The history of EL GALGO SENIOR / PERROTEL, El Campello, Alicante
• 1995
Patricia Osborne has a tick plague on her premises and from over 120 dogs only 25 survived when rescued from her kennels by Heidi Henze, manager of the shelter in Calpe (Alicante)
• 2001
the first negative reports come up and 8 of EL GALGO SENIOR (EGS) dogs stay for 2 nights at PRO-GALGOS family home. All 8 female dogs showed severe signs of malnutrition, multiple bite wounds and not one was castrated and 1 was even pregnant. According to the vaccination booklet, the bitch was mounted during her stay at EGS.
• 2001-2002
Galgos-in-Not Germany reported the bad shape of dogs arriving form EGS on several occasions. A report has been made to the authorities of El Campello but without any result
• Summer 2002
Different local animalists report the bad state of the EGS dogs. HACIENDA DE LAS AGUILAS has reported EGS to the police for neglect and mistreatment of animals after having found a box with dying puppies in Patricia’s car, parked in the summer heat. Several private people also reported EGS to the authorities for the similar reasons, such as neglect and mistreatment of animals
• Summer 2002
Patricia Osborne has left for England and 2 ladies from Belgium were at EGS to take care of the dogs. EL ZORRO went to visit the place right after Patricia’s return and found the dogs in a desolate state and reported Patricia Osborne for kicking the dogs and for neglect and mistreatment of animals.
• October 29, 2002
8 of the EGS dogs are brought to PRO-GALGO. Again in horrible shape, bitten, carrying tick diseases and heart worms. Again a report has been sent to the authorities and the pictures posted on the Internet
• May 2003
After having cooperated for almost one year with Patricia Osborne Podenco in Not Germany (PIN) visits EGS. Prevailing deseases, numerous pregnant bitches, undernourished animals, terrible bites and wounds not being tended to were the reason for PIN to withdraw. Drastic changes would have been necessary for further cooperation. Pat Osborne did not see the need of these.
• Summer 2003
an inspection has been made at EGS by SEPRONA but as they had warned her 2 weeks in advance, the place was more or less OK. A neighbour reported during the 2 weeks prior to the inspection continuing bonfires, black smoke and the smell of burned meat coming from her premises
• Summer 2003
Sim Leten takes the pictures of the badly bitten dogs at EGS but only publishes them in Jan. 2004
• November 2003
Hans Smet visited EGS for the last time and experienced its horror
• Mid January 2004,
Hans terrible reports with pictures about the bad situation at EL GALGO SENIOR (EGS), start circulating on the Internet.
International Greyhound rescue groups as well as PRO-GALGO and EL ZORRO decide to inform the press and the authorities
• Right after the visit of the journalist Jose Antonio Fuster (La Razón), the Catalan TV also visited EL GALGO SENIOR. Both agreed that the place was unacceptably dirty, the dogs were fighting all the time and they saw only 1 water dispenser for an estimated 250-300 dogs.1.2.04, the newspaper La Razón printed an article about EGS, 3 full pages with pictures. (No legal action was taken against the journalist by EGS!) and it caused a huge uproar in Spain as well as abroad. (see
http://www.larazon.es/noticias/noti_rep44.htm )
The newspaper La Razón has proved, that EGS is not a registered charity in Spain and therefore it is a business (boarding kennel) and not an animal welfare organisation
• February 9, 2004,
SEPRONA (the Spanish environmental police) entered with the ministry vets and several police agents the boarding kennels PERROTEL, also known as EL GALGO SENIOR (EGS), in El Campello, owned by Patricia Osborne Warr.
Their report was not in favour of EGS and showed significant deficiencies such as:
- no running water on the premises of EGS (requested to have "nucleo zoologico" - a license to keep animals)
- no black water tank (also requested for the above mentioned licence)
- the dead dogs buried or burned on EGS land at least until 1.1.04 (we estimate at least one per day!)
- not enough kennels for the dogs
- too overcrowded, the licence is only for 80 dogs
- no separation of males and females in heat (we think that it is done on purpose as pups are fast money!)
- no vaccinations of rabies (done only 2 days before because of the news paper article)
- 234 vaccination booklets were found, issued on Jan, 30th, 2004, but without the possibility to identify which booklet belongs to which dog
- no vaccinations against distemper etc
- no registration of dogs entering or leaving
- several dogs looking ill and/or show considerable wounds
- the place was dirty and Patricia Osborne admitted, that she sleeps in one of the kennels and did refuse to let the police enter her private space
• February 9, 2004
The office of "seccion de produccion y sanidad animal" (section of production and health of animals), managed by Sr.Juan Planelles, has unfortunately given EGS a period of 1 month to get things resolved, without having seen the reports and the newspaper article, but they are not in an executive position and can/will be overruled by the Mayor/City council of El Campello.
• February 10, 2004
Animalists from all over the world start with an email/fax campaign, requesting the immediate closing of EGS and the rescue of the dogs to other, more adequate places
• February 13, 2004
All the airports and borders of Spain, France, Belgium, Holland, Austria, Switzerland, Italy and Germany have been informed about the possible export of dogs from EGS that do not carry the legally required vaccinations. According to SEPRONA, the dogs at EGS have been vaccinated on Jan.30th, 2004. By EU laws, an animal has to be vaccinated 31 days prior to its export
• February 13, 2004
The "consejero" Sr. Salvador, told the press over the phone that he is in favour of an immediate closure of EGS.
• February 16
FEDENVA, the federation of the shelters of Valencia, jumped in to defend Patricia Osborne, saying that similar things did/do happen in their shelters and that it is not a sign of neglect. They even published this in certain Spanish news groups. (see: ciberanimalistas at yahoo)
PRO-GALGO has immediately reported those shelters to the authorities as it can not be allowed that in the name of animal welfare such cruelty and neglect is accepted.
Several Spanish animal welfare groups do not want to report the horrible situation at EGS as they consider unfair to report "one of their own" to the authorities as EGS still is somehow accepted as a shelter but they do admit that it should be closed.
• February 17, 2004
EGS / Patricia Osborne has been reported to the tax office as it is obvious that
donations have been accepted by Patricia Osborne as well as some of her services have been paid to UK bank accounts
• February 24, 2004
The city council of El Campello issues a “cierre cautelar” and provisonal closing order of EGS and therefor EGS is not allowed to take any more dogs in until further notice.
GENERAL ACTION TAKEN TO CLOSE EGS:
• National and international animal welfare organisations have written to the mayor of El Campello, confirming that in case of closing EGS they would take care of all the animals at PERROTEL
• Local animal welfare people reported that several hounds seem to have disappeared form EGS.
• The racetrack in Barcelona has confirmed over the phone that no more greyhounds will be sent to PERROTEL/EGS.
• Only 2 of the former supporters of EGS are still supporting Patricia Osborne, all the other groups have withdrawn their help form EGS and participate in the efforts to close her place down
• The mayor of the city of El Campello has received all the reports from SEPRONA, the ministry vets and of course the ones from the former volunteers of EL GALGO SENIOR as well as a petition, signed by far over 100 citizens of El Campello, requesting the immediate closing of EGS/PERROTEL.
We are still very optimistic about getting a positive decision about the case that can only result in a definitive closing of EGS and the rescuing of all the dogs still at PERROTEL
