This Friday, Spain launches the Law on the Protection, Rights and Welfare of Animals, a pioneering law that aims to eradicate the abuse and abandonment of pets in our country. Its application will be partial, because issues such as the mandatory course for dog owners or civil liability insurance will not yet be mandatory.
As sources from the Ministry of Social Rights have confirmed to Efe, the regulation that will develop these aspects is pending approval and they attribute the delay in application to a temporary “lag” until the transfer of functions of the Government, in office after the electoral call.
Starting this Friday, other points of the Animal Protection, Rights and Welfare Law will apply. For example, it will not be allowed to display animals in shop windows, nor can they be purchased in physical stores or online. The rule also prohibits dog fighting or circuses with animals.
In addition, the rule establishes sanctions and fines in case of non-compliance, which can reach up to 200,000 euros when the death of the animal occurs.
Starting this Friday, any type of abandonment and mistreatment, aggression or negligence that causes animals suffering, physical or psychological damage or death will be prohibited.
The rule also prohibits the sacrifice of animals “except for reasons of safety of people or animals or the existence of a risk to public health duly justified by the competent authority.”
Nor may animals be used in public shows, in artistic tourist or advertising activities, which cause them anguish, pain or suffering, although bullfighting shows are excluded. Mechanical attractions or fairground carousels and the use of wild animals in circuses are eliminated “in any case.”
Beyond circuses, dog fighting or training or instigating dogs to attack other animals or people will not be permitted. Nor may any type of mutilation or permanent body modification be performed on them.
The rule also regulates the feeding of animals, and feeding them with viscera, corpses and other offal of animals that have not passed health controls is prohibited, nor may animals be used as a lure, reward, prize, raffle, or advertising promotion.
Starting this Friday, pets will be able to access means of transport, establishments and public spaces, in public and private establishments, hotel accommodations, restaurants and bars. Other public buildings are also included.
The text states that it is mandatory for dog owners to take out civil liability insurance “for damages to third parties, which includes in its coverage the persons responsible for the animal, for an amount sufficient to cover the possible expenses derived from it. that will be established by regulation”.
In the same article of the rule (30), it is established that people who “opt to be dog owners must prove completion of a training course for dog ownership that will be valid indefinitely.”
However, these two issues will not come into force, as confirmed by the Ministry of Social Rights of Ione Belarra to Efe, due to the impossibility of approving its implementing regulations, postponed until the executive is no longer in office.
According to the rule, the infractions provided for in this law will be punished in the following way: minor infractions with a warning or fine of five hundred to ten thousand euros; serious infractions, such as abandoning one or more animals, with a fine of ten thousand one to fifty thousand euros; and the very serious ones, such as the euthanasia of animals with inadequate means, with a fine of fifty thousand one to two hundred thousand euros.
