The Councilor for Health of the Arrecife City Council, Saro González, has denied that the Police no longer collect abandoned animals as denounced by Lanzarote en Pie- Sí Podemos, whom she has accused of "alarming" the population. Likewise, the councilor has announced the first adoption in the municipal kennel, now converted into an Animal Protection Center, where visits are also now allowed.
"By law, the Police have to continue collecting animals, only they cannot be in the kennel, because the veterinarian is already there," González explained, after Podemos denounced that the mayor of Arrecife had revoked an order issued in March by the previous government group, by which "the custody of the municipal kennel was assigned to the Animal Protection Unit of the Local Police", allowing it to "cover services that had not been provided for years due to various issues, including the veterinarian's leave, such as the collection of animals."
Thus, the Councilor for Health has explained that this measure was adopted because the veterinarian was on leave and has clarified that now with his return, the previous situation has simply returned. Therefore, she has regretted "that confusing information is circulating, noting that the Local Police have stopped removing stray or abandoned animals from public roads." "By law, Local Police officers throughout Spain will ensure compliance with municipal ordinances," Saro González insisted, who in this regard recalled that Arrecife has a regulatory ordinance for the possession and protection of animals and potentially dangerous animals "in force since 2008."
Collection of a rooster and first adoption of a dog
In fact, according to the City Council, agents of the Local Police of Arrecife collected this Monday a rooster that was on the roads of the city center, and that was transferred to the Animal Protection Center "for veterinary evaluation." "And the guys who are working in the kennel, who are three, are also going to take an animal transport course, so they can collect animals on the street," added the Councilor for Health.
Likewise, the City Council has announced that this Tuesday it has granted for adoption one of the 15 dogs that the Animal Protection Center houses and that there are another 10 that can already be adopted by families. In addition, according to Saro González, a visiting schedule has been established from Monday to Friday, from 12 to 1 p.m., so that citizens can visit the animals.
The councilor has also stated that volunteering will soon be established so that citizens can also walk them, as has been demanded for some time. "We are working on the rules, which have already been given to the lawyer to review them," González specified, who pointed out, however, that the workers have started "to take the dogs out."
Complaints of animals seized three years ago "that were not processed"
Regarding the remaining four dogs, the Councilor for Health has explained that these are animals that were seized and that work is being done to see "if they are returned to their owners or given up for adoption." And it is that, according to what she has stated, there are some that have been there for "more than three years" because "the complaints had not been processed."
However, when asked who was responsible for processing them, Saro González pointed out that "it is not known." "They were put in a drawer and there are no reports of those dogs," said the councilor, who specified that some were seized "by the Local Police" and others "by the Seprona", with whom she said she was "in contact" to see "which dogs they seized" and get those reports.
In defense of the veterinarian
The councilor has also come out in defense of the veterinarian, after Podemos expressed its concern that he has "returned to control the kennel" and recalled that "he was repeatedly denounced" for understanding "that he was not performing his functions correctly and for facts such as the indiscriminate adoption or disappearance of animal corpses."
"I have no problem with the veterinarian, I don't know what problem Podemos has. I don't know if they have complaints against him, but what I'm doing is looking forward, I'm not going to look back," Saro González pointed out in this regard, stating that the veterinarian "is very involved" and that she is "very happy" both with him and with the technician and the kennel workers.
"They are responding to what we have to do, which is to give a solution to the dogs and not be with complaints in the media trying to make people angry by saying things that are not the reality of what is happening," she added.
Agreement with the Sara protectorate
Finally, among the improvements to be implemented, the Councilor for Health has pointed out that the agreement with the Sara animal protectorate is being finalized to collaborate in the management of the Animal Protection Center.
"I have already left it to the auditor, to see if it is viable or not, and then we will send it to Sara to start working with them," González said, who hopes that "nothing is pending for signature."