Nos Amis Les Animaux N.A.L.A. 85480

                     Pour la Pétition en Français svp cliquez ici.

Für den Petition im Deutsch klicken Sie hier.

Voor de Nederlandse versie van de Petitie klik hier.

Per la versione Italiana della petizione clicca qui.

Petition for change and compliance with the rules for stray animals in France

For the attention of Mr Stéphane Le Foll, Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forest

We request that you act to protect and improve the welfare of stray animals :


    1. by ensuring that animals that end up in municipal kennels, are not systematically and without a valid reason, put to sleep without the written opinion of a licensed veterinarian;

    2. by modifying the law (Code rural) to allow the manager of the refuge to give an animal to a foundation or association for the protection of animals, even though it does not have access to a shelter;

    3. to ensure that municipal kennels comply with regulations, that they are regularly inspected by a veterinarian and that such shelters are managed so as to ensure that the animals in them remain in a good state of health.

You can also sign here.  

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Why this petition?


France attracts millions of tourists with its beautiful landscapes, its famous gourmet cuisine and its fascinating culture. But do you, as a tourist, really know how this Central European civilization treats its animals? Probably not.

The protection and welfare of stray animals is poor in France. Dogs and cats reproduce unchecked in both urban and rural areas. There are no regulations regarding the breeding of pets. Result: there are too many.

Tattooing or microchipping of dogs over 4 months old and cats who change owners is mandatory, but there are not many owners who do it. Why should they? There are hardly ever any checks so the risk of getting caught is tiny. Many only see the disadvantages of having their animal identified: if it causes an accident or damage, they can be held responsible. It costs money and the chance that your cat will not come back because it has been run over or shot by hunters, is great. And if the burden of having a young dog becomes too much for you and you would like to take it to a shelter, you will probably find that they're not interested. If you want to get rid of it by abandoning it somewhere in the countryside for someone else to take care of it, you can't if its identified.

Abandoned or lost animals end up in one of the 500 municipal kennels. In France they call it a Fourrière. These fourrières are often in a pitiful state. Cages may not be cleaned daily, the animals may not be protected from extreme heat or frost, the cages are often too small and in a poor condition and the animals may not be taken for walks or receive any attention. You can see a fourrière in a short video that you can find at the bottom of this page.

After a statutory period of 8 working days, the animal may be transferred to an animal protection organization, to be adopted. But only to those organizations with an officially recognized shelter and these are often overcrowded. So many municipalities systematically resort to euthanasia.

It is estimated that more than 50,000 animals each year are put to sleep, no matter if they are young and healthy, loving and affectionate. This while the law clearly states that an animal can only be put to sleep if there is a legitimate reason, such as ill health or difficult/dangerous behavior and only on the advice of a qualified veterinarian.

50,000 animals per year, that's a lot! It is a difficult topic for many politicians, a subject that people would rather not talk about; a taboo.

We, NALA 85480, want to break that taboo. We are a young foundation in western France, which is committed to the protection and welfare of animals. Help us and the stray animals of France to convince the Minister that it really is time that something has to change.