An animal shelter in Valencia, Modepran, was instrumental in a recent court case that could result in the imprisonment of an animal owner for abandoning his dog…
Last week, in Valencia, one of the most interesting and important trials for animal rights came to a close. As a result, the Valencia Prosecutor’s Office is requesting a one-year prison sentence for a man in Catarroja who had a sick female doberman in an advanced state of malnutrition on his farm. The trial is over, and the parties are awaiting the sentence. If the court convicts the animal abusers to prison, it will send a strong message to future animal abusers.
This case began in 2017, when local police were notified that a female doberman was in critical condition on a farm in Catarroja. The animal was found sick, with lismania (a parasitic illness transmitted by the bite of infected female sandflies), full of wounds, and malnourished. When police arrived at the farm, the accused denied ownership of the dog. The dog was referred to the Paterna clinical veterinary hospital, which confirmed that she was in critical condition, and “on the verge of death”. With veterinary care, the animal was able to recover and was eventually adopted by the refuge.
Shockingly, nothing else was done. Catarroja’s court decided not to pursue legal action at the time.
The story did not end there, though. The animal shelter, Modepran from Paterna, where this animal was being cared for, decided to file an appeal, and the case was soon taken up by the Prosecutor Office of Valencia. The abuser was found guilty of the crime of “omission of the duty of care” in the subsequent trial, and he will now face the consequences of his actions. If he is imprisoned, it will be the first time this has happened in La Comunidad Valenciana.
Nobody would have known about this case if it hadn’t been for Modepran. Modepran from Paterna is a member of Spain’s Animal Protection Network, a non-profit organisation with its own animal shelter. People can get involved in a variety of ways, including as volunteers or donors. And it should be supported because, regardless of the outcome of the sentencing process, this has been our province’s biggest victory for animal rights activists thus far.
© Animal Shelter In Valencia Sues Man Over Doberman “On The Verge Of Death – TheValencian
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