AFTER POLO NIGHTCLUB - Page 2

Hi Kerri,

I know of loads of Spanish people with dogs in my urban area, many friends and neighbours have them, all treated and cherished just like people do in the UK, they are pets. I don't know all about these dogs in the rural areas, one article in this link about it.   https://blogs.elpais.com/trans-iberian/2015/07/spanish-rural-idyll-not-such-a-paradise-for-dogs.html

I will ask about it tomorrow try and find out more. 

Thank you for your response.  I happen to love most Spanish cultures.  However, dogs - wherever they are in the world- bark constantly because they are unhappy.  Unfortunately most of them in Sotogrande, who bark, bark because they are left alone!   Not enough checks are done to ensure 'dog buyers' are actually pet lovers.  I say if you cannot be caring and kind to animals, don't have them.  Leaving them alone for hours and sometimes days is cruel, it is nothing to do with culture. 

As for noise.  I agree that a certain amount of noise is due to the Spanish culture. I accept that with pleasure.  However, the loud, disturbing music from midnight to 05am through the most important 6 weeks of summer, in this case violates the European white paper for Spain.  You can't argue with that - culture or not, it is a violation of the law. 

I have written a personal email directly to the Mayor of San Roque (personal address) twice and both times it has not been responded to.  San Roque is really the wrong municipality for Sotogrande.  It clearly doesn't care - just look at the state of the environment, the river, the roadsides, the highways - the list is endless.  They don't replace a single street lamp.  The journeys home to Sotogrande from either Algeciras or Estepona is dangerous.  There are roads and roads of unlit street lamps - it's been that way for the past 2 years.  Does San Roque actually have any funds to run this municipality or if so, what do they spend it on?  I wonder.  The area is like a shanty town - incredibly dirty and neglected - but I notice they have issued a 5 year music licence (at a cost) to After Polo - an event which violates European law and the Mayor doesn't even reply to my email. My mail was careful, polite and in which I simply asked that he delegates the licensing department to deal with my complaint.  By huge contrast, I go to Sevilla as much as possible - you should see the comparison, in every town small and large within that city. It's something to be proud of. I really cannot believe someone thought it was a good idea to build Sotogrande in this run down municipality.  I visited the Sotogrande office, who were very helpful and told me to call security every time there was a disturbing noise.  I did that once. They told me it was the police I should call, not them. The police told me it was Security's job. I called Guardia Civil, they told me it was Poice Local - who then told me again, it was Security.  In previous similar situations in Spain, it has always been Security but I have no idea who's responsibility it is here other, of course, than the dog owners - who clearly don't care or go out and don't know that their dogs bark! 

Firsty Kerri, I had no idea this level of cruelty was here under our noses!  I agree with you on every account.  I think the best course of action is to get a TV station to cover this and expose it across the country.  I have a telephone number of someone who protects cats and I have been told that she knows how to contact the dog protection league.  I will try her.  If I am successful, I shall come back here.  Meantime, thank you David for making enquiries - do let us know how you get on.  I, in the meantime will try to reach the office in Cadiz that has jurisdiction for the Mayoral office in San Roque - regarding the issuing of the music licence in regard to the After Polo. 

I talked to a Spanish friend who has a dog and was devoted to it, which died, however her daughter has one now and part of the family, like I said, people in big towns generally feel much the same about their pets as people in the UK and many dogs grooming places, most are well pampered. 'When you mention dogs in the smaller places and country, (campo) they shrug their shoulders, they see that as another world'. Unlike UK, but like many other countries of the world there is a vast difference in mentality between major towns and cities, the cultural hierarchy pans down from urban centres. Most British to not grasp the concept of Spain, they see rural areas like a Cornish village or the Lake District, the sophistication is more to be found in dense population clusters. So, the treatment of dogs seems too often enter the dark ages the further you leave the urban centres, however Spain has created some new laws.  

'Currently, between 150,000 and 300,000 animals are left abandoned in Spain every year. The draft law aims to combat this situation, by creating an animal protection registry, as well as another registry of people who work with them. There will be a third list of people who have been banned from possessing animals' Link Law change sees pets in Spain considered sentient beings, with welfare taken into account should a couple separate

https://english.elpais.com/society/2022-01-05/law-changes-sees-pets-in-spain-now-considered-sentient-beings-with-welfare-taken-into-account-should-a-couple-separate.html

Hello David

I totally agree its a disgrace.  We are in Pier 2 which backs onto it.

At no time were we told that this would happen over the summer.

If it even stopped at 12 it would be a compromise but to go on all

night in a residential area with small children is ridiculous.

I thought Sotogrande was supposed to be a quiet neighbourhood and 

I just cant believe the council would allow this!!!

I tried to cover the attitude here in Spain, 70% of Spanish live in apartments, most in towns, the community is the essence of Spanish life, the group think to protect their way of life is somehow self policing. Dogs very popular, but in my experience pampered and not a nuisance, people don't like to upset their neighbours. Campo areas can be a problem and developments built for second home owners, where their is no real community. Some people get lucky, but personally I would always advise people settle here based on the community. I hope the problem improves in the future.           

I talked to a Spanish friend who has a dog and was devoted to it, which died, however her daughter has one now and part of the family, like I said, people in big towns generally feel much the same about their pets as people in the UK and many dogs grooming places, most are well pampered. 'When you mention dogs in the smaller places and country, (campo) they shrug their shoulders, they see that as another world'. Unlike UK, but like many other countries of the world there is a vast difference in mentality between major towns and cities, the cultural hierarchy pans down from urban centres. Most British to not grasp the concept of Spain, they see rural areas like a Cornish village or the Lake District, the sophistication is more to be found in dense population clusters. So, the treatment of dogs seems too often enter the dark ages the further you leave the urban centres, however Spain has created some new laws. 

The club was not here or granted a licence when we moved here.  We did extensive research but as this is now an 'open resort' things have changed and just about everyone enters the resort.