JANUARY 2010 - Update
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL.
Sadly, 2010 begins with the situation much the same as 2009 started. While we had hoped that last year would bring an end to the appalling conditions and ongoing animal abuse at the dog compound, we find ourselves monitoring an unchanged situation, with little hope of much progress in 2010.
On December 8th, 2009, the horse was removed from the compound. While DAMARIS GONZALES's accomplice had visited the compound almost every day since the horse was brought there, he had steadfastly refused to pay any attention to the needs of the dogs....attending only to the needs of the horse. This was good news for the horse......indeed, after the initial period of hobbling the animal and some sporadic bursts of temper and abuse towards the horse, things improved in a way they never had for the dogs. However, for whatever reason, the horse was eventually removed and his fate is unknown. From that day, the daily visits to the compound ended and the dogs became, yet again, inconsequential and unworthy of even the most basic attention.
On December 13th, the man visited for 15 minutes and was seen throwing something over the fence to the dogs. He did, however, feed the chickens! No-one visited again until December 27th.......TWO WEEKS later!! During that time, the temperature dropped considerably and the dogs received no food at all. The water deposit also appears to be empty.......it is difficult to tell as it is so dirty........so the only water supply would have been the rain that fell during that time.
On December 27th and 28th, the man arrived and began to rotovate one of the lower sections of the compound. He was there for some hours, during which the Weimaraner, alone, was allowed out of his pen to run about. Apart from this, the man paid no attention to the other dogs AT ANY TIME, even though they must have been starving. He returned on December 31st for 30 mins, but there was no contact with the dogs. On January 1st, DG turned up with him.......her first visit since December 6th (when she remained in the car and did nothing). They stayed for 10 mins and he must have fed the dogs, though it was not clear why they visited.
The condition of the dogs is unknown, as the fence covering makes it impossible to take a clear picture of the animals. There are still at least 7 dogs there, though how many are alive and in good health is unknown. This is the third, successive Christmas that these animals have been left for a fortnight or more with no food, little water and no exercise or human contact. The ever-present question 'Why DOES she have these dogs?' remains. DG, herself, has NO contact with them and her accomplice is completely indifferent to their suffering. The chickens are afforded more of his time and effort than the dogs.
A further 'denuncia' was submitted, asking why these animals continue to be kept in these inhumane conditions, but there has been no action taken. The court case cost over 3000 euros....some of which is still outstanding.....while DG was fined a paltry 180 euros. If anyone knows of anything more that can be done to help these animals, PLEASE contact us and let us know. Must we send a petition to the King of Spain to finally end this terrible situation? It is clear that the authorities in Alhama de Murcia are uninterested.......so where do we go next?
If you feel inclined to submit your own 'denuncia', then the details you will need are these:
*the compound is situated on Vereda Los Paletones (near Polaris World) in Alhama de Murcia.
*The owner is Damaris Gonzales Canovas who lives at San Lazaro No.13 in Alhama de Murcia town. She visits these animals less than once a month and her 'representative' is as guilty as she of neglect. He may be her husband......we don't know for sure.
*There are at least 7 dogs there, in poor health, and receiving little, if any, food and water on a regular basis.
*With the odd exception, they are NEVER released from their pens which are rarely cleaned. Photos on the website show the disgusting conditions in which these animals live.
*The owner should have each dog registered, vaccinated and micro-chipped. We believe NONE of these dogs has ever seen a vet or received any of these essential things!
*The Alsation is known to have a severe case of mange which has, almost certainly, been passed on to the other dogs living in the same pen, if not all the dogs.
We would urge you to submit your own 'denuncia' to help keep this case in the spotlight this year. It should be submitted to the Ayuntamiento in Alhama, NOT the Guardia Civil. The Ayuntamiento are more likely to act, as DG has already cost them a great deal of money and they are familiar with the case. The GC will be notified by the Ayuntamiento official in charge of environmental issues, so they will, in due course, become involved. They may be asked to intervene to gain access to the compound to assess the conditions there.
Updates will continue to be posted, but don't hold your breath for good news. After more than 5 years, this looks like being a much more difficult fight to win than we ever would have imagined. Let's hope we are not posting a similar tale of hopelessness this time next year!
Best wishes for the New Year and thanks to all those who have visited this website, added their voice and support and, especially, donated some precious euros to the Cause. Keep in touch and, please, spread the word and the website details. We want 2010 to be the year we succeed in rescuing these poor dogs.
The photo, below, shows the compound during the summer when there were ten dogs incarcerated there. It is more difficult, now, to photograph the animals, but the place has not been cleaned since before this photo was taken and is in a much worse state. Come rain and wind, freezing temperatures and heatwaves, these animals spend every minute of every day in these disgusting conditions, using their sleeping boxes, as much as the outside area, as their toilet. They have tried to tunnel their way out of their prison and their faeces collect in the holes they have dug. Their food is thrown over the fence into the pens, to scatter amongst their waste.
NO CREATURE SHOULD HAVE TO LIVE LIKE THIS!!
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