Netherlands Stray Dogs

Every country, except for one, has stray dogs that roam their streets. Netherlands, or commonly called Holland, has no stray dogs that roam the streets. But why is this a big deal? According to an article by the Washington Post, covering India’s stray dog issue, dogs can spread diseases. In 2014 alone, there was a report of 20,000 deaths from rabies in India. India has 30 million stray dogs as of 2016. India went on a killing spree in efforts to remove dogs from the streets. The Netherlands however, went in the opposite direction. 

There was a country-wide sterilisation, free for every dog that was brought in. According to blogger Maja Świątnicka, from Amsterdam Hangout, citizens were encouraged to bring dogs in for free vaccinations and a medical check up. The Netherlands animal welfare program was able to give almost all the dogs homes. There are now hefty taxes on buying purebred dogs from breeders since it is recommended to adopt from shelters. There is also high fines for abandoning dogs. 

It would be much harder for the U.S. to accomplish such a feat, considering the Netherlands is 16 times smaller (in size) compared to Texas, according to My Life Elsewhere, and even 8.1 million less people. But there’s always more to do.