprisonment in its minimum degree and a money fine of ten monthly minimum monthly income or just the latter."

Therefore we ask you urgently to address this issue, improve the conditions of those kennels and install a plan of responsible pet ownership in their neighbourhood.

We are witness that the problem of stray dogs is not solved in this way, isolating them in the desert without due sustenance and appropriate care, but though a set of measures that are based on two essential basis: THE EDUCATION OF THE COMMUNITY AND THE STERILIZATION OF ANIMALS.

We want also to express our complete willingness to cooperate and advise you as required, particularly for improving these kennels, listed in the received complaints as a true "animal concentration camps."

Ms. Mayoress Brunilda Gonzalez, our only intention and goal of this first official letter to you is to prevent more deaths of helpless animals due to misguided policies about the possession and protection of animals, emanating from their municipality.

Finally, we inform you that in conjunction with international organizations we continue to keep a strict watch this situation. Thus we respectfully suggest that you meet us at the earliest for an urgent discussion on this topic that is in sight of national and international public opinion.

As of now, we thank you for the kind reception of our letter and we welcome your commitment to the animals in your municipality.

Yours faithfully,