Four months ago, twenty-five purebred puppies were rescued during an operation by the Guardia Civil's Seprona division that was in response to reports of mistreatment. The puppies were at a pet shop in Palma. They were part of a shipment of puppies from illegal breeding farms in eastern Europe to Mataró in the Barcelona province. Some were forwarded to Mallorca, others to Gran Canaria. The Seprona operation was carried out simultaneously in the three locations.
The puppies, now growing of course, are immersed in a legal case. They are being looked after at Palma town hall's Son Reus animal centre, while the courts decide who should pay for their care. This is put at five euros per day per dog, and so the total is now in the region of 15,000 euros. In addition, the Prosecutor's Office wants the case to be processed by a court in Mataró rather than in Palma or Gran Canaria. The market value of each dog is around 1,000 euros.
Nieves Martín, president of the Son Reus volunteers association, says that although the dogs are being well cared for, they are losing the opportunities to learn and socialise. They need a home and will require help when they do finally leave. Martin adds that she calls Seprona every day to find out what will happen to the dogs. "But they can't give us any solution. They tell us that the case has to follow the judicial process."
Martin explains that Seprona have said that the association could take care of finding a home for the dogs. "Anyone who wants to host them should contact us through social media and we will study the suitability of this." Son Reus, meanwhile, has not proposed adoption, given that a court decision is pending.