Dog trainer and rescuer Osvaldo Massanet said on Thursday, November 12, that several Puerto Rico municipalities are working against animal abandonment and overpopulation. Speaking after the case of animals found in garbage bags in Ponce, Massanet said many people are trying to address the overpopulation of stray animals independently, but rescuers cannot keep up and the government should contribute money to operate and cover feeding costs.
"If you can't have it, don't buy it, don't adopt it. Pets are a responsibility and they are part of the family," he said.
"There are municipalities that are working, helping, taking dogs off the street, bringing them food, operating on them and handing them over to adoption centers," he said, adding that he does not know whether the government as such has a plan, but that nearby municipalities are doing this work and rescuers are working alongside them. Massanet urged people to recognize that buying or adopting an animal is a responsibility: many buy animals because they are pretty, but later realize they cannot keep them and throw them into the streets.
"If you can’t have it, don’t buy it, don’t adopt it. Pets are a responsibility and they are part of the family," he said.