Or to put it another way ……. one pet every three minutes, according to animal rights group Observatorio de la Fundacion Affinity, which makes Spain (no surprise here) the worst country in the EU for abandoned pets.
The worst thing? 20% could so easily be prevented by a sterlisation programme as unexpected litters are the largest contributor, followed by financial hardship (15%).
Prudent selection in the first place would help with 10% of abandonments due to a loss of interest in the animal, while 8% is attributed to behavioural problems.
Worst in the summer, the study reckons that over 75,000 of the pets are found new homes by the rescue associations here in Spain.