EU to simplify pet travel regulations among member states

EUROPE New legislation on the "non-commercial transport" of pets, already informally agreed with EU ministers, was approved by Parliament last month and press-released last week. Taking pets abroad will be easier, but pet health requirements will be stricter. Online information for pet owners will also be made clearer, though we have been unable to find exactly where as yet. Before taking their pets across borders, owners should check that their anti-rabies vaccinations are still valid. Young animals between 12 and 16 weeks that have been vaccinated against rabies - but have yet to achieve immunity - should still be allowed to travel. "There are 64 million cats and 66 million dogs in the EU. One household in four has a pet. In future, travelling across borders with pets will involve far less administrative hassle. We have eased the rules, and this should have a direct impact on citizens" said rapporteur Horst Schnellhardt (EPP, DE) after his resolution was adopted by 592 votes to 7 with 4 abstentions. The legislation will be applicable 18 months after it is published in the EU Official Journal.>>>

Fires in Spain: animals also suffer, but be careful with the appeals

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SPAIN /Marbella The fires that have raged throughout Spain this summer have impacted not only the people who have died in them, the injured and their families, and many homes, but also the animals in their vicinity. Wild or domestic, they will surely have suffered enormously. To bring this awareness closer to home, the fire that swept through the Marbella area over the weekend, caused the death of over 75 domestic pets, according to one source. Where these figures come from, we don't know, as the authorities rarely if ever give out anything related to animals in such cases. In any case, a number of Facebook and other appeals are under way. We are trying to locate the genuine ones and will publish them as soon as we can, but please be aware that scam artists are also looking for your money. (Watch this space, but if you have any information on genuine appeals, please let us know!)

Neighbours demand action on dogs on the beach

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Number of abandoned dogs increases in the summer

ALGECIRAS (Agencies) There are local laws about dogs on the beach - mostly, it is forbidden all over Spain. However, like so many rules in the country, the laws are flouted. But finances being as they are, it is noticeably how many fines are being issued for doing so. At El Rinconcillo, for instance, it was the neighbours who recently denounced the presence of dogs on the beach there, with the corresponding amount of excrement in the sand. They are also criticising the number of abandoned dogs and cats in the vicinity, something that happens every summer, when their owners want to go away for a month and just dump them.

Another dog story: road to Hell paved with good intentions

MOTRIL (GRANADA) (Translated from Facebook, linked to our invitation to a fundraising lunch on Thursday, which we hope you will attend) "An English couple tried to create a small refuge centre on a farm hidden up in the mountains near Motril ... they only came for holidays but paid someone to feed and water these dogs (2 hours a week!), but they stopped paying because they went bankrupt and that person stopped going ... it is heartbreaking ... the dogs have tried to escape, those who succeeded have been wandering all over the area, some with injuries from the wire. Others have tried to dig down to find shelter from the intense heat ... a small mother with two pups were caged separately, is just a bag of bones - who knows how long they've been without food or water! We don't think one of the puppies will survive. We got the call and went to see them immediately, but the road to the farm is almost impossible, it's very far away and for other kinds of cars (than ours). The animals are covered in ticks, fleas, thirsty and starving. We've only managed to give them a little food and water that won't last long at all, and we can't take care of them. They're so good and tame. THIS IS VERY URGENT - A REAL EMERGENCY! If we don't find foster homes OR HELP FROM SOME REFUGE CENTRE for them SOON, we're going to have to report them to SEPRONA, who will take them away to kill.!" The Facebook page contained a bank account number to send donations, but CampoPulse will not accept any responsibility as to its veracity: Cajamar: 3058/0130/17/2781464307. (See many more photos here.)

Los Barrios man invents dog poo vacuum cleaner

(Photo: europasur.es)

LOS BARRIOS (Agencies) Juan José Gómez has invented and patented a vacuum cleaner that will make taking the dog for a walk much easier. After years in development and much approval from the market, the Turbidog is going into production in two models. At a recent presentation of his invention in his home town, Gómez, of Los Cortijillos, said that it will be manufactured in Logroño by a specialist company. The invention looks much like a car vacuum cleaner but will avoid having to bend over to pick up the dog's excrement, by simple suction. The dog poo goes into a cylindrical filter that makes it recyclable and the operator has only to press a button for it to work. Two models are going into manufacture, the smaller one with a capacity of 50 grams and weighing just half a kilo; and a larger one, for 150 grams, that weighs a kilo. The bigger model of the Turbidog also includes a light for night use, and can emit a squirt of liquid to clean the affected area. Both models come with a bandoleer with which to carry them, and a battery that lasts about a month per charge. Gómez received bank finance as well as development grants from the Junta de Andalucía, and there are already firm orders coming in from Mexico and the US, among other countries. (Prospero note: Let us hope orders flow in from dog owners all over this country!)

You can throw a dog down a cliff in five minutes now ...

JAÉN (Source: cheekybooger.es) ... but you may not want to. Unless you knew what we're bashing on about. The name is interesting: despeñadero means cliff or gorge, and perro means dog (you knew that didn't you?), so Despeñaperros is literally 'a place where dogs plunge over cliffs' - or where this activity used to go on in remote times (no comments, please, just think of dwarf tossing of recent note Down Under). In fact, the name is that of a gorge or canyon carved out by the Despeñaperros River. It is located in the municipality of Santa Elena in the northern portion of the province of Jaén. It is a 76.49-square-kilometre area that was declared a natural park by the Junta de Andalucía, primarily for its geology and landscape, but also for its notable flora and fauna. It has traditionally been the dividing line between Andalucía and the rest of Spain.>>>