The Ademal association has denounced the Local Police of Teguise in the Courts "for omission and neglect of their duties", after "forcing" a couple of tourists to take responsibility and care for a lost dog, claiming that "it is in the municipal ordinances."
In addition, this organization has made public the conversation that one of its members had with an agent of the police force, after the tourists contacted the association to report what happened. A telephone call that Ademal has described as "rocambolesque", in which the police officer is heard stating that the tourists had the obligation to take care of the animal and that it has jumped to the national media, where a parody has been made and they have charged against those responsible for the Teguise City Council
According to the complaint, the events took place on September 5, after the tourists found a dog "in the middle of the road" in Guatiza, which they managed to "capture" after it went "towards an edge" of the road. After that, they verified that the animal "was wearing two collars, one of them electric" and that it presented "evident signs of dehydration and malnutrition", before which they tried to locate a veterinarian, a search that was "unsuccessful since it was a non-working day." Likewise, it is stated that they tried to make arrangements with the kennels and shelters on the island "without any result."
After that and "as a last resort", they called the Local Police of Teguise, where they claim that they were told that "they could not take charge until Monday because they did not have personnel." Likewise, they affirm that they appeared at the police station, where they were told that "the holder of the dog is responsible for it."
Meanwhile, it is pointed out that they also made arrangements through social networks, contacting the mayor, who "at first" provided them with "the contact of the municipal kennel, which was again unsuccessful" and later "the number of a councilor." However, it is indicated that they did not get to contact him, since by then Ademal had already offered them a solution and had taken "charge of collecting the dog."
The conversation between Ademal and a police officer
After learning of the events and before proceeding to collect the animal, Ademal also made a telephone call to the Local Police of Teguise, to whose recording La Voz has had access. In it, a member of the association explained to the agent who attended her the situation of the tourists.
"They have gone to the Police and they have told them that they cannot take charge because there is no staff. They have not read the chip or anything to know who the owner is and now, those people, who are tourists, what are they going to do? What can they do? Leave the dog on the street again," she asked.
"The truth is that I cannot answer you and, if by chance you are recording the call, I do not authorize this recording," the agent replied, stating that he could not give her a solution because he did not have "the means" to do so. "What can they do? The truth is that I don't know," he added.
"Yes, but there is a municipal kennel in Teguise," they insisted then from Ademal, to which the agent replied that the operator of the same was not available. "Therefore, if there is no operator, there is no kennel," he pointed out
After that, the Ademal member asked the police officer if the tourists then had to leave the dog "on the street again" and the agent stated that "the municipal ordinance says that the holder or finder of an animal must take charge of it." "The people responsible for the animals are them," he insisted. Who? The tourists?, they asked surprised from Ademal. "Yes, they have to take charge," the agent reiterated.
Later, Ademal requested the police officer's identification number, to which he, instead of answering, asked the woman who had called for her name and address. However, after she provided the data and insisted that the agent give his, he finally ended up identifying himself, after which the call was ended.
The parody of the call
After denouncing this situation on their social networks and making public the transcription of this telephone conversation by Ademal, Onda Cero echoed it in the national program "Like cat and dog", where they made a parody of it.
"This is already a joke," said journalist Carlos Rodríguez, about the fact that the Teguise Police forced tourists to take charge of the animal, claiming that it is "what is stated in the municipal ordinances." "Wonderful, too. This gentleman has had to do a little training, the agent should know the municipal ordinances and not lie. An agent lying, knowingly. And in Teguise it's cool that if a dog gets lost on the weekend, you eat it," he added.
"And on top of that you call and the people in charge tell you, no, you have to eat it because of the regulations that I am inventing right now, which I really want to and that you are going to swallow. Well, maybe what needs to be done and will be done, and I want to warn all the mayors, councilors, local police and etceteras, etceteras, is that from this moment on, all those who demonstrably fail to comply with the function that their function obliges them to will be denounced," warned Carlos Rodríguez. "Let's see if the mayors and councilors prepare a little bit and, if you don't know what it's about, then go plant chives, which is the closest thing to your brain", continued the journalist, asking public officials "to learn the legislation" on animals.
Infringement of animal protection regulations
Precisely, this is what Ademal accuses the Local Police of Teguise of, of having infringed the Animal Protection Law, which states that "the collection of abandoned animals will be the responsibility of the City Councils." Likewise, it also considers that they have not complied with the City Council's own ordinance, in which they point out that it establishes that "notices about the existence of allegedly abandoned, vagrant or lost animals will be made in the first place to the Local Police and they will obligatorily notify the area responsible for animal ownership of this Teguise City Council and/or its collection service."
According to the complaint, Ademal finally took charge of the animal, a female podenco, which was taken to an emergency veterinarian, where in addition to supplying it with "what was necessary to hydrate it and improve its condition", it was found to have a chip. After that, the owner could be contacted, who had reported the animal's disappearance "on August 16." "The Local Police of Teguise was informed of this, as the owner of the dog tells us later," it is added.
