Veterinary Services calls for cross-Israel dog adoption, kennel expansions

Increasing number of available cells in the kennels will help cities ready themselves for an increasing stray canine population.

By SHARON UDASIN
man walking lots of dogs 521 (photo credit: courtesy)
man walking lots of dogs 521
(photo credit: courtesy)
The Agriculture Ministry’s Veterinary Services called upon Israelis to adopt homeless dogs, while releasing data about the state of the nation’s canine kennels.
In 2013 there were 55 kennels in local authorities throughout Israel, of which 10 were operated by private companies, Veterinary Services said. Within these municipal kennels were 354,000 registered dogs under the age of 15. With so many stray dogs populating the nation’s kennels and open spaces, Veterinary Services is promoting both increased adoption of animals as well as construction of additional municipal kennels.
Despite the enormous number of dogs registered in kennels, more dogs are adopted each year than are not, according to Veterinary Services. Each year, between 14,000 and 19,000 stray dogs are brought into the kennels. Of these, about 30% are returned to their owners, about 40% are sent for adoption, and about 30% are killed in the absence of finding a suitable home, the Veterinary Services said.
Kennels are situated throughout the country in accordance with both human and canine population density, and in most cases are accessible to residents within a 20 to 30-kilometer drive, Veterinary Services stressed. Nonetheless, Veterinary Services is encouraging the establishment of additional municipal kennels in peripheral areas of the Negev, Arava, and the Galilee, in light of an assessment that the canine populations in these areas are increasing by about 4% annually.
“We call upon all local authority heads to establish municipal kennels in peripheral areas and to budget appropriate funds to the issue, as well as remodel and enlarge existing kennels,” said the director of Veterinary Services, Dr. Nadav Galon.
Increasing the number of available cells in the kennels will not only improve the welfare of the dogs, but will also help local authorities ready themselves for an increasing stray canine population and enable them to facilitate adoptions more swiftly, Galon added.
“A few local authorities are welcome to combine forces, pool their resources, and establish a regional kennel that is well maintained, providing savings and efficiency without compromising on quality,” he said