The strange case of the “serial dog adopter” in Venezuela: he searched for 29 light-haired female pets and is accused of euthanizing them and then abandoning them

Luna, Laika, Niña, Miel, Lucy, Manchis, Kira, Aurora, and Chiquita are 9 of 29 dog names given to a subject a pet association began calling “The Serial Adopter.”

The serious complaint was filed by the Association for the Defense and Protection of Animals (Asopeda), based in Maracaibo, the capital of Zulia State, in western Venezuela.

This is a man who in 2022 contacted foundations and individuals who gave puppies up for adoption.

From the same Asodepa he got two. But the board started getting comments that the same man had 29 puppies so far with the same trait: he wanted them with white or light-colored fur.

The Venezuelan prosecutor’s office intervened in the case, from which they expect the man to come and sacrifice them.

Alarms caused by “The serial adopter”

Asodepa identified the “serial adopter” as Gabriel Castillo in his networks.

They know he only came to adopt one puppy and the rest are female dogs. The alarm went off in late January 2023 when three people expressed concern about getting similar pets, on closing dates and not knowing what had become of them.

People and foundations contacted him to find out how the pets were doing and said they were waiting for the pictures of the puppies in their new homes.

They articulated the subject: he talks a lot, he always tells the same story

The most serious factor in this case “is that there is no evidence of life of any of the puppies that were given to him for adoption or the adult dog (…) we demand an explanation of the whereabouts of the animals who confidently surrendered into his hands.”

The complaint is shocking. Friendly foundations expressed their solidarity and drew the attention of the Nevado Mission, set up by the national government.

In networks, users expressed their fear of hidden purposes behind these adoptions.

“The adopter” speaks and the Public Prosecutor makes a decision

In the middle of last week, the person concerned stated to a Zulia digital media, Noticia Al Día, that he had adopted pets to give away.

He acknowledged that he had been under investigation for a month and a half.

I don’t eat them, I don’t move and I don’t have any relationship with the dogs either, I just adopt them and after I do their care and vaccination process I give them away, he said.

However, on Saturday, March 11, 2023, the Attorney General of Venezuela Tarek William Saabreported that the National Prosecutor 40 of the Public Prosecution Service had applied to the First Supervision Court for an arrest warrant against Gabriel Castillo.

The warrant is because the man “applied more than 20 pets for adoption and then put them down (sic) and abandoned them.”