Law of Protection of Domestic Animals of Madrid

In August 2016, the new Domestic Animals Protection Act was approved in Madrid, replacing the previous one, a 1990 law, with several updates or minor modifications, over time. This new law comes into force 6 months after its publication, that is, in February 2017, with which from then on it will be mandatory to comply with the articles that are exposed there.

This new law has been called the "Law of Sacrifice 0", because, among other things, it prohibits the slaughter of animals (except justified specific causes). That is, the fear or belief of the citizens about the fate of the animals that go to the kennel may disappear, because since the entry into force of this law, animals can not be sacrificed for the simple fact of arriving at the Kennel and have no chip or people interested in adopting them, or have more than 5 years ...

Later we will explain the difference between euthanasia and sacrifice, which is also well defined in that law. However, in this post we will focus on the most relevant aspects for owners of pets (not only dogs and cats, there are also novelties for rabbits and ferrets), ie obligations and prohibitions to achieve the goal of The law, which is a responsible holding on the part of all the owners of animals, that assures their well-being, as intended by the regulations.

In its article 3, the law indicates that it will be applied throughout the Community of Madrid. Articles 6 and 7 deal with obligations and prohibitions.

OBLIGATIONS

Among them, the following obligations are included in Article 6 (not all of them will be exposed, but those that we consider most important because of the novelty or because we have verified that they are more unknown):
Provide animals with proper care, healthy food and drinks, hygienic sanitary control, sufficient living space and the ability to exercise daily.
Transport animals appropriately and respecting road safety and current legislation.

Prevent animals from defending in public areas, or in private ones in common use; And remove excreta in case they do.

Provide animals with preventive treatments that are mandatory or essential for good health status; As well as an annual recognition in dogs and cats, which will be registered in the health card.

Take the necessary measures to avoid the uncontrolled reproduction of the animals. Dogs and cats that have or may have uncontrolled contact with other dogs and cats must be sterilized.

Hire a liability insurance for cases to be determined (it is mandatory for all dogs, not just for potentially dangerous dogs).

Identify animals. Subsequently, in articles 11, 12 and 13, the law indicates that all dogs, cats, ferrets and rabbits should be identified by microchip (not only mandatory in dogs and cats, as before). It also indicates that it is a veterinarian who must implant the microchip, so you should not accept purchases of animals that come with microchip, but not high in the name of an owner (a practice that some sellers of animals that do not respect the rules about).

PROHIBITIONS
Of the prohibitions, which are set out in article 7, we highlight:
The sacrifice, the mistreatment and the abandonment of animals.
The breeding and sale of animals for commercial purposes, without the corresponding permits (without being an authorized breeder).
Mutilation for aesthetic purposes only.
Give animals an aggressive education.
Keep the animals tied or locked up permanently or for a period of time or in conditions that may cause suffering for the animal.
Own animals without identifying them.
Keep in the same address a total of more than 5 animals of the canine, feline or any other species that is determined by regulation, unless the municipality authorizes it.
Wear hangers, spikes or electric, that are harmful to animals.
Sacrifice and euthanasia
In article 9, it speaks of the sacrifice and euthanasia of animals:
No animals may be slaughtered simply because of their stay in shelters or in other centers for the temporary maintenance of pet animals, regardless of the time that has elapsed since their entry into them.
You can not sacrifice animals with treatable diseases in which the animal can lead a dignified life.
Euthanasia will be practiced by a veterinarian, quickly and painlessly, under sedation.
Wandering and lost animals
Regarding stray, lost and abandoned animals, Article 20 states that:
It is the responsibility of the town councils to collect stray or vagabond animals and enter them in animal shelters. They must have a veterinary service 24 hours for the care of these animals.
Municipalities with less than 5000 inhabitants, may have agreements with the Community of Madrid for this matter.
INFRACTIONS
Articles 25 and 30 specify infringements (minor, serious or very serious) and penalties for committing these infringements (between € 300 and € 3000).
This is a brief excerpt from the law, but we leave it here so you can download it if you want to read it in depth. There are particular aspects to be celebrated, such as the explicit prohibition of sacrifices, but, in general, it is an important update, of a law that had not undergone a profound reform since the previous one was enacted in 1990. Here you can download the Law of Protection of Domestic Animals of the Community of Madrid of 2016.
By stating the contents of the law, we have not been able to develop the repercussion or implications of some of these points, but in a series of posts that we are going to publish soon, we will explain what you should do, Rabbit or ferret, to respect the