The new spanish law sets out serious penalties for owners who act irresponsibly towards their pets, such as cats and dogs. The Animal Rights and Welfare Protection Law, published on March 28th, will require, for example, that all people who want to have an animal at home attend a free course on how to properly take on this responsibility.

In addition to training, which the Spanish government will provide through an online platform, the law stipulates that pet owners meet a series of obligations. One of them determines that dogs should not be left alone for more than 24 hours – that during this period, animals cannot be without access to sunlight, shade, or a covered area for this number of hours, for example. On the other hand, cats, rodents, and birds cannot be left alone for more than three days.

In another article (part) of the law, the government stipulates that cats, up to six months old, should undergo surgery to prevent them from having kittens (castration). This would reduce the number of abandoned animals as well as risks to the cat’s health if the pet does not undergo this procedure. Only government certified breeders are exempt from this law.

Anyone who violates the set of obligations established by the law will be penalized with fines whose value varies according to the seriousness of the infraction. Minor violations will receive fines between 500 and 10,000 euros (between 2,765 and 55,301 reais), serious violations will be 10,000 to 50,000 euros (55,301 to 276,506 reais), and very serious will be fined up to 200,000 euros (1,106,026 reais).

Sources: BBC, Official Spanish State Bulletin, Folha de S. Paulo newspaper, and National Geographic.

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