An Awesome Documentary Against Animal Abandonment
If you want to know a little more about the abandonment of animals in Spain, a good way is to watch the documentary Cachorro, Too Human, made by the association Acento Cultural. Conceived as a way of giving a voice to those who don’t, the film points out the main problems in the human-dog relationship today.
Learn more about Dog, Too Human
Throughout its 66 minutes of duration, the documentary tries to unravel what makes man, who for centuries molded the dog to his will and for his own benefit, many times to get rid of these innocent creatures.
To further explore the issue of animal abandonment – in addition to other themes – the documentary features first-hand testimonials from:
- Veterinarians,
- Shelter volunteers,
- hunters,
- trainers,
- Professionals who work with dogs,
- Guide Dog Users
- Animal rights activists and advocates
A documentary that goes far beyond the theme of abandonment
The film’s starting point was the protective Ladridos Callejeros de Tomelloso, in the province of Ciudad Real (Castilla-La Mancha).
From there, the documentary deepens themes such as:
- Breeding facilities (legal and illegal)
- Hunting
- Mistreatment (psychological, physical, humanization)
- Legislation
- Kennels and animal protection associations
- Awareness
- Cineology service
- therapy dogs
- guide dogs
Giving voice to those who don’t have
To portray the nuanced relationship between humans and dogs over so many years of coexistence, the documentary also uses the poet Dionisio Cañas. The intellectual makes an overview of several literary works of which dogs are a substantial part.
The film also features testimonials from several personalities, including:
- Carlos Rodríguez, veterinarian and announcer of the program Como el perro e el gato , on radio Onda Cero.
- Aninha Mendoza, who offers her house as a shelter for dogs.
- David Martín Bernal, Margarita Palomino and Lucía LaHoz Pradillos, also veterinarians.
- Carmelo Serna, Laura Ruiz Espinar, Eva Espinosa, Miguel Serrano Rodríguez, Luis Martínez González and Nuria Espinosa López, volunteers from the protector Ladridos Callejeros.
More information about the documentary
According to Clara López Cantos, the director of Perro, Too Human , making the documentary took two years of hard work. The team had 27 people who volunteered to carry out the project, which was financed thanks to sponsors and donations.
The film participated in important festivals and was shown in several projection rooms. Today it is available on YouTube through this link.
Unfortunately, the shelter Ladridos Callejeros, a fundamental link of Perro, who is too human , ended up closing its activities recently due to lack of financial resources. But the members of the association continue to work in different ways to defend the rights of abandoned and abused animals.
Animal abandonment, an urgent problem
According to the figures indicated by the last study on pet abandonment, carried out by the Affinity Foundation, in 2015 104,501 dogs and 33,300 cats were rescued on the streets of Spain. These data are only slightly smaller than those recorded in previous years.
An encouraging fact is that the number of lost animals that have been recovered by their owners has increased. And all this thanks to the increase in furry, mainly dogs, identified with microchips.
Furthermore, economic hardship is no longer the main reason people abandon a dog or cat. Behavioral or adaptive problems that animals may present are the ones that most lead to abandonment.
But while there are some encouraging signs, abandonment remains the main problem plaguing Spanish pets. The work of awareness and education must be permanent. And documentaries like Perro, Too Human are more than welcome.
