5th Social Responsibility Day promotes animal welfare
On May 29th, the Instituto Superior Técnico – Pólo de Oeiras hosted the 5th edition of Social Responsibility Day, an event supported by the Oeiras City Council. This year, the central theme was animal welfare, a current social issue that alerts us to the responsibility of society as a whole.
Several associations and institutions dedicated to animal care, such as Animalife and Eu Cãosigo, were present at the event, with the aim of raising awareness, supporting and promoting the exchange of experiences and knowledge about the cause. There were several stands offering educational information on a wide variety of topics. Among them were Urban Pets‘ beauty and grooming products and Pétis‘ range of products and services.
Mafalda Gonçalves, from the Pé Ante Pata Association, highlighted the importance of the event for the association: “We came to publicize our work, raise funds to pay for veterinary costs and appeal for responsibility towards animals. Adoption shouldn’t be done on impulse, it’s a lifelong commitment.” Susana Silva, from the Animal Welfare and Sanitary Inspection Unit of Oeiras Town Hall, emphasized the municipal policy in the area of animal welfare: “We brought a canine for adoption and publicized projects such as the Animal Friendly Space in Oeiras. We have several canines in our CROAMO [Official Animal Collection Center of the Municipality of Oeiras] available for adoption.”
Outside the campus, there was also a demonstration by the João Cardiga Equestrian Academy. According to Patrícia Francisco, “the students queued up to pet Brilhante. Brilhante especially helps children with confidence problems. We had very positive interactions with the Técnico students, from ‘petting’, taking photos and riding the horse.”
Among the program’s activities, there was room for talks on animal behavior, with the presence of Paulo Fernandes, M80 radio presenter and author of the book and podcast ‘Walking on a Leash’, in a relaxed talk in which he explained the basic and technical principles of owning a dog and how to start training it. The speaker covered important topics, such as castration, sterilization and dog carriers, in his presentation of his book – ‘Walking on a Leash’.
A second joint session featured Cristina Fernandes, a transpersonal psychotherapist and hypnotherapist, who stressed the importance of the topic: “Animal welfare is also human welfare. The interaction and bond between people and animals is beneficial for both”; and Carlos Cordeiro, an animal behavior specialist, who shared animal behavior techniques and the importance of making people aware of good training.
Social Responsibility Day proved to be an initiative that strengthens a collective commitment to such noble and urgent causes as animal welfare. This event was an opportunity to share knowledge, experiences and inspire concrete actions that contribute to a future where empathy and care for all living beings are a priority.