TEST: Do animals go on holiday too? Share your experience here

The arrival of warm weather is a sign of the holidays, but for the increasing number of Portuguese people who have pets at home, this can be a cause for concern. Should they take them with them or leave someone to take care of them? And won't they find it hard to be alone or to have new company? Is a pet boarding facility a good solution?

In Lisbon alone, since the creation of the Pet Information System, 112,127 have been registered, the majority of which are, of course, dogs (almost 76,000) and cats (more than 36,000). If we look at the whole country, the latest figures indicate that there are more than 4 million animals living with families, with three out of every four being dogs. The system does not record "deaths", but there are also many that are not properly registered with a microchip , so the current figure is not far from this: one animal for every two or three Portuguese people.

It is therefore no surprise that, when summer comes, especially for those new to this activity, families who live with animals are plagued with doubts. One thing is certain: abandoning them to go on holiday is not a solution — and doing so has been a public crime since 2014. But although it can result in up to eight months in prison, unfortunately, abandoning animals, especially during the holiday period, continues to be a reality, with around 40,000 cases reported each year (according to PAN, this corresponds to around 115 per day).

SAPO wants to help change this statistic. Tell us about your experience and help those who don't know what to do to find solutions to improve the lives of their pets when the holidays come. Participate until July 15th!