ISSUE NO. 1671
13- 19 July 2017
A XARQUÍA - C OSTA T ROPICAL
YOUR PAPER, YOUR VOICE, YOUR OPINION
WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM
Horror Charity calls on government to intervene at fatal stabbing
Dog death scandal
A MAN, aged 35, has been arrested for stabbing his mother, 63, to death in the home they shared in Caleta de Velez. The alleged killer, who has been identified only as Piero, remains in custody and is reportedly awaiting examination after claims he has a drug addiction. Police are as yet unsure why he attacked his mother, whose full name was Maria Ines but was known as Pepa. The victim was found lying in a pool of blood when her ex-husband, Elio, came to collect her to work at the supermarket business they still shared. On finding Elio on the building’s steps, covered in blood, officers initially thought he had committed the crime before learning Piero had handed himself in at a police station shortly before the find, telling officers, “I think I’ve killed my mother. The knife is on the sofa.” The incident has rocked the neighbourhood, where Maria was well-known, with one neighbour commenting “you would never think something like this would happen.”
EXCLUSIVE By Sally Underwood Tail Torrox, an animal charity on the Costa del Sol, has spoken exclusively to the Euro Weekly News about the large number of abandoned dogs being put down in pounds across Axarquia. Sue Whewell, the association’s President, has said it is time the Spanish government intervened in the situation, subsidising and enforcing a neutering campaign. Ms Whewell, who set up the shelter in 2009, explained she routinely takes in dogs from the perreras - Spanish dog pounds to save them being put down. She added the facilities, which receive state funding for taking dogs off the streets, make little effort to rehouse the animals unless a dog is chipped, and sometimes put animals down within days of bringing them in. Worse still, Sue claimed that impounded dogs often show signs of disease, which mostly go untreated until they reach Tail. She alleged “in January we took in 11 puppies from the Don Animal perrera in Rincon de la
TAIL TORROX: Rescuing animals from Don Animal. Victoria. Sadly, three died due to parva virus they had contracted earlier.” Sue commented, “if these facilities must exist, they should look after the animals they take in,” asking, “how can this happen in a country which has animal cruelty laws?” Ultimately though, Sue accepts the perreras are fighting a losing battle, with more dogs abandoned than people willing to take them in. She believes in addition to compelling pounds to look after the animals they receive, the government should introduce a law enforcing and subsidising neutering. She said, “in some European countries, the government has helped lower the
price of neutering to €15, an affordable amount which helps stem the problem of unwanted and mistreated animals.” Sue added the problem goes beyond animal cruelty and also serves to give a negative impression to visitors. She explained the shelter often receives abandoned dogs which have been
JOSE: Is looking for a new home. found by tourists, shocked at seeing so many animals on the street. Ms Whewell said Tail will now be writing to Oscar Medina, Torrox’s mayor, pointing out the potential negative impact on the town’s tourism trade, and asking for his support in her neutering campaign. Tail has a dog shelter, which
ROSA: Is walked every day at Tail. sees dogs walked and cared for by volunteers, as well as two charity shops, all in Torrox Costa. The charity is always looking for animal-lovers to give their time, “however much or little they can do,” as well as fosterers and permanent owners. For more information, or to help, please visit www.tailtorrox.org.