This Sunday, several people invaded the facilities of the shelter in Santo Tirso, which was affected by the fires that broke out Saturday in the region. They did it to rescue the animals that were there, something they had tried to do before but were prevented by the owners of the shelter and also by the GNR. According to “Jornal de Notícias”, there was no negotiation with the authorities for the removal of the animals, but several popular people decided to enter anyway.
A tragic scenario was described to the media present at the site, with “dozens of dead dogs” and many others “malnourished and living in bad conditions”. The kennel, called Cantinho das Quatro Patas, was in an “illegal situation”, denounced the PAN, reporting the “numerous complaints that have been made since 2017”.
In that year an investigation was opened by the Department of Investigation and Penal Action of Porto, to the said shelter and to another, following complaints of animal abuse.
In 2018, however, the lawsuit was shelved, and the Public Prosecutor’s Office considered “there is no cruelty in keeping animals in a dirty space, with garbage, waste and a bad smell”, as mentioned in an order. It is estimated that a total of 200 to 300 animals lived in the shelter.
In statement released this Sunday, GNR stated that it prevented people from entering the shelter’s facilities because it was private property and because “there was no urgency” to remove the animals from there.
–
