The abandonment and mistreatment of dogs, cats and other animals is one of the most worrying issues in society. According to the 2024 Abandonment and Adoption Study by the Affinity Foundation, in 2023 more than 286,000 dogs and cats were abandoned in Spain, making it a structural problem that, far from improving, continues to leave alarming figures.
In Lanzarote, Sara is the animal shelter par excellence and has been working since 1986 to rescue and protect the island's dogs and cats that are abandoned and mistreated. Eight workers and between 15 and 20 volunteers are part of the shelter, in addition to those people who regularly come to walk the dogs, a necessary help for a shelter that needs an injection of about 300,000 euros a year to maintain itself.
In this sense, those people who want to go for walks must pay a mandatory insurance of four euros per year and fill out documentation at the shelter's office. "Any help is little because we have 120 dogs that unfortunately do not go out every day and even only do so twice a week," says Obelesa Hernández, a volunteer at the shelter.
In addition, they also have approximately 250 cats, with females from the street that are pregnant. And, according to the volunteer, "in Lanzarote, the biggest problem is focused on cats because dogs are more controlled."
The situation of the high percentage of abandonment and mistreatment means that the shelter is overwhelmed. "We are above our capacity, the cat pens are full, the foster homes are the same and there are cats that spend a month waiting in a carrier for a space in the cat pens," says Hernández.
And, in this sense, the volunteer says that many people think that the animals "are going to be great in the shelter", but nothing could be further from the truth. "This is not a home, a home is being in a house with a family and with their little bed, this is a shelter where we do what we can ensuring their well-being because we have to heal them inside and out," she says.
Unconditional love
A capacity that wounded and abandoned dogs and cats have is that they trust humans again and do not hold grudges. "They always trust us again, it's beautiful, to see how they arrive destroyed and how in a short time they show you a lot of love," she says.
There are specific cases that impact and that mark you for life. One of them is the case of Tyson, a small, quite old dog that arrived at the shelter. "He arrived in horrible conditions and that same afternoon he was already eating and the next day he was already jumping, with a little attention and affection they are already grateful," she says.
Tyson arrived very dirty and with a bad smell because he slept in the same place where he relieved himself and, in addition, he suffered a perineal hernia from which he managed to recover. "It's unbelievable to reach that extreme," she says.
Cats, in this case stray cats, are also among the greatly forgotten. "No one takes care of them and they arrive in conditions that break your heart and it is impossible not to empathize with so much pain," she says.
Winston is one of those examples of cats that have had a second chance in life. "He was literally sewn together in pieces by a dog attack and he was a cat that fought very hard to survive and today he is alive, it was a miracle because his body was like a puzzle," recalls Hernández.

The psychological impact
Seeing so much suffering and so much pain in the animals that arrive ends up taking a psychological toll. "Here at the shelter I think we cry daily because they are extreme cases," she says.
"There are workers who have had to leave intermittently or permanently because their heads reach their limit and what they decide is to continue contributing their help with donations so as not to experience it so directly," she continues.
A little more social awareness
And, according to Hernández, "animal abuse and abandonment has decreased if we compare it in the long term because we are more aware now than 20 years ago."
Many of the animals that arrive at the shelter do so under different excuses such as the impossibility of having them at home due to allergies, pregnancies of one of the members or changes in the animal's behavior. This is where the role of the Sara shelter comes into play, which in its adoptions ensures that the adoption is forever.
"We are clear that when an animal enters a family it has to be for life, regardless of the changes that have to be made, but not everyone is aware of this aspect yet," says the volunteer.
The adoption process in Sara has its process, from going and meeting the animal, being with it and walking it to knowing the family situation and the environment to know if the dog or cat is the right one and can adapt correctly. "You have to create a bond between the person and the dog because you may go with the idea of someone in particular and finally it may be that that animal is not for you and instead you meet another that is," she explains.
One of the main aids of the shelter are private donations. What they demand most are cleaning products, garbage bags, towels and cat litter, all to continue fighting for the life and well-being of the furriest members of the house.
