Bringing strays from Sri Lanka to the UK

[Sergeant Pluck]

Is this really a sensible thing to do?

While I am sure a small number of animals are helped by doing this, surely there are better ways to improve welfare without transporting the poor dogs here to spend months in quarantine? The infection risks are presumably contained by the quarantine process but there must be a residual risk. There has to be a better way to make use of charitable funds by setting up services in Sri Lanka itself.

[andygates]

It doesn't sound like the most acutely realised use of funds, does it?  But volunteers are funny things, and animal charities are funny things too.  And they were brought into quarantine.  So let 'em.

[clifftaylor]

I can think of an almost infinite number of things that need doing more than flying homeless dogs halfway round the fucking world.
 

[border-rider]

I agree, but I can also think of an almost infinite number of things that need doing more than watching 22 men kick a ball about on TV, but people seem happy to pay for that stuff too.

It's not my money so as Andy said, let them if they want to.

[clifftaylor]

There's a joke in there to do with Wayne Rooney and rabies, but I can't quite get hold of it .....

[Martin]

don't we have enough (non-working) dogs in the UK * without bringing more in? whatever as long as it's not my money

* 0 is enough IMPO

[Adrian]

don't we have enough dogs in the UK * without bringing more in? whatever as long as it's not my money

* 0 is enough IMPO

As a general rule, there are more than enough cats*, dogs, and humans in the world and redistributing them is fairly pointless



*of the small domestic variety

[geraldc]

Well the money's not wasted, as it creates jobs (the charity itself, quarantine kennels), encourages neglected areas of the economy (the market for for rabies shots etc) and the people who give their money, have done so willingly.

It did make me think what was the carbon of a pet. These pets have flown halfway cross the world...

[clifftaylor]

It did make me think what was the carbon of a pet. These pets have flown halfway cross the world...

Indeedy - nice cold nose, nice warm planet!!

[andygates]

It was a cute puppeh though.

Apart from the foam.

And the snarling.

And the being dead.

[Martin]

don't we have enough dogs in the UK * without bringing more in? whatever as long as it's not my money

* 0 is enough IMPO

As a general rule, there are more than enough cats*, dogs, and humans in the world and redistributing them is fairly pointless

I suppose if we didn't have dog food in the UK we'd have to eat eyebrows lips and testicles from carcasses ourselves

err hang on....

[andygates]

Or the dogs themselves.  Puppy biryani, anyone?

[Sergeant Pluck]

I don't begrudge people doing what they like with their charitable contributions, of course. I just think that in this case a lot more canine suffering might be alleviated by setting up low-cost local veterinary / welfare services, including sterilisation.

These particular dogs appear to have been flown over when already ill. The humane thing would have been to identify their illness locally and put them to sleep.

In any case, I wonder how the dogs fare in their new UK homes. They have been picked up from the streets, have never been socialised and may be essentially feral. I doubt if they can be anything other than highly stressed and difficult to manage.

Bunch of nutters.