Friday, September 15, 2023, 16:37
The new Animal Welfare Law, published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) in March, will come into force on September 29. This rule brings several new features that pet owners should take into account. The goal of this law is to improve the protection of animal rights and welfare.
Some of the measures included in this new rule have created a lot of controversy. The Animal Welfare Law states that penalties and fines will be toughened in case of abandonment or mistreatment; it is prohibited to sacrifice pets without the justification of a veterinarian; Pets are not allowed to be left alone for more than three days; and dog owners must take a training course, among other new features.
According to Law 7/2023, of March 28, on the protection of the rights and well-being of animals, dogs must have mandatory insurance and a microchip as a method of individual identification.
Insurance and other obligations for dog owners
The new standard includes several new features that are aimed at people who have a problem at home:
1. People who choose to own dogs must prove that they have completed a training course for dog ownership that will be valid indefinitely.
2. Said training course will be free and its content will be determined by regulation.
3. In the case of dog ownership and throughout the life of the animal, the owner must contract and maintain in force civil liability insurance for damages to third parties, which includes in its coverage the persons responsible for the animal, for example. an amount sufficient to cover the possible derived expenses, which will be established by regulation.
Identification of pets
Owners of pets must identify their pets using a microchip:
1. Pets will be identified individually, by a qualified veterinarian, through a system and procedure that will be developed according to regulations, depending on what is established for each species. The initial identification of animals may only be carried out in the name of a registered breeder, animal protection entity or authorized Public Administration, and a subsequent transmission may be made to other natural or legal persons under the terms contemplated in this law.
2. Without prejudice to the above, dogs, cats and ferrets, as well as birds, will be subject to mandatory identification by means of a microchip, which will be identified by ringing from birth. The registration of all companion animals will be carried out in the Companion Animal Registry of each autonomous community.
3. The companion animals that are determined by regulation and in any case dogs, cats and ferrets that are used as reproducers by a registered breeder, must be registered as reproductive specimens in the Registry of Companion Animals.
4. Dogs, cats and ferrets coming from other countries of the European Union must keep the original passport that contains their identification code, and this passport cannot be replaced by other identification documentation, without prejudice to the mandatory registration in the Registry. of Pet Animals, at the moment of their acquisition with the data of the person who takes care of them.
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