Really disgusting what some people will do.
Why? Oh! Why? do they not get their animals sterilized, then this would not happen time and time again.

I know of some English people out here who have treated their animals just as badly.

My response was to almendra and although you said you weren't singling out any particular race  you did say: "That we live in a rural area and life has been hard in the not too distant past is  valid, but please, please, please update your attitude to animals. " Which seems fairly uneqivocal.

It wouldn't bother me if you were singling out a race anyway.  Personally I think that the Spanish and Catalans, with honourable exceptions, have an appallingly casual attitude towards animal cruelty, and welfare only applies to animals that are valuable, like horses or 'handbag' dogs.

I think that it will take more than 'education' to change the attitude of hunters who abandon dogs at the end of the season or anyone who who can't be arsed to have their animal spayed.  If you tell them that it is wrong they'll just shrug.  What can they be told that will create a sea change in attitude?  They really, really don't care.

Having lived in this area for the last 12 or so years,i can only agree with the last 2 comments on this thread.