Man banned from keeping animals for six months after kicking dog in Caleta de Fuste

A man has been fined €270 and banned from keeping animals for six months after repeatedly kicking his dog in a street in Caleta de Fuste.

The Puerto del Rosario court convicted Irish citizen R. G. M. of animal abuse in a judgment issued on 4 November. The incident took place on 22 April 2026 on Calle Alcalde Francisco Berriel, in the municipality of Antigua.

The Canary Islands Association of Lawyers for the Defence of Animals (PROTA), which brought the complaint, said one of its lawyers witnessed the attack. According to the association, the man was walking two dogs when one ran away and took shelter at the entrance to a residential complex. He pursued it while pulling the second dog along the pavement on its lead.

When he caught the dog that had fled, he kicked it hard in the abdomen. People in the busy street challenged him and told him to stop. PROTA said he later entered the complex and continued kicking the animal.

During the investigation, the Guardia Civil’s Nature Protection Service, Seprona, found that neither dog had identifiable injuries. That finding affected the legal classification of the case and the sentence. PROTA said that, under the Spanish Penal Code, the offence of animal abuse without injuries requiring veterinary treatment does not carry a prison sentence.

The association said witnesses played an important role by confronting the owner and helping to ensure the incident was brought before the courts.