Help stop pets being abandoned
Charity starts Facebook and social media campaign to stop 60,000 pets being dumped each summer
ANIMAL charity 30 Millions d'Amis say 60,000 pets are dumped every summer in France – and 100,000 throughout the year - many becoming homeless when their owners leave for holidays.
Now, just a couple of weeks before tens of thousands of people set off on holiday, it is launching a “shock and awe” campaign on Facebook to make pet owners think more about how best to care for their pet.
It comes after the historic decision in February to recognise animals in the Code Civil as “living beings endowed with sensitivity” “être vivant doué de sensibilité instead of just as “household objects”.
Charity president Reha Hutin said the change was a turning point in animal rights as it “legally recognises their suffering and makes dumping an animal a criminal offence” with that cruelty liable to be punished.
Dumping is a cruel act that faces a fine of up to €30,000 and two years’ jail.
274 animals are
dumped each day
This year's campaign is to be launched on June 18 with a Facebook "shock wave" of posts, and 30 Millions d’Amis wants animal-lovers to join in by sharing mentions of the campaign and getting others to post information on their own Facebook and other social media pages.
With 274 animals dumped each day, it aims to dissuade pet owners from dumping their animals when they set off on holiday, inform people who could welcome an animal temporarily into their home and convince animal lovers to use the hashtag #NONALABANDON to spread the message.
The charity has 450,000 fans of its Facebook page and 13,000 followers on Twitter and aims to greatly increase this by getting others to spread the word.
Getting more people involved, especially in offering temporary homes to friends’ pets, will cut down on the thousands of animals that never find a home over the summer and face being put down. The charity has been battling for years to stop this annual cruelty – and over 30 years has seen the numbers dumped divided by four.
To get the campaign automatically posted on your Facebook page, sign up at 30 Millions d'Amis: Pré-mobilisation
