For more than two years, we have documented the situation faced by thousands of dogs used for hunting in rural areas across different autonomous communities. Some spend their entire lives confined in abandoned warehouses or farms where no natural light enters. Others are caged in the backyards of family homes they will never be allowed inside. For many hunters, these dogs are nothing more than a working tool for the sport of hunting.
We have witnessed dogs living chained 24 hours a day in small sheds or enclosures built from construction debris. Most do not even have running water and poor hygiene is the norm. Living conditions are extreme: under the scorching sun, or with bowls of water frozen solid in the cold, forcing them to lick ice just to stay hydrated.
Dogs, social animals that need affection and interaction, spend their lives confined in the same kennels where they were born, or chained up, and are only freed for a few hours when used to kill other animals. The animal abuse they endure is daily and systematic.
There is a real business behind the breeding and sale of hunting dogs. Dozens of listings are posted on online platforms with no apparent oversight from authorities over what is, in most cases, an illicit commercial activity. Authorities remain lax and permissive in the face of the numerous violations committed by hunters.
Hunting is an activity that threatens the lives and freedom of animals. Abolishing it is the only option we can take to help them. However, we believe that banning hunting with dogs is a first and urgent step in addressing this injustice.
AnimaNaturalis is exposing the harsh reality of hunting dogs. We will report all facilities that break the law, but above all we want everyone to know about their terrible living conditions.
After visiting various dog kennels in the Canary Islands, Madrid, Aragon, and Castile and León, anonymous activists were able to document the extreme suffering these dogs endure every day — not counting all those that go missing or are simply discarded.
The hunting industry lobby is powerful and benefits from long-standing privileges, but through social media and the press we will bring to light one of the greatest disgraces behind the sport of hunting.
