The life of a hunting dog in Portugal is atrocious. They are treated as things, caged, beaten, barely fed or provided with water. When they are used up or too old they are killed in a number of despicable ways. Some hunting kennels only feed the dogs three days a week...so they are more eager to hunt. They are kept in appalling conditions. Hunting season is only a few months of the year...the rest of the time they are kept in cramped cages, absolute filth, live at the end of a chain less than a metre in length. They are starved, ill, have neglected wounds caused by hunting accidents (even shotgun wounds). On a hunt, those who cannot keep up are exhausted and left alone on the mountains to die slowly.... Because the existing laws offer few to no protection for hunting dogs in Portugal, we have to speak for them and let the Portuguese authorities know this is unacceptable. For more information please refer to A Mathila Dog's Story, included with this petition, available at http://sosalgarveanimals.com/a-matilha-dogs-story