On December 22, 2022, the Animal Welfare Law presented by the Ministry of Social Rights and Agenda 2030. If you have a dog as a pet, it introduces a series of new features that you should be aware of, such as the repeal of the list of dangerous dogs and replacement by a sociability assessment. It will also be forbidden to leave the dogs alone for more than 24 hours.
Course
With the new Animal Welfare Law, Those who adopt a dog in 2023 will have to complete a training course to preserve the regulation of its tenure, responsible coexistence and the integrity of the animal. Although, for now, what it will be like or the theme has not been specified, everything indicates that the course will be 100% free and online. It will end with a test.
sociability test
There will no longer be considered potentially dangerous by their race. They will be made an individual assessment of sociability, obedience and behavior. Article 36 of the Animal Protection Law determines that “all dogs must meet the classification criteria for sociability, complying with the behavior and socialization validation mechanisms determined by regulation.”
Animal abuse and neglect
The new law contemplates a reform of the Penal Code, which will toughen the penalties for animal abuse. In the event that the animal dies, the penalty will be up to 24 months in prison, which could be extended up to 36 months in the event of more than one aggravating circumstance. In addition, the abuser will be disabled between 5 and 10 years to work or live with animals.
With regard to fines, their amount will increase considerably. Minor infractions will be sanctioned with up to 10,000 euroswhile the serious ones will be up to 50,000 euros and the very serious ones will reach 200,000 euros.
With regard to abandonment, if the person responsible for the animal abandons it in conditions that could “endanger its life or integrity”, it will receive a fine from 1 to 6 months.
Other news
With regard to the dog’s habitat, it will be prohibited to keep it on a terrace or patio “permanently”. Besides, It will be mandatory to clean urine and excrement in places of passagesuch as streets or entrances to establishments.
To try to reduce uncontrolled breeding and future abandonments, it will be mandatory to sterilize all pets that do not live inside the homes. To this we must add that they must be identified, since a list will be created that establishes which animals can live with people and which cannot.
