Luno’s nightmare, the poodle detained at the Madrid airport that may die on a technicality

A dog has been held for 16 days at the Madrid airport, Spain, for not meeting the health requirements to enter Europe. The dog in question, named Luno, was traveling to the Iberian country without him or his loved ones being able to imagine that his ordeal would begin there.

This three-year-old pet was born in Ecuador. Together with her family, she moved to Nicaragua and then to Costa Rica for work reasons. “From there we took a plane to Madrid,” recalled Andrea Torres, her human, in dialogue with the Costa Rican media the tile.

Prior to his arrival at the Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport, Torres insisted on asking the staff of the Iberojet airline what “Lunito” should have up to date to travel. “They told me that they only asked that I be healthy and with up-to-date vaccinations, I left Costa Rica without any problem,” he detailed.

Once they landed, the woman appeared before the authorities to proceed with the corresponding airport checks. At the time of requisitioning the cage that contained the dog, the officers realized that the animal did not have the required microchip to access Spanish territory.

Somewhat enraged, the owner of the poodle claimed to have consulted regarding the requirements for the entry of the dog. “I told them that nowhere did they explain to me that I had to put the microchip on it, if they had told me that something was missing, I would solve it in Costa Rica, I did not travel like that, exposing myself to problems,” she remarked.

Faced with the woman’s question, the guards tried to calm her down. “They assured that they were going to take him for a moment to put the device on him and then they would return it to me. I had a bad feeling but I had no choice”, she recalled sadly.

Andrea Torres with “Lunito”, the puppy that could be euthanized or deported. (Photo: Instagram)

At that moment, the endless ordeal began. Torres was referred to a veterinarian, but the management was postponed. Minutes, hours and days passed without news of Luno. “We were sleeping for a week at the airport,” Torres lamented.

Without many options, the woman left for the city of Murcia and, since then, has spread her case through social networks with the aim of rescuing her dog as soon as possible. Until now, the dog has not been released and continues to be caged.

The news caused a stir on the networks and caught the attention of the Animalist Party against Animal Abuse (PACMA), a political space of Spanish origin founded in 2003. “Luno is still being held at the Madrid airport and today they have tried to deny access to its owner ”, was one of the last updates of that group.

What could happen to Luna?

According to the Costa Rican media, who consulted a Spanish lawyer from the Association for the Ethical and Responsible Management of Abandoned Animals (AGERAA), there are at least three possible alternatives for the pet. The first, and the hardest to accept, is euthanasia or sacrifice.

“Euthanasia was one of the options proposed by the authorities from the beginning,” said Mónica Olivares. Then she mentioned a second, more appropriate option. This consists of the deportation of the animal to Costa Rica, which had been proposed by its owner after arriving at the Madrid airport.

Finally, the last possibility seems the simplest: take “Lunito” to a veterinarian, put the microchip on it, administer the necessary vaccinations and return it to its owner. Still, the future of this poodle is still uncertain and time is running out.

Source: Elcomercio