Police were alerted to an apartment full of dogs, 29 of them, which were never exercised, eating and defecating in urban confinement.
The criminal investigation division of the Lisbon PSP carried out a search at the Campolide address after a warrant was issued due to ‘the suspicion of the crime of mistreatment of pet animals.’
The suspicions were well funded as the apartment was seething with dogs of various shapes and sizes crammed in together in what the police described as ‘degrading conditions.’
The turn-filled apartment was harmful to the pets and represented a public health threat to other resident of the apartment block.
The animals were taken away to the municipal kennels in Lisbon, with the police giving no hint as to who the owner of the apartment might be or how this situation developed.
The rescue operation took place on Tuesday at 10am with animal charity workers and council staff on hand to ensure the dogs were captured and moved with the minimum upset.
Under the new Portuguese animal laws, the mistreatment of pets can earn the culprit a year in prison or a fine of up to 120 days wages.
If a pet dies from mistreatment or is injured, the jail time can be doubled.
For a Facebook video of the dogs, click here
