Santi the Santiago del Teide Dog is becoming a cause celebre with on-line petitions and his picture all over the internet, after being locked up alone by the local Police with no food or water after the death of his owner.
Luckily a local animal charity, the Asociación San Francisco de los Animales is managing to feed Santi under a locked high gate, nugget by nugget and push small cups of water under the gap to keep him going.
This has been going on since the end of October when animal charity workers did manage to rescue 15 other dogs from the property at the request of the local council… but not Santi.
Despite the charity’s representative Judith Noble making appeal after appeal to the authorities to be allowed to gain accompanied access to the property and coax the very frightened and nervous Santi to come with her to be properly cared for, no one bothered to answer her.
The Ayuntamiento would not even give the association the court case details so that the matter could be taken up through the courts more easily.
Now the association has instructed a lawyer who has managed to obtain the necessary information and court papers were served on the 9th January, but there is still no response from the court authorities to date.
Finally, however, there is a response from the local authority in Santiago de Teide – the matter has, after all, now hit the Spanish Press.
In a comment given to the El Dia Newspaper today, Ibrahim Forte deputy mayor of the Santiago del Teide PP-run ayuntamiento said: “The ayuntamiento can do nothing because we are facing a problem regarding inheritance.
“That was why the keys to the property had to be given in to the custody of the courts in Arona, specifically Judge number 3.
“Until there is a legal judgement no one may enter the property, no matter how much we, the local authority, would wish to”
The only thing that saves us from the bureaucracy is inefficiency. An efficient bureaucracy is the greatest threat to liberty. Eugene J. McCarthy (b. 1916), U.S. politician. Time (New York, Feb. 12, 1979)
Similar Stories: http://newsinthesun.com/santiago-del-teide-no-animal-should-be-left-to-die-in-this-way/
Update 16 Jan 2013
Santi’s lawyer blames Santiago Del Teide Council
Lisbeth Morales the San Isidro based lawyer for the Asociación San Francisco de Los Animales spoke on Spanish radio today about Santi the dog who has been locked up without proper access to food or water since October. In the Lawyer’s opinion the Santiago del Teide Ayuntamiento is in breach not only of it’s own regulations regarding animal abuse but that the condition of the property where he is incarcerated constitutes a public health risk and for that reason, if no other, the council could enter the premises and have Santi removed to proper care. Interview in Spanish can be heard : here
Surely no need to enter the property, just remove the door. Simple.
“Until there is a legal judgement no one may enter the property, no matter how much we, the local authority, would wish to”
Absolute rubbish. This is a life they’re talking about. Disgraceful.
I contacted an European Deputy here from Luxembourg to ask for help.
This is the email address of the President of the Canary Islands. elpresidenteresponde@gobiernodecanarias.org. Please can every send the following email in order to that we may highlight the scandalous behaviour of the authorities in Santiago del Teide, with regards to Santi the dog who has been locked inside his house since his owner died at the end of October.
Estoy horrorizado de que el Ayuntamiento de Santiago del Teide y la Policía local, han abandonado un perro en una casa a unos cientos de metros de las oficinas del Ayuntamiento. Este pobre perro ha estado viviendo allí por su cuenta durante más de dos meses, a pesar de todos los esfuerzos de la Asociación San Francisco de los Animales de conseguir que el perro de la casa a través de los canales oficiales. El Ayuntamiento ni siquiera están observando su propia Ordenanza De La Tenencia de Animales de Compañía Y Peligrosos protencialmente. Este perro debe ser removido de la casa y yo cortésmente le pedimos que cooperen plenamente con la asociación con el fin de rescatar a un perro de la casa.