Having a pet at home, whether it is a dog, cat or any other animal considered a companion, is a great responsibility and some people do not consider it as another member of the family, when they really are.
Last March a law was passed to protect the rights and well-being of animals in Spain, a new law that will come into force on September 29 and introduces new obligations for owners.
This new law is focused on promoting the coexistence and ownership of animals, fighting against abuse and abandonment, promoting adoption and fostering and, in general, establishing a framework of obligations for citizens and public administrations to protect their rights and welfare.
New animal welfare law
Below, we show you the most important changes that apply with this new law and that will come into force as of September 29.
- Take a training course. If we have a dog, it will be necessary to take a free course with indefinite validity where the aptitudes of the owners and the animals are assessed to have dogs in our care.
- Take out civil liability insurance. Another change introduced with this new law is the obligation to take out civil liability insurance. Until now, this insurance was only required for dogs considered dangerous. These courses will be free and you will not need a digital certificate to do so.
- Mandatory sterilization. In order to prevent abandonment and avoid the uncontrolled proliferation of animals, it will be mandatory to sterilize domestic animals before 6 months of age, as long as they are not animals that are registered as breeding animals.
- Microchip also for cats and ferrets. In dogs, a microchip has always been required to facilitate identification in case of loss. With the new law, the obligation to have a microchip in domestic animals is extended to cats and ferrets so that they are
- Do not leave animals unattended. With the entry into force of the new law, the maximum time that animals can be left without supervision will be 3 days. However, in the case of dogs, the maximum unsupervised period is reduced to just 24 hours.
- Animal sacrifice. The usual reasons why animals are sacrificed until now are reduced to only 2: health issues of the animal itself or public health issues. Sacrificing animals due to overpopulation, lack of places or behavioral problems are no longer justified reasons for sacrificing animals.
- Access public transportation. As long as the animal does not pose a risk to others, they may travel in both public and private transport as long as they carry the corresponding documentation such as the vaccination record, civil liability insurance and the owner’s documentation.
The fines foreseen for skipping any of the different obligations that are part of the animal welfare law can involve fines that can reach up to 200,000 euros in the most serious cases.
Although this new law comes into force on September 29, some of the new obligations still do not come into force until a regulation of the law is approved that establishes its scope and since the current government is in office, the processing is stopped. currently.
