Volunteers and supporters of the Lanzarote kennels have called a demonstration to demand improvements to the center from the Teguise City Council. The event will take place in front of the Consistory on Sunday, December 4 at 10:00 a.m.
"After the formalization last September of the management of the Teguise Animal Shelter with the entity Gestión, Planeamiento Territorial y Medioambiental (Gesplan), and despite the fact that some of the previous demands made by the volunteers have been resolved, such as the updating of the website to speed up adoptions, there are still issues pending resolution," explain the volunteers at the rescue center.
Citizens who voluntarily lend a hand in the management of the kennel explain that they have once again "requested the Department of Animal Welfare, in charge of managing this infrastructure, to comply with what was promised" because they have been "40 days without being able to take out the dogs that are there due to the delay in insurance procedures and the manifest lack of will during this time."
"We volunteers have been noticing the lack of activity due to the impossibility of walks, the isolation and the interaction that these dogs are suffering," they denounce. "In addition to not being able to walk the dogs, there is also the fact that they do not allow us to have access to the municipal kennel, which is public. They deny us entry," criticizes one of the volunteers. Another volunteer adds that "asbestos ceilings still need to be removed from the adjoining building, and some cages that are rusty need to be removed. What worries us is the pace of the works."
Previously, some volunteers claim that they had reported "to Seprona the poor condition of the facilities, where some of these dogs are in legal proceedings due to their seizure, thus delaying a possible adoption." It should be remembered that the volunteers' complaints led the Court to open criminal proceedings for the Teguise kennel. In them, they denounced "the poor conditions of the place, with unhealthy rooms, with lack of light or ventilation and with several animals in the same cage," explain the volunteers. The complaint also made "mention of the dirt and cages in poor condition," they point out.
With their demands, they point out "the importance of the volunteer sector, which must go hand in hand in matters of animal welfare together with the Teguise institution" and highlight that from their "altruistic and vocational work", they are "worrying about the care of the animals that are in the facility without obtaining any type of response from the Teguise City Council."
"Given this lack of understanding and few solutions," the volunteers have decided to demonstrate with the aim of fighting for a dignified municipal kennel and that what was promised in terms of animal welfare is fulfilled. Therefore, they invite citizens, supporters and volunteers from the rest of the island's shelters to join the protest.