A dog owner is being investigated for animal cruelty after a video showed her Belgian Malinois chained inside a flood-damaged home in Cadiz.
The footage showed the dog tied to a window grille inside a property that had been evacuated due to recent flooding.
According to the Guardia Civil, the animal’s owner told officers that when she was evacuated because of the floods, she forgot the dog was still chained inside the house.
After the animal was removed from the property, officers from Seprona – the Guardia Civil’s environmental protection unit – assessed its condition and found a poor state of health that pre-dated the flooding.
The dog was reportedly suffering from severe malnutrition, untreated wounds and parasites.
A municipal veterinary technician from Jerez de la Frontera City Council carried out a formal examination and confirmed these findings.
Officers noted that the dog showed clear signs of nutritional deficiency, injuries on various parts of its body and bleeding lacerations on its neck caused by the chain used to secure it to the window.
The case came to light on February 8, when Seprona became aware of the viral video.
After identifying the owner – who was staying with a relative in the same neighbourhood following the evacuation – officers established that she had retrieved the dog after learning the footage had been widely shared.
The animal has since been transferred to the municipal Animal Protection Centre, where it is reported to be recovering well.
Following the veterinary report, the Guardia Civil has formally opened an investigation into the owner as the alleged perpetrator of an animal abuse offence.
Local authorities, including the town’s mayor, also publicly reacted to the video once it began circulating online, prompting swift intervention by officers.
Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.
