Life4dogs
Magazine
Tenerife – a place millions of tourists associate with sun, beaches, and carefree holidays. But those who look beyond the tourist resorts discover a bitter truth. Emaciated dogs chained with no freedom of movement, and kittens abandoned in plastic bags inside garbage containers, left to die. For some it’s a dream vacation, for the animals it’s a daily nightmare.
The Canary Islands are not only a paradise for travelers, but also a haven for systematic animal abusers. Estimates speak of several thousand dogs and tens of thousands of cats living on the streets of Tenerife alone. Exact figures are scarce – and that is no coincidence. Official bodies such as the public data of the Canary Islands list animal registrations¹, but the dark figure of abandoned and never microchipped animals is enormous.
The reason? Irresponsibility. Dogs and cats are bought like disposable goods or given away as Christmas presents. When they are no longer wanted, they are abandoned – or simply killed. And those who “save” the money for neutering create endless misery.
Podencos in particular are a symbol of this drama. These elegant, sensitive dogs are used as hunting tools in the Canary Islands and throughout Spain. Hundreds are kept in cramped sheds, without affection, without value. As soon as a Podenco can no longer perform, it is “disposed of.” If they are lucky, they end up in animal shelters; others die silently on the streets or are cruelly killed by their owners.
One hunter in Badajoz simply let 32 dogs starve to death². Living beings that died of thirst and hunger, or survived for a few more days by gnawing on the corpses of their companions – because they were of no more use to their owner. This is not an exception, but bitter reality.
The situation for cats is even worse. In almost every town and village there are colonies – dozens, sometimes hundreds of cats, fed by a few volunteers. Many are sick, malnourished, or infested with parasites.
There are functioning solutions – TNR programs (Trap, Neuter, Release). But they receive almost no support. Municipalities push responsibility back and forth, with the result that cats reproduce unchecked while volunteers are stretched to their limits.
How absurd is it that dedicated people have to go into debt to pay for neutering while authorities simply look away?
The animals pay the highest price – hunger, thirst, pain, diseases, torture, and mistreatment leading to death. But humans are also affected: traffic accidents involving abandoned dogs, aggressive encounters on hiking trails. Countless cases go undocumented by the authorities, under the motto: “We know nothing about it.”
This is not just an animal welfare problem, it is a social problem. And it is an image problem for the island! Tenerife promotes itself with sun, nature, and freedom – but does anyone really want to return to a place where dogs & cats are abused, tortured, and killed while authorities hide behind an inefficient animal welfare law³?
The solution is not complicated.
→ Adopt instead of buying
→ Offer a foster home
→ Make a one-time or regular donation
And just as important: look, share, and put pressure on authorities. Every voice counts, every click can raise awareness.
Your Contribution Makes the Difference
Dogs & cats in Tenerife are not “someone else’s problem.” They are victims of a system that treats animals like garbage. But we can change that – step by step, animal by animal.
Sources & Links:
¹ Public Datas of the Canary Island
² The Executioner of Badajoz – Hunter lets 32 dogs starve to death
³ Read more about the new animal welfare Law in Spain
