The Teguise City Council, through the coordinated work between the Animal Welfare area and the Local Police, continues to reinforce surveillance and compliance with current regulations on animal protection. In recent weeks four sanctioning files have been processed related to the abandonment of animals and the non-compliance with sanitary obligations, in an action that seeks to guarantee both animal welfare and public health in the municipality.
The mayor of Teguise, Olivia Duque, emphasizes that “from the City Council we continue working with firmness to protect animals and ensure responsible coexistence in all areas of the municipality, because abandonment and the lack of sanitary attention are behaviors that cannot be normalized and before which we must act with responsibility and sensitivity”.
For his part, the Councillor for Animal Welfare, Ginés González, highlights that “the work carried out by the department and by the Local Police seeks to guarantee compliance with the law and that animals receive the treatment and care they deserve. It is not a matter of revenue collection, but of raising awareness and acting against situations that directly affect animal welfare and the safety of everyone.”
Sanctions for animal abandonment
Among recent actions are included several cases for abandonment of animals on public roads, both in residential areas and in municipal spaces. In some of these cases, the animals were collected by municipal services and, once the legal custody periods expired without their owners coming to retrieve them, they were officially declared in a state of abandonment.
One of the cases was that of an American Bully dog that was abandoned by its owner and, despite the multiple requests made to the owner for its collection, he did not respond. Due to this very serious infraction, a fine of 1,503 euros has been imposed on him.
On the other hand, on another occasion, two other mixed-breed dogs were picked up wandering in the public road in the Villa de Teguise. The owner acknowledged via WhatsApp messages having knowledge that the animals were in the shelter, but presented evasive excuses and never came to pick them up after exceeding the 20-day period. A fine of 3,006 euros has been imposed on him for the abandonment of two dogs.
As these are infractions classified as very serious according to the Canary Islands Animal Protection Law, the City Council has proposed sanctions that, in some cases, exceed 3,000 euros and which have been sent to the Government of the Canary Islands for their final resolution.
Sanitary control and mandatory vaccination
Likewise, sanctioning files have been processed for non-compliance related to the lack of mandatory sanitary treatments, especially por not having the rabies vaccine in force.
One of the animals was located without the mandatory rabies vaccine, the last one administered dated from 2017. This infraction has been classified as serious, for which a fine of 151 euros has been imposed on its owner, with the possibility of a 50% reduction for voluntary payment.
Another of the dogs also lacked the mandatory vaccinations and was located after neighborhood alerts for a loose dog Costa Teguise). Its vaccination records were outdated since 2022 and 2023, for which its owner has been sanctioned with a fine of 151 euros, with a 50% reduction for voluntary payment within the deadline.
The City Council reminds that keeping vaccines up to date, identification by microchip, and health booklets is not only a legal obligation for owners, but also an essential measure to guarantee animal welfare and protect public health.
