A WOMAN was found living in a substandard Madrid home with over 50 dogs – six of which were dead.
A 68-year-old woman living in a converted shed with 52 canines was discovered by an agent carrying out an administrative process on October 13.
Maria Angeles Porto was living in the 60 square metre building which was covered in feces and urine – and housed six dead dogs which were hidden in rubbish bags.
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The 52 dogs that were rescued from the property had skin diseases and wounds caused by fighting among themselves – when there are so many animals in such a small space, survival becomes a competition, according to Fernando Sanchez, the president of the Salvando Peludos animal shelter which took in nine of the canines.
Porto was found locked in this shed with the animals and claims that her recently-deceased husband had kept her inside it for four years.
Described by neighbours as ‘strange’, the man had worked as a security guard at recycling plants and accumulated seven old cars in the property’s overgrown garden.
He was rarely spotted by neighbours but his wife was spotted even less – one neighbour said that he only knew that Porto was still alive because he heard her shouting and banging a metal sheet to silence the dogs, none of which had veterinary documents or proper identification.
While the Guarda Civil does not have any record of gender violence within this couple, they did have to intervene five years ago when the couple were accused of animal maltreatment.
In the fallout of the pandemic, the couple were noticed by agents of Seprona who found 22 enclosed dogs being kept in disgraceful conditions by the pair – they also found the remains of seven dogs in a well in the garden.
It appears that this recent case could be a recurrence of the same type of neglect and abuse that was seen in 2020 – in both occurrences Porto claims she was made to oblige by her husband.
She had been sleeping on a wooden pallet in the converted shed which contained a fridge, heater, suitcase, and radio but no internet access.
In the four years she has been there, Porto says she has not left the place nor seen a doctor.
The canines were taken in by various animal shelters, the owners of which say that this absurd treatment of animals is more common than it seems.
This case is an example of Noah’s Syndrome, where people hoard animals and believe they love them without realising they’re mistreating them, according to Carolina Corral of Alba Association.
Seprona, a unit of the Guardia Civil which specialises in environmental crimes, are now investigating whether Porto was part of the couple who cruelly mistreated the 52 canines or whether she was a victim, as she continues to insist she was.
The woman is being housed in an emergency shelter run by the Community of Madrid until she is referred to another shelter or ends up on the street.
Two of her four siblings are assisting her with paperwork and hospital trips but are not willing to take her into their homes, she says.
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