PAN has targeted Angra do Heroísmo’s authorities on the island of Terceira, which is preventing residents of social housing from returning to their homes after renovations if they have more than two cats or one dog. PAN claims that the current law, which “allows for the possibility of having, in apartments or urban houses, up to three dogs or four cats, not exceeding, in total, four animals” is in conflict with the municipal imposition.

The Azores spokesperson and deputy for PAN, Pedro Neves argued that “It is imperative to act with empathy and compassion to ensure that these animals remain in their home, with their owners. No family should be forced to choose between having a home or their pets. It is cruel”. According to the party the residents have been notified that, “Once the works are completed, they will not be able to return to their original homes with more than two cats or a dog weighing up to 20 kilograms, under the pretext of the existence of a municipal regulation”.

The deputy has stated that, due to the renovation work on social housing, residents “are being temporarily relocated and forced to hand over their pet animals to third parties, and, ultimately, to the island's inter-municipal kennel”, adding that “there are families who are prevented from having pets in the homes where they are temporarily rehoused, as imposed by their landlords”. In order to prevent the abandonment of the animals, the only option would be delivering the animals to the inter-municipal kennel, which according to Pedro Neves is not an attainable solution as it “is overcrowded”.

Pedro Neves has mentioned that “PAN/Azores repudiates this situation as it encourages animal abandonment and worsens the chronic problem of overcrowding at the Terceira inter-municipal kennel which, in 2023 alone, welcomed more than 400 abandoned animals. Furthermore, this situation causes painful trauma to owners and their animals, which are the target of a cruel and unnecessary separation”. Lusa tried to contact Angra do Heroímo’s municipality councillor, with no success.