On Thursday, the Spanish government approved a new animal welfare law that brings in many strict new requirements. However, the law has not gone far enough for many.
Among the new requirements of the law are:
- No pet must be left alone for more than three days. For dogs, this period must not exceed 24 hours
- Animals living outdoors must be provided with shelter and access to food and drink.
- Euthanasia of animals will only be carried out in very specific situations.
- Breeding dogs may only be carried out by registered breeders.
- The sale of cats, dogs and ferrets in shops is prohibited.
- All cats over the age of 6 months must be sterilised and microchipped
- Dog owners must take a free online test Both dogs and owners must also be assessed for “social aptitude.”
- All animals must live in “decent conditions” with minimum sizes for cages, aquariums and other confined areas. Whales and dolphins are not excluded from this requirement.
However, the law has been criticised for excluding hunting dogs, fighting bulls and farm animals from the protection measures.
On Lanzarote, Sara Animal Shelter said “The law has made important and beneficial changes, but it is unjust and incomplete. A law that discriminates within the same species, excluding dog breeds such as podencos, galgos and other hunting dogs, leaves almost a million dogs unprotected.”
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