Last month, a Guardia Civil SEPRONA (Nature Protection Service) patrol investigated an individual for a crime of animal abuse and/or abandonment, as in addition to having four dogs at a private home in a somewhat precarious state, evidenced by images provided to the Guardia Civil, the owner of the dogs was seen striking one dog with a stick, then with a large heavy rock and later with some sort of wooden board, at the house in question in the municipality of Mogán.
Seprona is also investigating a local veterinarian for a crime of omission and providing false documentation and reports that did not correspond to the reality of the animal’s condition.
The investigation was initiated by Seprona as a result of citizen collaboration and a protector who provided a video where the owner of the dogs can be seen aggressively hitting one of them repeatedly, with no way for the animal to escape as he was tied with a short chain to reduce his movement.
Seprona agents therefore went to the place where the events occurred to confirm that the animals were at the location provided and then rescued them from the situation.
Tied up and uncleaned
The four dogs were identified using their microchips. They were all tied with a chain of no more than two meters in length, without a roof to shelter from the weather and without food, and there had been no cleaning where they were tied up, since the floor was full of excrement.
As part of their normal procedures, Seprona informed the Mogán Town Council so that the municipal animal collection service could take charge of the dogs, and produce a corresponding report on their condition and the animal known to have received the beating.
The owner of the animals, however, took advantage of the situation, expressing a desire to get rid of three of the dogs, and give them to whoever wanted to keep them, which led the animal protector, who was part of the collaboration, to offer to rescue them so as be able to give them up for adoption. For this reason, Seprona requested a second report to corroborate the status of the animals, as it turned out that the town hall’s vet, who usually works on behalf of the municipality of Mogán, had not been able provide their assessment until the animals were already in possession of the protector.
Conflicting reports
The Mogán veterinarian, working on behalf of the municipal animal collection company, operated by the town hall, reported on the state of the dogs saying “in none were infectious-contagious diseases found, all of them being well hydrated and without external parasites, stating that their body condition is quite good”, say the Civil Guard in their subsequent report.
However when the Guardia Civil contrasted that report with the statements made by the animal protector, who rescued the animals, and they appeared to be totally contradictory.
The protector had indicated that the state in which the dogs were found was deplorable, with untreated wounds, pain in the extremities to the point of not even being able to stand up, and they had a great number of external parasites, including fleas and ticks.
On this bases the Guardia Civil have widened the scope of their investigation to two people now, both the owner of the dogs and the municipal service veterinarian, suspected of a crime of animal abuse and a crime of omission and documentary falsification, respectively.
The Proceedings have been made available to the Duty Courts of San Bartolomé de Tirajana, as well as the Provincial Prosecutor for the Environment of Las Palmas.
