UNIVERSIDAD DE LAS PALMAS
DE GRAN
CANARIA
Más e Uni e si a io en Economía del Tu ismo,
del T anspo e y del Medio Ambien e
(MSc in Tou ism T anspo and En i onmen al Economics)
SOCIAL COST OF STRAY ANIMALS
E a Be ne e Pe domo
44719609L
(S uden 's Signa u e)
Bajo la u ela de Nomb e y Apellidos del Tu o
Ca melo León J. González
Las Palmas de G an Cana ia ( )
Table o con en s
1.Abs ac :........................................................................................................................................... 1
2. In oduc ion .................................................................................................................................... 2
3. Li e a u e e iew:........................................................................................................................... 3
4.Objec i es o he s udy: ............................................................................................................... 27
5.Causes o abandon in spain: ...................................................................................................... 28
6. Consequences and eal cos o animal abuse and abandon ............................................... 30
7. Solu ions: ...................................................................................................................................... 30
8.Func ions o he cen e: .............................................................................................................. 31
9. P ojec inancing: ....................................................................................................................... 32
10. Conclusions ............................................................................................................................... 34
11.Re e ences: ................................................................................................................................. 35
1
1. ABSTRACT:
The pu pose o his s udy is o analyze he causes o abandonmen o pe s and he
di e en cos s ha i gene a es, as well as p oposing a package o measu es o end wi h
his p oblem, educing cos s by o e 80%.
The main obs acle o add ess his s udy is he lack o o icial da a on he exac popula ion
and he ac ual cos incu ed by he abandonmen o s ay animals (dogs and ca s). The
p oblem o s ay animals has ha dly been s udied in he ield o economics. This p ojec
will be u he de eloped in a PhD and submi ed o he compe en au ho i ies o he
Au onomous Communi y o implemen a ion.
2
2. INTRODUCTION
A wo ld wi hou kennels: End wi h neglec and mis ea men o pe s:
Socie y e ol es and slowly sol e p oblems ha a ec ci izens. Recen ly, he egula ion o
alcohol and obacco consump ion in public places was unde aken. A his ime i is
app op ia e and necessa y egula ion o abuse and neglec o companion animals.
Abandoning pe s, dogs and ca s has become a social scou ge ha needs an immedia e
solu ion. Thousands o ca s and dogs a e abandoned e e y yea wi hou anyone p o iding
e ec i e emedies o p e en
Spain has one o he highes p e alence o animal abandon in Eu ope. Acco ding o
FAPAM (Fede a ion o he Associa ions o Animal P o ec ion o he Communi y o Mad id).
in Spain a e collec ed mo e han 300.000 animals a yea wi h a di ec cos o 6.000.000 €
pe yea . This igu e is e e ed only o he cos o escue, e e ina y ca e, housing and
main enance. Complain s o abuse a e o e 18.000 each yea wi hou any o icial da a on
hese cos s. E e y h ee minu es an animal is abandoned in Spain.
His o ically, neglec and abuse o animals has occu ed as na u al as an animal is jus a
" hing" ha has as much i s comme cial alue. Once in possession o he animal, he
owne could do any hing wi h him and gene ally nobody ca ed. The e a e hund eds o
le e s, epo s, s o ies e c. e lec ing his ac .
Fo una ely socie ies e ol e and no one wan s o see abandoned and abused animals,
socie y gains no hing om i , indeed, his p oblem gene a es cos s ha socie y does no
ha e o bea .
S ay animals also cause o he less known expenses such as hose om a ic acciden s,
bi es o animal disease ansmission. O he cos s such as he e hical, mo al and policy a e
also discussed.
Sol ing he p oblem o animal abuse and neglec is needed o educe social cos s. The
solu ion p oposed he e is eally simple, and achie es all he objec i es one hund ed pe
cen : he cos dec eases up o 80 pe cen and also end wi h he es o he p oblems.

3
-The solu ion is o implemen a package o measu es aimed o sol e he whole p oblem
as a whole.
This package includes he ex ension o he cu en ly exis ing legal co e age o wo speci ic
cases: he b eeding and sale o companion animals.
-All o ecas s a e a ou able o he p ojec o be a success:
1. Nobody wan s o see abandoned o abused animals
2. Poli ically i is p o i able o ha e a ci y ee o s ay animals. Spain is a coun y ha
ecei es ou ism who is in gene al e y awa e and conce ned ega ding his
p oblem. Abandonmen o pe s c ea es discom o and a bad image o ou ism in
Eu ope.
3. The p ojec would gene a e a educ ion in spending o a leas 80%
4. The p ojec comple ely inishes wi h he igu e o he abuse and neglec o pe s
3. LITERATURE REVIEW:
Fou nie e all (2004), concep ualizes he socie al p oblem o companion-animal
o e popula ion and o e s a amewo k o humanely educe he cu en su plus o animals
and p e en u he o e popula ion. O e popula ion is desc ibed as a socie al p oblem,
wi h he indi idual and collec i e beha iou o people as a causal agen . To p e en u he
animal su plus in o ma ion o he adop e s and s e iliza ion schedules a e p oposed. The
humane socie y o he uni ed s a es (Hsus) es ima es eigh o en million companion
animals (i.e., ca s and dogs) a e elinquished o shel e s each yea and o hose, ou o
i e million a e eu hanized (Hsus, 2002). In ac , eu hanasia is he numbe -one kille o all
companion animals (S u la, 1993). Is he beha iou o people ha has esul ed in an
o e abundance o animals, and o sol e he p oblem people mus change hei beha iou .
P o essionals in he beha iou al sciences sugges beha iou and en i onmen ac o s
need o be conside ed when a ge ing beha iou p oblems in he communi y (Gelle , Be y,
Ludwig, E ans, Gilmo e, & Cla ke, 1990). P e-acquisi ion beha iou s a e beha iou s
emi ed p io o acqui ing a pe in p epa a ion o pe main enance. They include knowledge
4
acquisi ion beha iou s and an analysis o necessa y esou ces. Be o e adop ing is
impo an o ensu e ha he animal and he adop e a e compa ible o p e en abandon.
S udies consis en ly ind ha ca e ake s who elinquish hei animals, compa ed o hose
who e ain hem, ha e much less knowledge abou animal beha iou , heal hca e, he
expenses o animal ca e aking, and emale canine and eline es ous cycles (Kidd, Kidd &
Geo ge, 1992; New e al., 2000). Acqui ing knowledge abou animal beha iou , as well as
gene al animal heal h ca e, p io o acqui ing a pe could p e en elinquishmen s. Animal
s e iliza ion (i.e., spaying o neu e ing) is a c i ical ca e ake beha iou associa ed wi h
con ol o companion-animal o e popula ion. Due o he exponen ial g ow h a e o
companion animals (Hsus, 2002), s e iliza ion is a c i ical beha iou ha should be
a ge ed in e o s o educe o e popula ion.
Cos is no high on he lis o easons ca e ake s epo o no s e ilizing hei pe s.
Resea che s su eyed ou communi ies ia elephone, que ying ca e ake s (n = 144)
abou hei animals’ s e iliza ion s a us (Manning & Rowan, 1992). O he 209 animals in
he sample,18.6% we e no s e ilized. Only 5.3% o he in ac animals we e epo edly no
s e ilized because o he cos o he p ocedu e, sugges ing ha inancial cos is no a majo
impedimen o s e iliza ion, and he e o e low-cos p og ams may no be an e ec i e
means o comba o e popula ion. he de ici s in animal- aining beha iou s, p e-
acquisi ion beha iou s, and s e iliza ion a e key con ibu o s o o e popula ion, bu i is
impo an o examine he con ingencies su ounding hese beha iou de ici s in o de o
al e hem.
Cu en en i onmen ac o s o o e popula ion a e a) ine ec i e shel e policy and b)
p omo ion and inaccu a e depic ion o animals by he pe indus y and he media in
gene al. These en i onmen ac o s mus change in o de o ini ia e and sus ain ele an
beha iou change.
Many animal shel e s ha e policies ha hinde he adop ion o animals. Fo example,
some shel e s do no allow he public o handle animals be o e adop ing hem (H. Wadell,
pe sonal communica ion, Augus 27, 2002), denying po en ial ca e ake s o in e ac wi h
an animal o ensu e hey a e compa ible, a c ucial p e acquisi ion beha iou .
Ano he ine ec i e policy is ha many animal-con ol acili ies and some shel e s do no
accep help om olun ee s because o inju y liabili y (H. Wadell, pe sonal communica ion,
5
Augus 27, 2002). Volun ee s could assis in en o cing shel e policies and ac as
communi y change-agen s, educa ing adop e s and he public as a whole.
O en shel e policies p ohibi s a om asking why an animal is being elinquished. In
some cases, ca e ake s elinquish an unwan ed pe and quickly eplace i wi h a new pe
ha la e is also elinquished (Bandow, 1982). These “ epea o ende s” a e ecognized by
animal shel e s a bu a e seldom u ned away because shel e policy and a need o
place animals do no allow s a o u ndown adop e s (A kow, 1991).The mos salien
example o ine ec i e shel e adminis a ion is he animal shel e acili ies hemsel es.
Mos acili ies a e plain, conc e e buildings loca ed in u al a eas ou o sigh o he public.
When acqui ing a pe , he local animal shel e is dismal and incon enien , compa ed o
b igh ly li , well-ad e ised pe s o es loca ed in he main shopping a eas o own.
Rega ding o pe indus y, he media ( ele ision, newspape s, in e ne ) ha e a g ea
capaci y o in luence on he beha iou o people. Pe supplies a e ad e ised on ele ision
and he In e ne , in newspape s and magazines, and on pe -supply packaging (e.g., dog
ood packs). In hese ad e isemen s, animals a e ypically shown wi h no colla , ags, o
leash. Unaccep able animal beha iou (e.g., chewing on shoes) is po ayed as endea ing
(Nowell, 1978). In all o hese enues, pe s a e o en depic ed inaccu a ely. Media
messages depic posi i e consequences o animal acquisi ion (i.e., companionship) bu do
no say no hing abou esponsibili y o ha ing a pe , nega i e consequences o he
beha iou de ici s men ioned abo e (i.e. beha iou p oblems, pe sonal p oblems, pe -
main enance ailu e).
In addi ion, he animals used in ad e isemen s a e o en puppies and ki ens, again
illus a ing a beha iou de ici (i.e., s e iliza ion) wi hou he nega i e consequence o he
de ici (i.e., unwan ed o sp ing). The en i onmen ac o s abo e a e c i ical o he
beha iou de ici s esul ing in o e popula ion.
P omo e adop ions: shel e s mus become mo e isible and in i ing o po en ial ca e ake s,
he eby p omo ing adop ion. Changes may include mo ing shel e s in o u ban a eas,
pos ing signs ad e ising he loca ions o shel e s, and eno a ing shel e s o make hem
mo e appealing. non-p o i o ganiza ions and animal-wel a e ounda ions o e g an s o
shel e s o eno a ion expenses, which could be used o eno a e acili ies. Animal
shel e s could bene i om assigning one s a membe o a olun ee o und- aising o
g an w i ing o hese pu poses.
6
In o de o inc ease adop ions, is impo an o shel e s a o assess animals and imp o e
hei chances o being adop ed. This could mean using beha iou analysis o ain animals
in basic pe obedience (e.g., house aining, walking on leash)
Because mos animals in shel e s we e pu he e by ca e ake s and many a e he p oduc
o unwan ed li e s (A kow & Dow, 1984), pe -main enance beha iou s and s e iliza ion a e
c i ical beha iou s o his ask.
Educa ion is a necessa y an eceden o he a ious desi ed beha iou s o e e y a ge
popula ion. The media is a mos e ec i e ool o mass educa ion and awa eness. In
beha iou al science, he media is ecognized as a sou ce o in o ma ion and lea ning ia
obse a ional lea ning (Bandu a, 1986).
Animal wel a e agencies can p e en o e popula ion by enac ing and en o cing
app op ia e policies a animal shel e s and animal-con ol acili ies, o example, p o ide
companion animal in o ma ion, animal- aining echniques, s e iliza ion schedules,
p o iding incen i es o ca e ake s who do s e ilize hei animals and disincen i es o
hose who do no . S a can help ca e ake s selec an animal ha is compa ible wi h hei
en i onmen and esou ces. Adop ion is a c i ical poin o con ac wi h ca e ake s, simila
o poin -o -pu chase in e en ions designed o p omo e socially- esponsible beha iou
(Gelle , Russ, & Delphos, 1987). Las ly, animal-wel a e agencies could be pa o a
sys ema ic epo ing sys em o o e popula ion. Animal shel e s a e a key sou ce o
in o ma ion as o which ca e ake s ha e beha iou de ici s ha con ibu e o
o e popula ion and why. Such a epo ing sys em is necessa y o guide p e en ion e o s
and e alua e hei e icacy.
The desi ed beha iou o all hose in ol ed in he animal indus y is in o m consume s
abou basic pe ca e and o e popula ion p e en ion s a egies. This could be done di ec ly
a he poin o pe -supply, display in o ma ional messages in ad e isemen s and on
package labels pu chase and in o ming in media ad e isemen s.
Las bu no leas , indi idual ca e ake s a e a ele an a ge popula ion. The desi ed
beha iou s o ca e ake s a e pe -main enance beha iou s, including animal- aining and
p e-acquisi ion beha iou s, and s e iliza ion.
In o de o ini ia e and main ain he p oposed beha iou changes, in e en ion is necessa y
o al e hese en i onmen al con ingencies. Fo example, o e ing go e nmen unding and
13
Few gua dians had consul ed beha iou is s o aine s, bo h o whom a e eadily a ailable
in he a ea. In addi ion, mos o he su ende ed dogs had ecei ed no aining, which is
consis en wi h he indings o o he s udies. The Shel e o e s a ee “Canine Beha iou ”
semina and six mon hs o eline beha iou al counseling wi h each adop ion. Ye hese
esou ces go woe ully unde used. Because no one can be equi ed o use hem, gua dians
who choose no o do so miss lea ning e en he basic knowledge ha migh allow hem o
keep a newly adop ed animal in hei home. Fo ins ance, a woman e u ned a dog whom
she had adop ed jus wo weeks ea lie , saying she could no houseb eak him. When
asked i she had ied c a e aining he dog, which is The Shel e ’s endo sed me hod o
ensu ing success ul houseb eaking, she said she had ne e hea d o i . In saying so, she
e ealed ha she had nei he a ended he semina no ead he ma e ial included in he
adop ion packe , as bo h con ey how- o ins uc ions on he opic and in o ma ion abou
The Shel e ’s c a e en al p og am.
Because many people conside ed hei exis ing s ock o knowledge abou animals
accu a e and su icien , hey lay he blame o beha iou p oblems on he animal. When a
dog o ca does no beha e co ec ly, gua dians assume he e mus be some hing w ong
wi h he animal and hey become emo ionally disconnec ed om he animal as ime goes
on. Gua dians in his posi ion o en used he language ha Sande s (1999) calls
“unlinking.” This is a public con ession ha he animal-human ela ionship i sel is in
se ious ouble. F us a ed and con used, he guil - idden owne publicly acknowledges
ha he animal o he is “ou o con ol” (“I jus don’ know wha o do. I can’ ge him o s op
ba king. I’ e ied and ied bu no hing seems o wo k”) . The aul o he dis up i e ac ion
is p esen ed as being he animal’s and, in u n, he owne is absol ed o esponsibili y.
Unde s andably, he owne who comes o employ his ype o excusing ac ic is well on he
way o ending his o he ela ionship wi h he animal. (P. 36).
Unlinking is lay social p oblems wo k, in ha i he o ically cas s he “p oblem” as he
animal’s a he han he pe son’s. Mo eo e , unlinking language indica es ha he animal’s
beha iou is so h ea ening o he gua dian’s sel -image ha he o she has disengaged
om any emo ional and ela ional connec ion wi h he animal. Fo example, a man
in e iewed had su ende ed a la ge dog who pulled cons an ly on his leash. The amily
had hoped he dog would be a companion o he young son, who, as i u ned ou , was
no s ong enough o walk him. Howe e , no one ook any s eps o each he dog o walk
wi hou pulling. This gua dian had ied no hing and consul ed no one, ye claimed ha he

14
did no know wha else o do. Mos people simply did no know abou he esou ces
a ailable o hem as al e na i es o su ende .
The ailu e o seek in o ma ion o assis ance was pa icula ly s iking in he con ex o
beha iou al p oblems. Few people who su ende ed dogs o agg ession o o he dogs
had consul ed wi h a beha iou is . The Shel e o e s aining classes and he aine s will
do p i a e consul a ions o speci ic p oblems, bu mos people nei he made use o hese
esou ces no consul ed hei e e ina ian du ing ou ine isi s.
F equency o isi s o a e e ina ian is associa ed wi h dec eased isk o elinquishmen
among dogs (Pa onek e al. 1996b). Howe e , Ins ead o seeking ad ice, many people
simply su ende ed hei dogs, using unlinking language such as, “We jus don’ know wha
o do.”
Many o he alleged beha iou “p oblems” in dogs and ca s s emmed om gua dians’
igno ance abou b eed cha ac e is ics o de elopmen ally no mal beha iou s. The e is a
consis en ailu e o use esou ces among people who su ende ed ca s o he mos
common eline beha iou al p oblem: u ina ing ou side he li e box. This beha iou is o en
due o u ina y ac p oblems, bu ew gua dians who su ende ed ca s had e en aken he
s ep o seeing a e e ina ian. Only hal o he gua dians who su ende ed ca s o li e box
p oblems had e e aken hei ca o a e e ina ian. This inding, oo, is suppo ed by o he
s udies. Ga y Pa onek and associa es (1996a) ound ha ca s who had ne e isi ed a e
we e a inc eased isk o elinquishmen , compa ed o ca s who had been o a e .
The ins i u ions p o ides ample in o ma ion abou animals’ needs, bu he clien s owa d
whom ha in o ma ion is di ec ed do no see he p oblem as one sol ed by in o ma ion.
As Loseke a gues, he complexi ies o li ed expe ience may no be con incingly cap u ed
in ins i u ional o mula ions, leading o “discu si e disjunc ions” (Chase 1995) be ween
incompa ible sys ems o meaning (Loseke 2001:123). Such disjunc ions can lead o
con usion, con lic , and ailu e o esol e p oblems.
In conclusion, The ins i u ion o shel e ing hinks abou he animal p oblem in e ms o
p o iding p ac ical solu ions o a public ha is cas as sha ing simila conce ns. Mo eo e ,
hose who a e no ecep i e o such solu ions and would p e e o “ge id o ” hei animals
can do so and main ain hei mo al iden i ies as he “good” ones. Making su ende easie
o gua dians is e ec i e social p oblems wo k, in ha i enhances he o ganiza ion’s
15
image in he communi y, bu i dec eases he likelihood ha gua dians will ake any s eps
o imp o e hings. Because shel e s unques ioningly abso b he esul s o he public’s
i esponsibili y, hey may p o ec people mo e han hey do animals. Shel e s essen ially
say o he public, “We will ake in you canine and eline mis akes and incon eniences, and
we will shield you om he ‘di y wo k’ ha akes place he e.” In mos shel e s oday, he
majo i y o animals a e no sickly s ays o li e s o puppies and ki ens, bu heal hy,
unwan ed, adul pe s. Abou 80 pe cen o hese animals do no ind new homes. Ins ead,
hey a e humanely killed.
A clien is de ined as “good” o su ende ing an animal when a p oblem occu s. Howe e ,
om he pe spec i e o he ins i u ion, mos p oblems can be sol ed using The Shel e ’s
esou ces and solu ions. The key ins i u ional p oblem is ha clien s do no use he
esou ces p o ided. Thus, he “good” clien who su ende s a p oblema ic animal is
simul aneously a “bad” clien who emains igno an despi e he e o s o he ins i u ion.
The e is signi ican di e en be ween he ins i u ional and public de ini ions o he p oblem
and i s solu ions.
Bae z (1992) conduc ed a su ey by he US Na ional Animal Con ol Associa ion in 1981
e ealed 918 people su ende ing hei dogs o adop ion a 13 shel e s in eigh s a es.
This su ey s e eo yped he si ua ions in which a dog is hough o be disposable. The
g ea e he cos o he dog, he longe i was kep . Mo e han wo- hi ds o he unwan ed
dogs we e ob ained cos ee. I was concluded ha he deg ee o a achmen and he
dep h o he human-animal companion bond is di ec ly ela ed o he inancial in es men
in he animal.
Usually, he dog was ob ained ee o cha ge, usually om a neighbou , iend o
newspape ad as a puppy, o en bough as a ea o gi o child en. I was kep usually
abou 18 mon hs be o e being u ned in because o changes in he amily's li es yle, eal o
imagined, beha iou al p oblems, o equi ing oo much ime and esponsibili y. Mos o
hem end up abandoned on he s ee s, causing a ic acciden s, li es ock damages, bi es,
h ea o he ecosys em ( aeces and u ine), o a e sen o a kennel whe e hey will be
slaugh e ed. All hese e en s gene a e an impo an cos o he socie y. The au ho
p oposes some measu es o pallia e he p oblem, such as imposi ion o ines o people
who abandon animals, limi ing pe owne ship, egis a ion and iden i ica ion o obedience
aining.
16
Selby e all (1979) ca ied ou a su ey o 910 people in Usa, inding ou ha , esponden s
conside i esponsible owne s as he majo cause o oo many s ay animals, pe
o e popula ion is a majo p oblem in ou socie y oday, s ay o ee- oaming dogs caused
acciden s. Opinions abou me hods o con olling pe o s ay animal popula ions e eal
ha esponden s gene ally ag eed ha amily planning o dogs and ca s is a good idea.
Mos esponden s disag eed ha o dinances o egis a ion would p e en hem om
ha ing a ca o dog. 70 pe cen disag eed o s ongly disag eed on no ha ing hei pe s
neu e ed, 8 pe cen o he owne s disag eed o s ongly disag eed ha hey would no
wan o own a dog because i migh annoy he neighbou s. 97 pe cen ag eed ha he
issue o i esponsible pe owne s was a p oblem in ou socie y. Mos esponden s also
ag eed ha pe o e popula ion is a p oblem. Se e al conclusions can be d awn om he
s udy esul s. Al hough people in gene al a e knowledgeable abou he issue o
i esponsible pe owne ship, esponsible pe owne ship mus be s essed in communi y
heal h educa ion, ex ension, and con inuing educa ion p og ams.
Guse a (2013) indica es ha hose coun ies ha ha e es ablished ules go e ning
somehow he b eeding and sale o animals ha e a e y low d opou a e.
The hypo hesis ha he au ho poses o eaching his conclusion a e:
Hypo hesis 1: The g ea e he deg ee o economic de elopmen , he lowe he
popula ion o s ay animals.
Hypo hesis 2: A highe le el o democ a iza ion o he mino coun y is he
popula ion o s ay animals.
Hypo hesis 3: The g ea e he deg ee o legal p o ec ion (including aspec s egula ing he
b eeding and sale), he lowe he popula ion o s ay animals.
To de e mine i hese a iables a e s a is ically signi ican , a eg ession whe e he
dependen a iable is he popula ion o abandoned se e al Eu opean coun ies (da a om
he epo o he Wo ld Socie y o he P o ec ion o Animals (WSAP) in 2007 animals is
done, collec ing a sample o 21 coun ies in Eu ope and Eu asia and i s es ima ed
popula ion o abandoned animals be ween 1999 - 2007 The coun ies we e di ided in o 4
ca ego ies acco ding o he olume o abandoned animals ha ha e:
17
Coding ca ego y
Desc ip ion
Coun ies
0
Repo edly no s ay dogs,
comp ehensi e legisla ion,
well en o ced s ay dog
con ol
Belgium, Denma k,
Finland, Ge many, The
Ne he lands, No way,
Sweden, Swi ze land
1
Low numbe o s ays,
p og essi e legisla ion, well
en o ced s ay dog con ol
Slo enia
2
Rela i ely la ge s ay dog
popula ion, bu he size o
s ay dog popula ion is
dec easing, good legisla ion,
s ay dog con ol no always
en o ced
Uk, I eland
3
La ge s ay dog popula ion,
ongoing p oblem, gene al
legisla ion, poo ly en o ced
s ay dog con ol
Bosnia-He zego ina,
Bulga ia, C oa ia,
Czeh Republic,
Es onia, G eece,
Hunga y, I aly,
Li huania, Mal a,
Poland, Po ugal,
Se bia, Spain
4
La ge uncon olled s ay dog
popula ion, wo sening
si ua ion, limi ed o non-
exis ing legisla ion, poo ly
en o ced o non-exis ing
s ay dog con ol
Albania, A menia,
Aze baijan Republic,
Bela us, Moldo a,
Uk aine
Table 1 The coding sys em
18
G aph 1. The s ay dog p oblem and he P ope y Righ s

19
The esul s ob ained by o dina y leas squa es a e as ollows:
Coe icien (S anda d e o )
P ope y Righ s
-0.037 (.01)*
GDP pe capi a
0.022 (.0.5)
Human Righ s
-0.257 (.0.5)
Regime Type
0.007 (.22)
Cons an
Model
0.00
R-squa ed
0.54
Adj. R-squa ed
0.46
Table 2. O dina y Leas Squa es (OLS) Reg ession Analysis o he s ay
dog p oblem
As we can see, only he legisla ion is s a is ically signi ican , so ha highe he
le el o legisla ion, he lowe he popula ion o s ay animals. This is wha
explains he di e ence in he numbe o abandoned animals Eu opean coun ies
To con i m his esul , he au ho makes a compa ison o he legisla ion on his
issue be ween wo coun ies wi h simila cha ac e is ics. Slo enia and Russia a e
e y simila o make his compa ison.
20
Legisla ion
Slo enia
Russia
Animals wel a e
Yes, na ional
No
Abandonmen
Yes, na ional
No
Pe owne ship
Yes, na ional
No
Pe ca e
Yes, na ional
No
Eu hanasia
Yes, na ional
Yes, na ional
S ays
Yes, na ional
No
S ay collec ion
No
Yes, na ional
Animal shel e s
Yes, na ional
No
Dange ous dogs
No
No
B eeding
Yes, na ional
No
Sale
Yes, na ional
No
Animal c uel y
Yes, na ional
Yes, na ional
Table 3. Companion animal owne ship Laws in Russian and Slo enia
Clea ly we see ha Russia only has egula ions go e ning he popula ion o s ay animals
and he e o e has a lo o bounce in i s s ee s, becoming an epidemic.
Slo enia egula es mo e b oadly and e icien ly he p oblem and his is he eason why he
popula ion o s ay animals is sca ce. The e o e legisla ion has posi i e e ec s o educe
d opou s.
Finally, Shi-Miin Liu and Hsiao-Chi Chen (2014), in hei s udy "Sol ing S ay-Animal
P oblems by Economics Policies", y o p opose policy solu ions o he s ay-animal
p oblems h ough igo ous economic modeling. A wo-s age game is cons uc ed o
in es iga e op imal policies o sol e o lessen he issues and nega i e ex e nali ies
esul ed om s ay animals. In he i s pe iod, he egula o chooses be ween subsidizing
and axing he pu chase o companion animals. Then, consume s decide o buy o adop
dogs/ca s in he second s age. A e wa ds, he companion animal ma ke , which is
pe ec ly o impe ec ly compe i i e, is clea ed. We use a simple Ho elling (1929) model
he e o endogenize he beha io s o pe animal pu chase s and adop e s. The solu ion
shows ha i he egula o aims o minimize he numbe o s ay animals o he associa ed
21
en i onmen al damage caused by hem, axing pe animal buye s is he only op imal
choice. This inding emains ue unde he pe ec ly and impe ec ly compe i i e ma ke s
o pe animals.
The model
The au ho s use a simple Ho elling (1929) model o cha ac e ize he beha io s o
dogs/ca s pu chase s o adop e s. Le hese animal consume s be uni o mly dis ibu ed
o e a uni loca ion in e al [0, 1]. They ei he buy he dog/ca om pe shops o adop i
om animal shel e s o s ee s. Suppose ha pe shops a e loca ed a end-poin 0, and
dog/ca shel e s a e loca ed a end-poin 1. I a consume loca ed a poin y ϵ [0, 1] buys a
dog/ca om pe shops, she/he will ha e u ili y:
Uy = h0 − c0y − − p (1)
whe e:
h0 > 0 is he happiness le el om buying a dog/ca ,
c0y is he cos o aise he pu chased pe ,
is he axes ( > 0) paid o he subsidies ( < 0) ob ained om he egula o ,
p is he pu chase p ice o he dog/ca .
In con as , i consume y adop s a dog/ca om animal shel e s o s ee s, she/he paying
nei he p ice no ax will ha e u ili y.
Uy = h1 − c1(1 − y) (2)
whe e:
h1 > 0 is he /his happiness le el
c1(1 − y) is he cos o aise he adop ed dog/ca .
Unequal alues o h0 and h1 e lec dis inc happiness le els h ough buying and adop ing
dogs/ca s, espec i ely. Also di e en alues o c0 and c1, imply ha he cos s o aise a
pu chased dog/ca o a s ay animal may no be he same.
By making Uy’s in (1)-(2) equal, we ha e he demand unc ion o pe shops,
22
(3)
and he demand unc ion o s ays om animal shel e s and s ee s,
(4)
To ha e xϵ0,1), he ollowing condi ion is imposed:
h1-c1+ +p<h0<h1+c0+ +p (4.1)
The consume su plus CS o ha ing a dog/ca is:
CS (p,x)=
p x2 2 c0+c1 (5)
Pe shops a e p esumed o p o ide iden ical animals a a cons an ma ginal cos ¯c > 0.
These shops can compe e pe ec ly o impe ec ly. Gi en he pe animal demand x
(equa ion 3),we can de i e he associa ed equilib ium p ice (p*), equilib ium quan i y (q*),
and p oduce su plus (π*),) o all pe shops in a pe ec ly compe i i e ma ke . In con as ,
we use ˆp, ˆx, and π ˆ o deno e he equilib ium p ice, equilib ium quan i y, and p oduce
su plus o all pe shops in an impe ec ly compe i i e ma ke .
Nex , he social wel a e unc ion, (SW), is he sum o consume s’ su pluses, p oduce s’
su pluses, ax e enues and nega i e ex e nali y alues caused by s ay animals
SW= CS(p*, x*)+ π* + x*-d[Q- (1- x*)+ ox*+ 1(1- x*) (6)
in a pe ec ly compe i i e ma ke
SW= CS(ˆp, ˆx)+ ˆπ + ˆx-d[Q- (1- ˆx)+ oˆx+ 1(1- ˆx) (7)
in an impe ec ly compe i i e ma ke
whe e:
0 and 1 a e he p obabili ies o consume s abandoning hei dogs/ca s a e buying and
adop ing hem, espec i ely
Q- (1- x*)+ ox*+ 1(1- x*) and Q- (1- ˆx)+ oˆx+ 1(1- ˆx) a e he numbe s o s ay animals in
he socie y a he end o he pe iod.
29
Abandon o pe s has a leas i e isible ac o s:
1. The owne who abandon he animal. In Spain a e abandoned o e 300.000
animals pe yea , cu en ly inc easing.
2. Municipal kennels ha mos ly make slaugh e houses and dumps o hese animals,
wi h inc eased cos s
3. Poli icians, usually Local Au ho i ies and mayo s, who ha e o deal almos daily
wi h bad news on ele ision o newspape e e ed o he abuse o neglec o
animals in hei a ea. Besides he poli ical cos s ha ob iously has, abuse and
neglec also lead o a signi ican mone a y cos , which ha e o deal wi h his ne e
ending p oblem because he animal ha is picked up om he s ee and sen o a
kennel can e- be abandoned again i app op ia e measu es a e no aken.
4. P o ec i e Associa ions o abandoned animals o m a kind o sal a ion a my
olun a ily and wi h good in en ions y o sol e he p oblem looking o new owne s
o hese animals bu ul ima ely do no sol e he unde lying p oblem because he
animal can be abandoned again. The wo k ha hese people do some imes wi hou
been paid and hei own unds hey also ha e o pu o ake ca e o hese
abandoned animals can each millions o eu os each yea . These cos s, as
appa en ly nobody is obliged o de ay (because he p o ec i e also could ha e le
abandoned dog on he s ee ), is jus socialized ia " he one who pu he mos ,
loses", which is a big mis ake, because in he end, he eal esponsible o he
p oblem, he owne who abandons he animal does no pay any hing, (The e o e,
he esponsible o he abandon has o pay and ace he p oblem, socializa ion o
he cos s mus be a oided).
5. Socie y as a whole, because e e y ime people u n on he ele ision o ead he
newspape ace o news ela ed o neglec and abuse o animals, wi h he
consequen anguish su e ed by mos people sensi i e o he p oblems associa ed
wi h animal abuse and neglec .

30
6. CONSEQUENCES AND REAL COST OF ANIMAL ABUSE AND ABANDON
Abandonmen o animal gene a es signi ican public heal h p oblems and acciden s. The
daily cos o keeping an animal in a shel e is be ween 12 and 20 €, which p oduces eal
cos s be ween 4.000.000 and 6.000.000 € pe yea app oxima ely (a e paying o shel e ,
ood, ca egi e s, cleaning, e e ina ians, e c..). I he cos is lowe he animal has no been
well add essed, as he s a is olun ee , don' ecei e emune a ion and some imes e en
ha e o de ay.
7. SOLUTIONS:
The de ini i e solu ion o he p oblem o abandoned pe s in Spain equi es he
implemen a ion o a package o measu es which basically consis s in h ee ac ions o be
managed coo dina ely and simul aneously:
1. Annexing o he exis ing egula ions in each AUTONOMOUS COMMUNITY o council
an a icle ha speci ically egula es he b eeding and sale o domes ic animals (in
p inciple dogs and ca s)
Cu en ly he e a e abou 100 legal ex s (including s a e, p o incial and local), ac ing
and egula ing he abuse and neglec o animals.
A close eading o hese ex s e eals ha none s ikes he main sou ce o he p oblem,
which is he b eeding and sale o animals. D awing om he idea ha he goal is o
p o ec he animal agains neglec and abuse, un egula ed buy and sale can' be a o d
no way. Nei he p o ec i e associa ions and indi iduals seeking o sol e his p oblem,
no s e iliza ion o animals will ne e e adica e he p oblem wi hou legisla ion
speci ically egula ing he b eeding and sale o animals.
2. C ea ion o zoological cen e o public owne ship and p i a e managemen o ca y ou
e e y hing ela ed o pe s.
3. C ea ion and implemen a ion o a so wa e and compu e p og am which e icien ly
con ols he en i e schedule o he animal's li e so he cen e can know exac ly any
inciden ela ed o any exis ing pe in o a e i o y.
31
Depending on he capaci y and a ailable esou ces o he Adminis a ion h ee le els o
pe o mance can be designed, small, medium and la ge cen es. Ideally would be o ha e
la ge egional cen es including ec ea ional a eas, ac i i ies and se ices such as
e e ina y se ices, hai d essing, ad ice, e hology, esidences, wo kshops o child en,
conduc ing b ie ings, pe dayca e, shops, ecep ion, animals collec ion se ice, o e ing he
possibili y o sponso ship and isi s a weekends o hose who can' ha e pe s bu would
like o isi he animals and sha e hei spa e ime wi h hem. The loca ion o he cen es is
e y impo an and should always look o he p oximi y and ease o a i al and depa u e
o he enclosu e.
8.FUNCTIONS OF THE CENTRE:
1 This cen e will manage e e y hing ela ed o pe s du ing he li e ime o he animal. The
b eeding and selling pe s can only be made in hese cen es and shops o on au ho ized
b eeding cen es ha will ollow he ules adop ed o his pu pose
2 B eeding and selling animals pe eques , animals won’ be b eed in ad ance o a oid
s ocks
3 Deli e ing o alks, eaching cou ses o adop e s, awa eness o he esponsibili y o
ha ing an animal, wo kshops and educa ional ac i i ies o child en, e e ina y se ices,
e hologis s, esidence, nu se y., hai d esse and ad ising. I adop e s a e going on
aca ion hey can lea e animals in he esidence cen e. I people don' ha e space o
ime o ha e an animal, he cen e o e s he possibili y o sponso ing, isi s a weekends,
aking he animal a ome du ing he weekends i hey wan o, pa icipa ing in di e en
ac i i ies (like walking he dogs), and acili a e as a as possible access o he cen e,
loca ion and opening hou s a e c ucial.
4 Be o e gi ing an animal in adop ion mus be analyzed i s cha ac e and needs, he
cha ac e is ic o he adop e , (his ee ime, his pe sonali y), and he condi ions unde
he pe will be (housing cha ac e is ics) in o de o sa is y comple ely bo h he needs
and wel a e o he animal and he adop e , acili a ing a any ime access and
communica ion wi h he cen e, se ices, in o ma ion, ad ising, e c.
32
5 Fo malize a con ac o sale in which all equi emen s a e s a ed (obliga ions o he
adop e o he animal). I is no manda o y o ha e an animal, bu i people decide o
adop a pe , he adop e mus mee a numbe o esponsibili ies and obliga ions.
6 Conduc egula moni o ing o ensu e ha he animal is well condi ions, pu chip,
accines, s e iliza ion, es ablish a schedule e isions, e c..
7 Ensu e ha he e a e no animals wi hou con ol o he cen e, he en i e managemen
mus be cen alized, ex e nal shops, b eede s and e e ina ians mus be
communica ed and epo o hei ac i i y o he cen e, ollowing he same ules.
8 I o any eason he adop e can no longe aking he animal, his will be e u ned o
he cen e wi hou any p oblem o cos o he owne
9. PROJECT FINANCING:
In imes o c isis as we su e ing is di icul o ge unding bu conside ing ha he majo
expense is he ini ial sho - e m, cos will be minimal as he e won' be abandons, ha
gene a e an expendi u e o 4 and 6 million annually, unded by g an s and olun a y
con ibu ions in he o m o money o labou . Wi h a managemen like he one p oposed
he e, spending would be educed by 80% ( om 6.000.000 spending o only € 1.2 million),
and mos impo an ly, end o neglec and animal abuse.
Running a zoological Cen e, ega dless o he chosen size, will equi e a leas he
ollowing componen s: Land, buildings, pa king lo s, se ice a ea and s a .
Expenses ela ed o he ield and wo ks mus necessa ily be bo ne by he go e nmen o
p omo e he cen e, bu i is highly likely hey decide o s a he p ojec conside ing ha
he e u n policy is assu ed and also would no ha e o de aying he cos s o kennels o
subsidize animal shel e s.
Poli ically is e y p o i able o boas o a egion wi hou animal abandonmen , especially in
he Cana y islands, in e na ional e e ence ha ecei es ou ism e y sensi i e o his
p oblem who also p o ides a e y impo an sou ce o income o ou communi y.
Wi h ega d o expendi u e o s a , all s a wo k as sel -employed ( e s, aine s, shops,
hai d esse s e c..) o by he olun ee sys em. Cu en ly all municipali ies ha e p o ec i e
associa ions and Kennels ha will disappea in he sho and medium e m because
33
abandonmen s will end up as soon as an e ec i e animal con ol is exe cised h oughou
hei li es by he Cen e animals Zoo e i o y. The olun ee s a cu en ly ope a ing in
hose associa ions, p o ec i e o kennels could be inco po a ed in o his new p ojec o
asks such as ood, anspo a ion, cleaning, secu i y o any o he ac i i y ha does no
need speci ic legal o p o essional quali ica ion (like e e ina ians)
This s a will be doing he same wo k hey cu en ly do bu unde be e condi ions.
In ela ion o he cu en expendi u es o he Local au ho i ies o he a en ion o municipal
kennels wo ypes o cos s mus be dis inguished:
A. Mone a y cos . Almos all municipali ies ha e a kennel o a e associa ed wi h
o he municipali ies who ha e i . Anyway, he a e age expendi u e pe dog om
a i al o adop ion o sac i ice is abou 600 €. A ci y like Las Palmas en e daily
on a e age abou 20 animals. I we mul iply 20 by 600 € gi es € 12.000 pe
qua e (i he e is less o e head he animals a e been poo ly ea ed)
B. Poli ical cos : Al hough is no economically measu able, has bigge
epe cussion and is mo e di icul o sol e han mone a y cos . The bad p ess
kennels always ha e and ongoing news in newspape s, ele ision and p o es s
agains animal abuse and neglec is mo e han enough and poli ically jus i y
spending ha may ini ially esul in he c ea ion o he Zoological Cen es. I mus
be aken in conside a ion ha he c ea ion o a cen e o his ype means he end
o kennels in he sho o medium e m as a esul o an e ec i e con ol o he
animals. Fu he mo e, sho en o leng hen he ime depends solely on he abili y
and commi men o he Adminis a ion o ini ia e he p ojec . The as hey a e
able o en o ce he ules, he as he p oblem will be sol ed.
The lack o o icial s a is ics on abandonmen , abuse, cos s and o he a iables necessa y
o a ull cos -bene i analysis makes he ac ual wo k qui e complica ed and mo e ime o
comple ion is equi ed, bu he implemen a ion o his p ojec would all a leas 80% o
hese cos s.
This s udy will be u he de eloped in a PhD and submi ed o he compe en au ho i ies o
he Au onomous Region o implemen a ion.
34
10. CONCLUSIONS
The exis ence o abandoned animals in Spain needs an u gen solu ion. This solu ion mus
necessa ily pass h ough he simul aneous implemen a ion o a package o measu es o
sol e his p oblem. This package will necessa ily ha e o include h ee main aspec s:
1. Annexing o exis ing egula ions in each Au onomous Communi y o council an a icle
ha speci ically egula es he b eeding and sale o domes ic animals (in p inciple dogs and
ca s)
2. C ea ion o zoological cen es o public owne ship and p i a e managemen o ca y ou
e e y hing ela ed o pe s.
3. C ea ion and implemen a ion o a so wa e and compu e p og am which e icien ly
con ols he en i e schedule o he animal's li e so he cen e can know exac ly any inciden
ela ed o any exis ing pe in o a e i o y.

35
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