The Arrecife Court of Instruction has provisionally dismissed the complaint filed for repeated dog attacks in Charco del Palo, in Haría.
The residents, who have been reporting the events for years, claim to feel "abandoned by institutions that, they say, are fully aware of the situation but have chosen not to intervene."
The events began at least three years ago, when several dogs owned by a neighbor began to roam freely in the area, accessing private homes, gardens, and rooftops. Since then, they have caused the death of at least fourteen domestic animals, injuries to others, and episodes of aggression against people, according to this citizen.
Despite the complaints filed and the press release issued by the Civil Guard on July 9 acknowledging the criminal investigation, the judicial procedure has been dismissed without "statements being taken from the parties or diligences being carried out," he states.
"They have done absolutely nothing"
According to the affected party's lawyer, Eloi Sarrió, a specialist in Animal Law, "we are facing a textbook case of institutional inaction. There is evidence, there are complaints, there is a playground a few meters away, and yet the City Council and the Local Police have done absolutely nothing." From his office, the reopening of the case has been requested, the initiation of administrative sanctions, and the confiscation of the animals involved, in accordance with article 65 of the Animal Welfare Law.
In addition, he states that "the Local Police of Haría has been criminally denounced for refusing to process complaints and not answering emergency calls, while the City Council of Teguise has not applied any of the measures requested by the Civil Guard, such as the identification of the animals, their sanitary control, or the opening of sanctioning files."
"Neighbors trapped by fear"
One of the affected residents has lost three animals in different attacks. Since then, he lives locked up at home, afraid to go out or open windows. "I haven't slept since February. Every noise startles me. It's not just what they have killed, it's what continues to scare me every day," he says.
Meanwhile, the question in Charco del Palo remains the same: What else has to happen for the authorities to act?
