The Animal and Plant Protection Association, Sara, is completely overwhelmed. Its headquarters has capacity for 155 dogs and 60 felines, but at the moment it has been forced to shelter more than 300 animals. According to a statement, in the last month there has been "a large number" of pet abandonments in Lanzarote and the shelter no longer has the capacity to take in more animals. "There is no more room", he warns.
"Animals have their rights and we cannot violate their well-being, as they are our responsibility, and we must ensure them", they indicate from Sara, from where they assure that this overcrowding "would mean a overcrowding that would cause an increase in infectious diseases, attacks between dogs, stress for cats, reproduction of parasite plagues and, of course, much more dedication of the staff to properly care for these animals".
But, in addition to all these problems, there is the usual difficulty, that of money. "The increase in animals means a exorbitant increase in expenses, a critical issue for our coffers considering the little institutional support", they indicate from the shelter.
Lack of space
That is why Sara appeals to "understanding" and asks the population to understand that Sara "has its limits". Thus, the shelter does not have enough space to house so many animals, taking into account that it is not the same to house a small dog than a large adult. "Due to issues of dominance and character, it is more difficult to put territorial male dogs together in a cage, as there could be fights", they indicate.
"We must remember that the areas are delimited by the characteristics and ages of the animals, so at any given time there may be room for a puppy but not for a large adult female. We have waiting lists for each of the areas. Sometimes people are asked to wait for a space and many times they do not have to wait more than two or three days", explains the shelter in this statement.
In addition, Sara has to take into account the situation of the animal that must enter its association. Thus, if the pet has been mistreated and is malnourished wandering the street, it has preference over the others, as it must be checked by a veterinarian. This animal would be interned in an area enabled for these cases until an improvement is achieved and it can be adopted. Meanwhile, the association bears all the expenses and assumes the operations and subsequent treatment.
Abandoning their own pets
With all this, Sara wants to explain to the population that there is an established protocol for the entry of animals, since on many occasions it has encountered the "incomprehension" of people who demand the collection of their pet. "There are those who take animals that have been found abandoned and others who go there to abandon their own pets. Some have been faithful companions of their owners for years, but that fidelity is paid to them like this", criticizes the shelter, which affirms that many owners demand a space for their animals from Sara and, if not, "take them to be sacrificed".
From Sara they have decided to make all these situations public, after years of "silent impotence, of swallowing words that burn inside". "On many occasions the excuses for abandonment are just that: excuses", they indicate.
"The same old song"
"We are tired of always hearing the same old song of the reasons for the abandonments. We are tired of even being insulted, of arriving in the mornings and seeing how they have left us boxes next to the containers full of newborn kittens, of dogs tied to the doors, of dogs run over for having left them loose near the shelter but without realizing or without caring that there is a road nearby, of dogs thrown through the walls (a question for which we had to raise the height of the same), and so a long list of nonsense, which cause us pain", laments Sara.
But the love for animals that all the volunteers of Sara feel makes them continue fighting and, therefore, they want to explain to the population that when they do not allow the entry of a new animal in their headquarters, it is not because they do not want to, because they feel it "in the depths" of their "heart", but because they have no space.
"Sometimes we are held responsible for the future of that animal. They tell us that if we don't pick it up, they are going to leave it on the road to be run over by a car", the shelter points out indignantly. "This does not prevent us from continuing our work because we are very aware that the first and only responsible is the one who, with a lack of foresight and a mixture of foolishness and irresponsibility, took charge of an animal that he later decided to abandon. We are only a point of balance in which we try to reduce the consequences of abandonment, seeking a second chance for these animals", they indicate, while again pointing out that they cannot "accommodate all the animals of Lanzarote".
Acknowledgements
Despite this worrying statement issued by the island's animal shelter, Sara wants to thank the volunteers, the people who take animals to their homes while waiting for space at the headquarters and all those who help her in her work.
"Thanks to all of them we continue and we will not give in to incomprehension, to the irresponsible, to those who do not respect animal life. Sara will continue with her work on the island, but we appeal to understanding once again to be able to work in a coordinated manner and following a protocol", they ask from the shelter.
