As we bring this series of article about the new Animal Welfare Law in Spain to a close, it is important to note that overall, the new legislation is all about animal welfare. We must care for our pets, include them into the family home, or provide adequate shelter of their own. Breeding is not allowed. We must have civil liability insurance for dogs, and possibly even healthcare insurance. We cannot allow dogs to wander freely, and we cannot leave pets home alone for too long, dog owners have to do a training course, and many more rules all aimed at ensuring the wellbeing of our companion animals.
For those who do not comply with the requirements of this new law, a sanctioning regime has been set up, and fines can be hefty.
- The offences provided for in this law will be penalised:
- a) Minor offences with a warning or a fine of five hundred to ten thousand euro.
- b) Serious offences with a fine of ten thousand one to fifty thousand euro.
- c) Very serious offences with a fine of fifty thousand one to two hundred thousand euro.
- If there is a recurrence in the commission of a minor infraction, or it is continuous, the penalty of warning will not apply.
- The Government and the autonomous communities and cities of Ceuta and Melilla, by means of a regulatory provision, may introduce specifications or graduations in the table of infractions and sanctions typified in this law that, without constituting new infractions or sanctions, nor altering their nature and limits, contribute to the most correct identification of the conducts, to the most precise determination of the corresponding sanctions or to the updating of their amounts.
- In any case, the income from the sanctions will be used for actions whose purpose is the protection of animals.
The law is now in force, and therefore the sanctioning regime is active, so if you don´t comply with the requirements, you can see that the financial penalty can be considerable. We echo once again our first message in this series, that is this new law is not just about insurance, but about many more requirements that all pet owners have to abide by, in the best interests of our companion animals.
Remember, the actual rules are more complex and more detailed, and you can read the full legislation, translated into English, at animalwelfarelaw.es, including a simple list of basic rules for dog and cat owners, and for street cats.
