BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Nov.15, 2007 - Normally, it is procedural for the Belize City Council, when dealing with the eradication of dogs, to inform the general public, through all forms of media that they should keep their dogs secured, because they would be out looking for strays.

We know that this was not done, because no television media aired that the Belize City Council would be out looking for strays and poisoning them. So when a call was made to the BELIZE TIMES this morning, informing us that there was a dead dog in front of Harbour View Restaurant we immediately made checks. It was even more disturbing for the caller, because today is a day that four cruise ships came in to the city.

By the time we made it to the Harbour View, which was within five-seven minutes, the dog was nowhere in sight. As I was questioning a police officer, a young boy, about age 15 overheard and told me that he had seen several dogs on Freetown Road.

Our search for dead dogs led us onto Freetown Road, Kelly Street, Castle Street and Victoria Streets, where we observed more than fifteen dogs, dead on either the sidewalk or on the side of the street.

  CitCo leaves dead dog & garbage on Freetown Rd. near Barrack Rd.

At the corner of Freetown Road and Barrack Road, near to the telephone booth, we saw a very healthy looking brown furry coat dog. Just a couple yards up the street, on the opposite hand, we observed another dog – a black one. He lay in front of a heap of garbage and was already starting to smell.

We walked a bit further and found a third dog at the corner of Douglas Jones Street and Freetown Road, near to the stoplight. Someone had bagged him up in a light green garbage bag, normally used by street cleaners, but you could see that it was a big and healthy dog.

Almost at the other end of the street, just in front of the tortilla shop, we saw another dog, also bagged up. The feet were sticking out and you could see that it was a black dog. The owner, Stephanie Garnett, who lives just next door to the tortilla factory, said that she was not aware that they would have been killing dogs. She is upset, saying that her dog, Sausage, whom she has had for over five years, would normally secure her house.

He is only left untied because she does not have a secure fence, but if she had known, she would have tied him as she always does. It was after twelve last night that she was awakened by her brother who told her that the dog is dead outside.

A street cleaner informed us that she had passed nine dogs further up Freetown Road.

On Kelly Street, we saw two dogs, one at the corner of Kelly Street and Douglas Jones and the other up the street more. There were two on Castle Street and one of the owners, Ann Andrews, said that she knew nothing. She found her dog, Shotta, dead at her gate this morning, foaming from the mouth, as we observed with all the other dogs.

She made a call to the City Council for them to have come and move the dead dog, but it was already after 12:00 and they had not come as yet.

This is her second dog to get poisoned by City Council for her, Ann said.

Just around the lane from Castle Street, we saw a healthy brown dog, bleeding from the eyes and mouth and had red ants crawling all over it. He lay dead on the street in front of Pentecostal City Mission Church.

  Garbage left near Castle Street

Having garbage all over the city as a result of the Belize City Council’s gross incompetence when it comes to garbage disposal management has already given the city a sore look, now the Council has made things worse by first going on an unannounced dog killing spree, and second by leaving the dead bodies of dogs lying all over for very long hours.