Life4dogs
Magazine
On January 15, 2024, a man made a gruesome discovery in the public area of the Tenerife South Airport grounds, in the “Hermano Pedro” zone near Granadilla de Abona. Two dead dogs lay there, wrapped in black plastic bags and carelessly dumped on the ground. The discovery sheds a harsh light on Tenerife’s dark side: the suspicion of a resurgence of illegal dog fighting.
→ The exact location of the bodies on Google Maps
Shocked by the scene, the man immediately alerted the Guardia Civil. He was referred to the SEPRONA environmental unit in Las Américas, but no one answered his call. He then dialed the emergency number 112, reported the discovery, and waited on site for some time — in vain. No police arrived. Eventually, he left the location, hoping his report would still be taken seriously and the animals removed.
Weeks after the discovery, the man returned — but the dogs were still there. Only a layer of white lime had been spread over the bodies, apparently to mask the smell and speed up decomposition. Even months later, in April 2024, the situation remained unchanged: municipal workers had entered the site, but the carcasses had not been properly disposed of. In September, he visited once more — this time the dogs were simply covered with rubble, as if the problem was meant to be hidden from sight. This repeated neglect and concealment revealed a disturbing level of institutional indifference.
The suspicion that the two dogs were victims of illegal fights seems very likely. One of the bodies was reportedly that of an XXL Pitbull — a breed frequently exploited by criminals for dog fighting.
That this suspicion is not unfounded is demonstrated by the 2017 case in Güímar, where more than 230 dogs were seized in a raid connected to a dog-fighting mafia operating on Tenerife. This network had been active for years in secrecy and revealed just how cruel and systematic this form of animal abuse can be.
More information → 230 Victims of Dogfights in Tenerife – A Paradise Soaked in Blood
Illegal dog fighting is not a fringe phenomenon but part of organized crime. Dogs are deliberately trained to fight in arenas. The methods are brutal — ranging from forced starvation, beatings, and mutilations to bloody provocations with other animals. Those that lose are severely injured, discarded like trash, or killed outright. Many end up, as likely happened in this case, carelessly dumped in plastic bags.
The case of the two dead dogs on the outskirts of Granadilla de Abona Airport highlights two sides of the same coin: on one hand, the brutal violence against animals that most likely lost their lives in illegal fights; on the other, the authorities who, through inaction, delays, and questionable measures, give the impression that they would rather sweep the problem under the rug.
It is a story that shocks and saddens — not only because of the cruel fate of the dogs, but also because of the message it conveys: that animal cruelty in Tenerife often remains invisible, even when it lies openly on the side of the road.
Sources & Links:
“Read more about the new animal welfare Law in Spain”
“Guardia Civil SEPRONA”
“Municipal Administration of Granadilla de Abona “
