Inês Sousa Real Reports Deplorable Conditions for Dogs in Penafiel

PAN leader Inês Sousa Real reported the poor conditions in which she found a group of dogs belonging to hunters but housed in premises rented by Penafiel Council beside the municipal kennel, which she visited on Sunday morning.

Inês Sousa Real reports conditions at Penafiel Municipal Kennel

Inês Sousa Real told Lusa she had requested the GNR's intervention because the animals were being kept in “deplorable” conditions, surrounded by faeces and without water or food. She said she would file a criminal complaint. “Behind the kennel there is a space that has been made available to the hunters from this neighbourhood. It is absolutely filthy, the animals are starving and have no conditions whatsoever,” she said.

According to her, the site holds “packs belonging to different hunters, which were removed from a neighbourhood but belong to different owners”. “There are sick animals, covered in faeces, skin and bone, eating their own waste; we even have videos of this,” she added.

During her visit to Penafiel Municipal Kennel, the PAN leader became aware of dogs barking in facilities adjoining the kennel that had not been included in the tour. “We went there and came across a degrading situation. We were told that the animals belonged to a group of hunters, so we reported it and called the GNR to the site,” she told Lusa.

Sick dogs and suspected breeding at the rented premises

As well as the unsanitary conditions and lack of food, animals that were seriously ill were also found. “There is an animal here that will probably die in the coming days. There are also suspicions that pedigree dogs may be being bred here.”

Inês Sousa Real's visit to Penafiel Municipal Kennel was intended to assess how the facility was operating, as data concerning the kennel's activity “has still not been published by the Directorate-General for Veterinary Affairs”, prompting “some concern”.

Council says kennel activity data was submitted

At the site, councillor Henrique Martins, who is responsible for the portfolio, told Lusa that all the data had been submitted but “has not been published”. He said this was allegedly because some of the work had been carried out at private veterinary clinics, as the kennel does not have an operating room.

“We do not understand it, because other municipal kennels are in the same situation and already have their data available on the Directorate-General for Veterinary Affairs website,” he told Lusa. The councillor also said improvements to the municipal kennel's facilities and additional staff were planned, although he could not confirm whether the creation of an operating room was included.

Regarding the case reported by Inês Sousa Real, the councillor said he was unaware of the conditions in which the animals were being kept and pledged to “change the operating rules so that there is permanent access to the space”.