There are horrifying reports out of Mexico that the town of Silao is starving their police k-9 dogs. Anger on Facebook is the main reaction of those commenting from Mexico itself, whilst other Facebook users have launched a petition against the cruel state of the Animals.
Two dogs serious condition.
The news site, El-Mexicano carried the story on 31 May, as did HOY Estado de Mexico. They reported that the municipality of Silao, Guanajuato, has slashed the budget to provide food for the K-9 dog unit that works with the Municipal Police. At least two of the dogs are in very serious condition.
Order from Treasurer.
HOY quoted an attending veterinarian as saying that the dogs are starving and bed-ridden as they are suffering from extreme dehydration and malnutrition. They are unable to even walk. A councilwoman, Espinoza Corral said that the remaining dogs are also suffering from the lack of food. The order to reduce the purchase of food for the dogs apparently originated from the Treasurer, Rodolfo Guerrero Duran, as he felt they were too expensive to maintain.
Petition.
The dogs were previously being fed food that cost 23 thousand pesos for 45 kilograms. This was good quality food. Due to budget cuts, the unsuitable food now being provided is much cheaper at just 11 pesos a kilo. The petition that was started on the YouSignAnimals petition website was initiated by Janel East.
She called for signatories to call on Juan Antonio Morales Maciel – Mayor of Silao, to act urgently to rectify the situation.
Sack of bones.
Janel implored people to please take a look at the photo on the right. “That police dog is nothing but a mere sack of bones. How is he supposed to protect the citizens of this town if he is unable to even stand on his own feet?” So far the petition has accumulated over 3,000 signatures but they are aiming at a minimum of 20,000.
They will probably meet their target as the petition has already started to go viral, with 2592 shares, and 3.3k reactions.
Twitter.
On Twitter, disgust surrounds the actions taken by the treasurer, and many comments point out that he is carrying enough weight to never have experienced any hunger.
K-9 abuse.
This is not the first time that cruelty to Mexican K-9s has come to light. In 2014 another petition via Care2 was run calling for action against a police officer caught on tape severely abusing one dog during training sessions.
