New rules to protect pets and their welfare in Spain

Automatic summary, not yet reviewed

1. The law creates a common framework across Spain to protect companion animals and wild animals in captivity, and recognizes them as sentient beings entitled to good treatment, respect and protection.
2. Animals used in bullfighting shows, farm animals, animals used in research, and hunting dogs and other working animals are excluded from the law and remain governed by their own rules.
3. It creates the Central Registry System for Animal Protection, which coordinates the registries of companion animals, breeders, protection entities, animal behavior professionals and zoological facilities nationwide.
4. The killing of companion animals is banned except in very limited cases. Also banned are mutilations, abandonment, animal fighting, electric or punishment collars, and selling dogs, cats and ferrets in pet stores.
5. Dog owners must complete a free training course and carry liability insurance for the animal's entire life.
6. Only dogs, cats and ferrets, authorized domestic species, and wild species included in a new positive list drawn up by the Government may be kept as companion animals.
7. Breeding and selling companion animals is restricted to registered breeders, authorized stores and animal protection centers. Online sales are banned, and dogs and cats cannot be given away before eight weeks of age.
8. Offenses are classified as minor, serious or very serious, with fines from €500 to €200,000, plus additional penalties such as a ban on keeping animals or closing the business.

Who it affects

• Pet owners: They must identify their animals, care for them as the law requires, sterilize cats before six months, take a training course and carry insurance if they own a dog.
• Breeders and pet stores: They can only breed and sell if registered; selling dogs, cats and ferrets in stores is banned after a transition period.
• Municipal councils: They must pick up abandoned and lost animals with a 24-hour emergency service and manage feral cat colonies.
• Animal protection entities: They must register and meet requirements based on their type, such as sterilizing animals before adoption.
• Circuses and shows with wild animals: They have six months to change their activity; using wild animals in circuses and fairground rides is banned.

Words worth knowing

Listado positivo (positive list)

Official list of wild species that may be kept as companion animals; species not on it cannot be kept, bred or sold.

Núcleo zoológico (zoological facility)

An authorized establishment where companion animals are housed temporarily or permanently, such as a boarding facility or breeding operation.

Método CER (CER method)

A system for managing feral cat colonies: capture, sterilize and return the cats to their original location.

Gato comunitario (community cat)

A free-roaming cat tied to a territory that, because it is not socialized with people, cannot be adopted.

Declaración responsable (responsible declaration)

A document filed with the administration to start an activity, declaring that the legal requirements are met.

It summarizes the law as published in the BOE. It is written by artificial intelligence and may contain mistakes: the official text is what counts. Read the official text · How we make summaries