Stray dogs: A serious problem for the environment

To get started I need to say that this will be a very unpopular opinion but I invite you to read this completely before you condemn it. I know by first hand this problem, because I have studied it and seen it. So having said that, let's begin.

A pack of feral dogs.

Stray dogs are a very dangerous problem. In the cities, many dogs make the streets their territory, having a very vicious behavior making them not only attack people that walk by but attacking other's people dogs injuring them or even killing them. That's in the cities, but in the field, the stray dogs problem escalate in dangeorus ways. In first hand, stray dogs usually are not vaccinated, so they carry deseases that can be passed to the native fauna. There are a lot of cases of foxes with distemper and rabies or huemules with parvovirus. Because of that in national reserves and national parks, they don't allow to enter with pets. In the second hand and the worst thing is that the dogs that survive to the field, make their own packs and become feral. And a feral dog is impossible to become a pet again. They attack everything that cross their path. Feral dogs are one of the principal causes of fauna deseases if is not the first cause. A capable pack can easely kill a fully grown guanaco or puma. And this events are more usual than someone can think. This packs are a very serious danger to the people too. In 2010 a mother and her daughter died in Talagante attacked by a pack of 7 dogs. Those dogs had an owner that barely take care of them, so they became feral, searching their own food.

                                            Feral dogs chasing a puma, cornering it in a cliff.

I firmly think that Chile needs stronger measurements to control this problem. Stronger punishment to people that doesn't take care or abandon their pets. Check and make official dog breeding places. Not allow to anyone without a license to cross dogs. Or even better, if you adopt a pet, it came sterilized. And sacrifice feral dogs.

Dogs and cats are not the only animals that need to be taken care of. Pumas, foxes, pudus and snakes are animals too. Is something we need to remember. Please don't go with your pets to natural environments that can interrumpt some bird nesting or chase a coipo or whatever. Let's be responsibles owners, your dog is not the only animal in the planet.