A Day for Animal Dignity: An Interview with Sabina De los Reyes, Founder of Animal Voices
On July 23rd, we’ll be holding a new free sterilization campaign in Taganga, Santa Marta, where we plan to sterilize 150 animals, including street animals and those belonging to vulnerable families. This initiative is made possible thanks to our partnership with Animal Voices, a foundation committed to animal welfare and led by Sabina De los Reyes, a woman who has dedicated her life to changing the reality of animals in Colombia.
In this blog, we want you to learn more about the real challenges street animals face, the importance of sterilization as a tool to reduce abandonment, and the real impact these kinds of campaigns have—not just for the animals, but also for the communities around them. We spoke with Sabina, who generously shared her experience, her mission, and the deep reason behind her commitment.
INTERVIEW WITH SABINA REYES – FOUNDER OF ANIMAL VOICES
1. What inspired you to create Animal Voices?
I believe the foundation chose me. It all started when I was invited to a meeting to help rescue some tigers. I showed up and saw a group of very well-known people gathered for this cause. After that experience, we started a WhatsApp group and began helping one case after another—a goat, a street dog, another one—and I realized the power of people united, especially those with influence. I thought: if these people really want to help, why not create a foundation? So, we made it official. On April 25, 2015, Animal Voices was born. We started with 20 people, but only five of us fully committed.
2. What is the reality for street animals in Colombia, especially in places like Santa Marta?
It’s extremely harsh. Many people think the worst part is that they live on the street, but that’s just the beginning. I’ve seen dogs lying on sidewalks who weren’t sleeping—they were dying. People pass by and do nothing because they don’t understand that animals have a different pain threshold. They drink water from puddles, dig through garbage to eat, and get beaten or burned. The worst part isn’t hunger—it’s the indifference. That’s true cruelty.
3. Why is sterilization such an important strategy for reducing abandonment?
It starts with us. People often abandon animals because they don’t understand what it means to care for one: it takes time, money, and love. Without sterilization, abandoned animals continue to reproduce in the streets. In Taganga alone, we estimate over 300 animals need sterilization. Imagine that number across all of Santa Marta. Sterilization is key to breaking the cycle of suffering.
4. What are the most common myths about sterilization?
Many men think sterilizing their male dog will “take away his manhood.” They believe the animal will be traumatized for not mating. But animals don’t reproduce for pleasure—it’s instinct. Another myth is that sterilized animals get fat or “dumb.” That’s not true. If you control their food, they won’t get fat. And if they become calmer, that’s not a weakness. Some people want aggressive dogs to guard their homes, so they think a calm dog is useless. But in reality, many dogs die from injuries caused by mating fights. Sterilization prevents that.
5. What impact does a campaign like the one we’re about to do have?
It goes beyond a medical procedure—it's a message of love. Many animals we help already have homes, but they’re full of ticks and fleas, and their families don’t know how dangerous that is. I remember a dog that wouldn’t eat and was very weak. She was covered in ticks. After treatment, she was jumping and eating the very next day. These campaigns are also for vulnerable families. We bring medicine, vitamins, food—things they could never afford. We tell them: you’re not alone. And of course, we prevent litters that might otherwise suffer, be abandoned, or even killed.
6. How does an animal’s life change after being sterilized?
A lot. Male dogs fight less, which means fewer injuries and a better chance at surviving. Female dogs are spared the trauma of being raped by packs, dying of exhaustion from constant pregnancies, or suffering from malnutrition because they can’t feed their pups. Sterilization is relief from emotional and physical abuse.
7. What happens if we don’t act? What does a community without population control look like?
It becomes a public health crisis. In many areas, people collect rainwater from rooftops—rooftops where cats live, urinate, and defecate. Uncontrolled reproduction contaminates the environment. Also, animals form packs and begin to see humans as threats—because they’ve been beaten, burned, mistreated. Some even attack to defend themselves. It’s not just about animal welfare—it affects the whole community.
8. What would you say to people who are still unsure about supporting campaigns like this?
Sterilization is an act of humanity. We’re sparing a female dog from being abused hundreds of times in one week. We’re saving the litters she would have brought into a world of pain. Sterilization prevents animals from being drowned, burned, poisoned. It’s about compassion for life, no matter the body that life comes in.
9. What would you say to someone considering buying a pet instead of adopting one?
I’d tell them to do their research. Don’t fall for the classic “but the breeder I bought from is ethical” excuse. I’ve seen the truth: dogs chained, overbred, abused. Three-year-old dogs with the bodies of twelve-year-olds. Broken hips, exhausted from non-stop pregnancies, no medical care, no love. And some breeders now genetically modify dogs, bringing animals into the world who are not fit to survive—just because they “look pretty.” Adoption saves lives. Buying feeds a cycle of cruelty.
