I HATE DOGS. DIRTY, MANGY, ROTTEN, FILTHY, DISGUSTING THINGS. THE MUSLIMS ARE RIGHT ABOUT DOGS, EVEN IF THAT'S THE ONLY THEY'RE RIGHT ABOUT. ANYONE WHO HAS TO HAVE A DOG FOR A 'FRIEND' SHOULD LEARN THAT THE BEST WAY TO HAVE A FRIEND IS TO BE ONE..... WITH HUMANS.

Despite the fact that it is a part of the U.S., Puerto Rico is a hell on earth for dogs. Little spaying and neutering, high rates of abandonment, a corrupt government in the Dark Ages, and a wealthy tourism industry that does nothing despite the fact that they are LOSING MONEY because tourists are so disgusted by the open animal abuse.

It can change. I hope that the public will pressure business and government to open low cost spay neuter clinics, properly train animal control, and educate.

This is a fixable problem.

At Least Puerto Rico does something about it how can you say Puerto Rico is not a great place to be a dog at least the Poilce are doing something about it.

this articule is so unfair . there are so many animals lovers in puerto rico . shame of you John!!!!!

korea and china kill more dogs and nobody care... stop hatin puerto ricans ... because some a^^h^^^,
there are so many many animals lovers in puerto rico , why john generalize ??

There are a lot of animal lovers in PR and there are a lot of people involved in projects like Save a Gato which is run by volunteers and is funded by donations.

Yes, there needs to be more education on spaying and neutering (amongst other things) but animal cruelty is not as common as it's implied here.

But, of course, the good efforts never make the news - only the bad ones.

I'm of Puerto Rican descent. I love Puerto Rico. The only thing I hate about the island is seeing abandoned dogs with their ribs sticking out, or dogs that can barely bark because they are so weak. It pains me.

The last time I visited there it was to see my son and even the drivers ignored the dogs when they crossed the street, ran them over and kept on going as if nothing happened. I saw lots of abandoned dogs up in the hills of Utuado and this was back in 2002.

Maybe we can send Michael Vick down there to do some community service. He could train the puertoricans on how it is really done. Whoopi Goldberg could provider comic relief during the training sessions.

Oh my God it seems that nothing has changed there. I am Puerto Rican and lived in Puerto Rico for 4 months in 1968. I was 16 years old then and I was apalled at how the taxi drivers would deliberately run over dogs and just laugh at us as my sister and I cried and screamed in the back seat for them to stop. I even saw a crippled horse run over.How can you run over a cripple slow moving horse ?

GREAT REPORTING of the FACTS, JOHN! THANK YOU!
Anyone who could find fault with this article, with concern over cruelty and abuse towards animals, clearly has challenges. Those who abuse animals, often advance to abusing HUMANS. So I say, be not afraid of loving and befriending the noble DOG, for dogs often TEACH US how to love each other more fully. (And as do ALL Companion Animals!)

"Puerto Rico and the entire world were stunned in October 2007 to hear
that 80 pet dogs and cats had been thrown 150 feet to their death from
a bridge in the town of Vega Baja. Sol Luis Fontanez, mayor of the
small town of Barceloneta in northwest Puerto Rico, was the person who
signed the contract to confiscate the animals, belonging to families
living in three housing projects."

This is a horrible crime. Now the problem is that the ones who did this may get a simple slap on the wrist for their abuse. Abuse to the people who were forced to surrender their COMPANION ANIMALS, and
abuse to the ANIMALS THEMSELVES.

Please, if you can, consider visiting the Petition Site and sign the
Petition to let the Government of Puerto Rico KNOW that their current
course of action IS NOT ENOUGH. They need to feel this financially
and so Boycotting is in effect as well.

Thank you for your consideration.
http://www.petitiononline.com/PR51973/petition.html

First of all I am apalled by the comment "I hate dogs..." Secondly, I have been to Puerto Rico many times and find the people to be the nicest I have found. I think it is wrong to label all of PR as animal unfriendly BUT there are a few bad apples that NEED to be brought to justice. Thank you for bringing the attention to the situation but I think you are wrong to label all of PR as animal unfriendly as the title says "Dog Unfriendly Puerto Rico."

If you didn't write the title, I'm sorry for my criticisms.

Needless to say it looks like the people in the massacre are getting jail time and that's what they deserve!

I just arrived late last night from Puerto Rico, i was vacationing with my family for Spring Break. I traveled to San Juan, Salinas, Ponce, Luquillo, Bayamon, Arecibo and Barcelonetta and they all had one thing in common, all of these towns had stray dogs. They looked very unhappy, sad and very hungry. I am Puerto Rican and have family who live in all of the above towns, i was sick to my stomach, and very disappointed that our culture and new era has disgraced themselves and people treat animals this way. In Ponce we saw 2 abandoned horses right off the freeway.

Hey Lee Larson -- humans are the worst problem for the earth.

And one learns about a society by the way they treat animals, kids and the elderly.

Keep your intolerant ignorance re: Muslims to yourself. Perhaps if you understood how to have a relationship with any other living thing and did not have so much anger -- screaming your imbecilic message -- you would have some compassion.

You are certainly no human I would want to know.