Can you imagine a country which is completely devoid of street dogs? Well, Holland has managed to do that.
Yes, you heard it right. The Netherlands is the first country to provide a home and a happy life to all the stray dogs present in its streets.
The brilliant plan used by the Dutch government to achieve this great cause is known as PSVIR – an abbreviation for pick, sterilize, vaccinate, identify and return.
After the execution of PSVIR scheme, Holland succeeded in bringing all its canines from detachment to association.
The animal lovers across the globe, who believe that these voiceless beings have as much right to live as humans, now want to replicate this amazing scheme in their countries as well.
In case you’re wondering how the Dutch government performed this Herculean task, here’s how they did it.
Keeping pets was considered a status symbol in the Netherlands for ages, so almost every family had a dog.
Soon the population of the dogs increased to such an extent that it led to the spread of deadly diseases like Rabies in some parts of the country.
The endemic vanished the public interest in dogs and many even started abandoning their pet friends. Leaving rabid dogs out on the streets also became common practice around the country.
The situation became so alarming that the government decided to do something about it. And it was when they came up with PSVIR scheme.
As the first step, the authorities scheduled days to disinfect the abandoned dogs.
About 70 per cent of female dogs were sterilized, and almost every dog underwent a medical examination to check if it needed treatment.
All the expenses were made by the government itself.
To permanently safeguard the rights of stray animals, the government also enacted new laws to ensure the animals’ health, protection, and well-being.
The violation of the laws was punished by a fine of $16,000, in addition to three-year jail time.
As another effective step, the government imposed new taxes to increase the price of trained dogs, compelling people to take away stray dogs instead.
What’s more, the government also ran an awareness campaign encouraging people to adopt homeless dogs.
Before long, around 90 per cent of the population had adopted street dogs as their pets. The awareness campaign left a long-lasting effect on the citizens.
The dogs which were once rejected are now loved and cared by the Dutch people, just as what they deserve!
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