That’s urban legend. Stray dogs were never used to make soap. Everything indicates that this story was born in a curious confusion. “What happened is that the first trucks from the zoonoses control center that collected dogs from the streets – the popular ‘carrocinhas’ – were very similar to the ones that collected meat carcasses from butcher shops. Since then, people have started to associate one thing with the other”, says biologist Hildebrando Montenegro, assistant director of the Zoonoses Control Center in São Paulo. The vehicles that removed the carcasses of cattle and pigs from the butchers used animal fat to make homemade soap. The geeks would give a soap and escape this inglorious ending. “Street dogs in general are very skinny, they don’t even have enough fat to make soap!”, says Hildebrando Montenegro. By the way, using animal fat to make soap dates back to the days when dogs were tied to sausages. Today, industrial soaps have replaced animal fat with vegetable fat. Despite not feeding the soap industry, the cart continues to collect dogs that are loose in the streets. They go to the zoonoses control center of each prefecture, waiting for the heartless owners. If no one shows up to rescue or adopt them within an average of a week, the geeks are euthanized with a lethal injection. To prevent your woof from getting into this big cold, follow the steps in the Do It Yourself chart and create an animal identification for your beloved pet dog.
Do it yourself
Don’t be a dog with your dog
Make an “animal ID” to make it easier to find your geek if he disappears
1. Make an “animal ID” to make it easier to find your geek if he disappears. In cities like São Paulo, dog owners have to register their au-aus at the city hall or at accredited pet stores. In these places, the owner fills out a complete form, informing the name, breed and age of the animal, in addition to information such as the owner’s name, address and telephone number.
2. After registration, the geeks receive a small metal plaque to hang on their collar, with a number (the “animal ID”) and the telephone number of the zoonoses control center. If your city does not have this service, improvise a plaque with your phone number written down. At pet stores, you can buy metal plaques and engrave this information for an affordable price.
3. When the dogs are captured by the cart, they are taken to the zoonosis control center. If they have the plaque, the agency’s technicians contact the owner and let them know that the pet is there. The distracted owner has to pay a fine for letting the geek get away.