The owner of a dog that died in agony after being left tied up on a rooftop terrace during the height of summer in Spain has accepted a one-year suspended prison sentence for animal cruelty.
The case, which shocked Torrevieja in Alicante province and sparked outrage across Spain after images of the animal went viral in August 2022, centred on a dog named Maikel.
According to animal rights groups, the dog was left for days on a solarium-style terrace exposed to extreme summer heat without adequate protection, eventually suffering fatal heatstroke and internal haemorrhaging.
The woman accepted the sentence during a preliminary hearing held in Orihuela this week as part of a plea agreement.
In addition to the 12-month prison sentence, she has been banned for four years from owning animals or working in any profession linked to animals.
Because the sentence is under two years and the woman has no prior criminal record, she is not expected to serve time in prison.
The case was driven through the courts by the Foundation for Advice and Action in Defence of Animals (FAADA) alongside animal rights party PACMA.
FAADA said Maikel’s story ‘deeply shocked thousands of people’ after footage of the dog suffering on the terrace spread rapidly online and through Spanish media.
The prosecution had initially requested the maximum possible sentence of 18 months in prison and four years of disqualification relating to animals.
Animal rights groups said that while they still believe punishments for animal cruelty remain too lenient, the conviction sends ‘a clear message that abandonment, negligence and animal suffering cannot go unpunished’.
The case also caused controversy at the time because some activists accused Torrevieja Town Hall and the Local Police of failing to act despite repeated complaints from neighbours.
However, the investigation later concluded that officers had attended the property after being instructed by the councillor responsible for animal welfare and found the dog had water and shade at the time of the first inspection.
When officers were called back again that same weekend, they were reportedly unable to gain access to the property.
The conviction comes just one day after another Torrevieja court ordered the expulsion from Spain of a Colombian man who killed his ex-partner’s cat by beating it to death in the street.
