HSTJ Sponsors Baja California Statewide Conference for Reform at Local Dog Pound

Humane Society de Tijuana

Summary -Baja California, Mexico Statewide Conference of Animal Welfare Groups

May 7, 2011 Tijuana, Baja California

With the financial support of Friends of Humane Society de Tijuana, the Humane Society de Tijuana [HSTJ] was able to co-sponsor a statewide conference along with The Association for the Protection and Care of Animals. The event was held in Tijuana on 7 May 2011 and attended by 45 persons representing eleven animal welfare/rescue groups from the state of Baja California, Mexico. Organizations from Ensenada, Mexicali, Rosarito, Tecate, and Tijuana were represented.

The focus of the conference was to 1) address the urgent need to reform administrative policies for dog pounds 2) identify and push for improvement of physical conditions in those facilities 3) urge the cities to conduct more spay and neuter programs to lessen the need to impound and euthanize animals 4)explore solutions that will ensure that pounds use humane drugs for euthanasia and no longer use electrocution 5) promote private organization spay/neuter programs- recognizing that spay/neuter is the only real solution to the problem.

[Note to the reader: Most Mexican cities operate dog “ pounds” which are in no way comparable to comprehensive full- service animal shelters found in most American cities.]

While HSTJ supports a policy of “No Kill” for rescued animals, it works to ensure that when other agencies and/or groups euthanize impounded animals they do so in a humane manner.

[L  to R : Dr. Miguel Rodriguez, Luca Foundation;  Richard Massa, President, Friends of HSTJ; Mrs. Cecilia Vega Leon, Associate Haghenbeck Foundation; Mrs. Leticia Coto, President HSTJ]

The principal speaker was Mrs. Cecilia Vega Leon, an associate of the prestigious Antonio Haghenbeck Foundation in Mexico City and a board member of the World Society for the Protection of Animals. She has a wealth of experience in assisting animal welfare groups to reform dog pounds throughout Mexico. Having made a visit to the Tijuana pound before the conference and having reviewed the assessments made by Humane Society de Tijuana over the past four years, she discussed the Mexican laws that pertained to the subject matter of the conference and then gave her assessment of what needed to be done to bring about the reforms. The visit and subsequent evaluation was designed to serve as an example that could be used by the participants in their respective areas.

[L-R.  Richard Massa, Pres. of FHSTJ;  Lic. Patricia Torres, Gente por Animales, Mexicali; Dr. Marco Antonio Tapia, Director, Antirrabico, Tijuana.]

In the presence of the Director of the Tijuana pound [Perrera/Antirrabico] Mrs. Vega Leon reported her findings. Among the several items cited, she gave special attention to the following:

• The illegal selling of dogs that were not spayed/neutered.
• The illegal supplying of dogs to the Universidad Autonoma de Baja California [University of Baja California] for vivisection.

[Note to the reader: Following this recommendation, the director of the pound announced he was sending a letter to the university stating that he would no longer supply them with animals.]

• The failure to provide sufficient low cost and/or free spay and neuter services to the city and failure to adequately support those private organizations doing so.

[Note to the reader: The details from a report submitted to the state department of health in Mexicali were reviewed. It noted that 1600 spays/ neuters were done by the Tijuana pound [Antirrabico] and for which it was reimbursed by the state of Baja California. The numbers were hotly contested by representatives of private organizations currently doing spays/neuters in Tijuana. The director of the Tijuana city pound was unable to explain how or who submitted the report. This was followed by an open discussion about the city’s receiving credit and reimbursement for work done by private organizations.]

• The need to reevaluate the administration of the Tijuana city pound budget and, if as stated by city functionaries there was no budget to support the above recommendations, the pound be closed since the law requires that city agencies have an operational budget and function within the law.
• To stop charging the public for euthanizing animals brought to the pound because of illnesses or injuries for which the owner cannot afford to treat- especially since the drugs are already being provide to the pound at no cost by private organizations and persons. Failure to assist these people means that their animals die a painful death .

[L-R: Lizbeth Luna, AVPCA; Dr. Miguel Rodriguez, Luca Foundation; Leticia Coto, HSTJ, Richard Massa, FHSTJ,  Dr. .Antonio Furlong, HSTJ ]The second part of the conference was the educational presentation made by Dr. Miguel Rodriguez, M.V.Z [DVM], Coordinator, Luca Foundation, Monterey, Mexico. The Luca Foundation is a Mexican foundation dedicated to animal welfare and specializes in providing humanitarian assistance to Antirrabico facilities [dog pounds] in Mexico. It provides educational programs to veterinarians as well as the general public. It has assisted numerous pounds throughout Mexico so that they could suspend the use of electrocution and adopt humane drugs as a means of euthanasia.

The day before his presentation, he along with Humane Society de Tijuana’s veterinarian a medical doctor [MD] and two other local veterinarians made a visit to the city pound where Dr. Rodriguez demonstrated the Luca Foundation formula as an effective, low cost and humane procedure that can be easily adopted by the Tijuana pound just as it has been in other Mexican cities. The veterinarians as well as the medical doctor agreed that the Luca Foundation procedure was better and less costly than the procedure currently used by the Tijuana pound.

Dr. Rodriguez made the following recommendations:

• Instead of using an expensive formula of anesthesia drugs, Tijuana use the Luca Foundation procedure which is painless, humane, efficient, and inexpensive – costing only 11 pesos [only $1 US dollar] per animal.

[ A note to the reader: Less expensive American made animal euthanasia drugs are not legal in Mexico and they cannot be imported for use here. It is imperative to use drugs that are legal, cost effective, readily available in Mexico and humane. The Luca Foundation provides educational programs to address these challenges.]

• Organizations supplying the pound with humane euthanasia drugs need not buy expensive anesthesia drugs directly from the pound or agencies connected with the pound. Instead, they can use Luca Foundation formula drugs which can be purchased from any local licensed supplier. These formula drugs are cost effective and less of a drain on an organization’s budget. More resources for humane drugs will assure the continued suspension of electrocution as the means of euthanasia.

The conference was a great success and it was agreed that the conference participants promote continued state-wide meetings to follow up on the progress of reforms and the promotion of animal welfare programs. HSTJ and the other co-sponsor of the event, AVPCA, were pleased with the attendance and the willingness of the other Baja California groups to continue with this type of united front in working toward animal welfare reforms in Mexico.

As a follow up , the Haghenbeck Foundation sent their findings to the director of the Tijuana Department of Health, the sub-director of the Tijuana Department of Health and the director of the Tijuana pound [Perrera/ Antirrabico] with copies to officials in the state and federal government . HSTJ will be doing periodic reviews and reporting back to the Haghenbeck Foundation. The president of the HSTJ and Haghenbeck Foundation associates have already arranged a meeting in Mexico City with the Mexican Federal government’s chief animal health official and other public health officials to discuss the situation in Tijuana and report their finding.

Friends of Humane Society de Tijuana is proud to have been able to support this activity that is a first in Tijuana. As you can see from this report from HSTJ, the conference was not only a discussion of urgently needed reforms but also included hands-on, on-site education. As a follow up, HSTJ is already preparing for the second phase which will be to have representatives from the Luca Foundation return to Tijuana to speak with professional educators about the need for animal welfare reforms in the city.

See the article in the Baja Times here http://www.bajatimes.com/articlesDetail.asp?sid=2753