Original article: Diputada Sofía González: «No podemos justificar la matanza de perros de libre deambular por personas irresponsables que los han abandonado»

Deputy Sofía González: «We Cannot Justify the Killing of Stray Dogs Abandoned by Irresponsible Owners»

Only 2 members of the Agriculture, Forestry, and Rural Development Committee voted against initiatives aimed at regulating attacks by dog packs, establishing state responsibility to protect wildlife, and managing feral animal control, the category applied to stray dogs.

Deputy Sofía González (PC), one of the dissenting votes, lamented that «it is regrettable to open the door to hunting dogs. Only 2 of us were against this barbarism, which fundamentally seeks to justify the slaughter of stray dogs or those abandoned by irresponsible individuals, using the concept of feral or wild dogs, terms that do not exist in our country.»

«It is truly sad how this logic of violence is advancing to resolve conflicts or supposed conflicts fabricated in certain sectors of our country,» the lawmaker from the Valparaíso region added.

Deputy González emphasized that «we are not saying that it is unnecessary to legislate and address the situation of these abandoned dogs. The issue is not about hunting them, but rather controlling their population through measures proven by various scientific authorities.»

In this context, the parliamentarian highlighted that one of the most controversial articles in this initiative «states that it will not constitute an offense of animal cruelty to kill these dogs in self-defense, defense of others, or livestock in the face of an actual or imminent attack.»

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