Interview
The founder and president of the Macau Association for Stray Dogs and Animal Welfare (MASDAW), Fátima Galvão, spoke to The Macau Post Daily this week in an exclusive interview about the association, the challenges that they have been facing and details of its upcoming raffle.
Set up to protect
Created in 2014, Galvão said that MASDAW was set up to help fil a gap in terms of protecting and helping stray animals, with a focus on dogs as they are “animals that suffer more in Macau”. The association also neuters and spays them to avoid “the non-stop cycle” of excessive breeding.
The association was also created to save and protect dogs that were living or had been left behind on casino and government construction sites, citing incidents such as when MASDAW was called several times because some workers from the mainland killed the dogs to eat them. An even more serious problem that the group had to tackle was the lack of care for the animals. Galvão cited incidents such as when families abandoned a dog due to its age, illness or cases when they were unwilling to take their dogs with them because as they were moving to a new flat and did not want to pay a higher rent for a home allowing pets.
Moreover, the association has helped other animals ranging from cats to chinchillas. “We help all the animals that need to be helped”, she said, noting that the animals deserve the best and the assurance that they are respected as they are sentient beings.
Macau as a pet-friendly city: a long road ahead
Asked about what a pet-friendly city means, Galvão explained that it is a place that allows pets to be an integral part of the community, adding that Macau does not have many places such as restaurants or shops where patrons can take their dogs. Moreover, in terms of legislation and mentality, “there’s a long road to go before we can consider that Macau is pet friendly”, she said.
Galvão also commented that “we should have more places where owners can take their dogs to run and to play”, saying that the number of dog parks in Macau is small. Galvão said she hoped that the government could consider building an animal-friendly place in Coloane due to the number of empty plots there, or a haven where associations could put all stray animals to be protected and have them spayed and neutered, which could also help animal protection groups as they are struggling to survive.
Uncertainty & survival
“Most of the associations in Macau are struggling because we are all full and we are struggling financially to help the animals”, she said, adding that her group does not receive help from the government and are “totally dependent on the help of animal lovers”. Galvão lamented that she was uncertain if MASDAW would still exist and have the resources to pay rent in five months’ time and if their dogs would then still be alive. “We are paying a rent of 56,732 patacas a month for the place where we have the dogs”, noting that the association needs its upcoming event to succeed for the sake of the animals.
In helping animal protection associations, Galvão said that aside from donating, people could always adopt dogs instead of buying them. “We live in a society that considers brands as a way of showing status”, or just a “show-off” society which animals have become a part of, noting that a number of people who could adopt a dog prefer to buy one as it is a proof of status.
People also end up abandoning the dogs because they are not informed about a breed’s characteristics and are often unprepared, not taking into account that caring for one can be demanding in terms of time and medical needs, among others. She also noted that there are people who prefer to buy a new pet instead of paying for their sick pet’s vet bill. “There’s a lot that needs to change in terms of changing some cultural values and the education of the new generation”
Lucky draw to gather dog lovers
The association will be holding its annual lucky draw on Sunday, November 13, which will gather dogs, dog lovers and animal lovers alike, as well as those who have adopted dogs from the association. In the hopes of finding a family, more dogs from the association will also be taken to the event to find their “soulmates”. There will be over 100 prizes available during the lucky draw, with raffle tickets priced at 25 patacas each.
More details can be found on the association’s social media pages or its website at https://www.masdaw.org/home
This poster provided by MASDAW founder and President Fátima Galvão this week promotes the November 13 event.
