Espinho’s nursery was vandalized. There are wounded and missing dogs.

The Patinhas sem Lar association kennel was vandalized on Sunday and those responsible for the attack released 40 dogs into custody at the structure in Espinho, leaving a dog seriously injured and two dogs missing.

As the director of this institution in the district of Aveiro and the metropolitan area of ​​Porto told Lusa this Monday, a poster and a medallion were left in the premises attributing the authorship of the attack to the IRA group – Intervenção e Resgate Animal, however, when the association contacted this organization, it stated that has no role in this matter.

“When we got there early in the morning, half our dogs were hanging out in the pine forest around the kennel because the boxes were open. With skill and patience we called them there and eventually they returned to their place, but because they could not. They were used to walking together, there had already been fights between them, and one dog was seriously injured,” says Ana Paula Castro.

The wounded animal is now hospitalized at the veterinary clinic, two dogs are still missing.

The perpetrators of the vandalism left a poster with IRA insignia and a padlock with a sticker bearing the group’s logo in the nursery, but, recognizing that the situation in Espinho did not comply with the organization’s normal procedures, Ana Paula Castro contacted her to find out if they intervened whether they are involved, and inform them about the incident.

Shortly after, the IRA released a statement on social media: “They pretend to be members of the IRA to commit crimes. (…) The president of the association and our institution immediately reported this incident to the police and the IRA. is now waiting for the perpetrators to be identified so we can also file a complaint for identity theft.”

The same public message adds that the IRA is “not committing any crimes” and urges anyone who suspects someone wrongly identified as a member of the organization to “immediately request police presence” or contact the animal rescue group itself. .

For Ana Paula Castro, the situation this Sunday makes it more urgent to move the Patinhas sem Lar nursery and nursery to its own land, which the local authorities “promised for a year and a half, but never allocated.”

Currently, the structures of this association are installed on private land, provided for this purpose “in a difficult moment”, for a period of two years. “But we have been here for six years, and with such vandalism, the owner can stop helping us at any moment, and then where will we go with the animals?” asks the person in charge.

In a conversation with Lusa, the PSP Aveiro district office confirmed that they had received the complaint filed by the association and that they would investigate the matter.