SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 2 Aug. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Authorities from the Civil Guard, part of the Nature Protection Service (Seprona), have detained and interrogated a 60-year-old woman living in La Laguna (Tenerife). She is suspected of violating a court order, refusing to comply with authority, and engaging in a pattern of neglecting and abandoning domestic animals. The woman was found to have 25 dogs and a cat in her residence in extremely unsanitary conditions.
The incident dates back to January 2024 when the San Cristóbal de La Laguna City Council sought assistance from the Civil Guard to rescue several dogs from the woman’s home due to their severe distress, as reported by the police department in a press statement.
Following this request, Civil Guard’s Seprona agents visited the property and discovered that the animals were in distressing conditions, infested with fleas, ticks, and other parasites, with some even suffering from illnesses like scabies.
Despite attempts to persuade her to surrender the animals voluntarily, the woman barricaded herself inside the house, refusing to cooperate. Nonetheless, the officers managed to rescue 10 dogs – some in critical condition – who were later relocated to the Valle Colino regional shelter.
Subsequently, due to the woman’s persistent refusal, legal proceedings were initiated and referred to the judicial authorities. A court order was issued to gain access to the property, remove the animals, and prohibit her from owning animals in the future.
In compliance with the court order, a joint operation involving personnel from the San Cristóbal de La Laguna City Council, the Valle Colino Shelter, and Civil Guard agents was carried out on July 24. This operation led to the rescue of 26 animals (25 dogs and a cat), all in critical health conditions.
The animals were transferred to the Valle Colino regional shelter, and the woman was arrested for defying and resisting authority. She is also under investigation for repeated neglect and abandonment of domestic animals and for violating a court order, as she had a previous conviction for animal possession.
In total, a sum of 35 dogs and one cat were rescued over the course of both interventions.
The suspect was handed over to the competent judicial authorities and, following a medical assessment by the court-appointed forensic doctor, she was admitted to the University Hospital of the Canary Islands. Additionally, this woman had a prior legal history of being disqualified from owning animals by a Court in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
