Travelling with dogs on public transport 2023

This Friday, September 29 comes into force the new Animal Welfare Law 2023 promoted by the Ministry of Social Rights and Agenda 2030 of Ione Belarra. It is a law that brings novelties for owners of domestic and hunting dogs, cats and other pets included in the positive list.

This long wait has been a consequence of numerous controversies that have arisen on the way to its approval, such as the exhibition of dogs and cats in shop windows, pets that would become part of the prohibited list or the course that owners must take to prove that they are fit to have a pet at home.

The new text clarifies that pets may be carried on both public and private transport as long as “they do not constitute a risk to people, other animals and things, without prejudice to the provisions of public health regulations, municipal ordinances or specific regulations.

Among the novelties and key points of the new Animal Welfare Law 2023 are the following: Positive listing of pets and what happens if I have a prohibited one at home. One of the most controversial measures of recent months is the ‘positive listing’ of animals, which will only include pets considered domestic, leaving out some such as turtles, guinea pigs or exotic reptiles and others considered as “invasive or dangerous species”. Dogs, cats, small rodents such as hamsters or birds such as parakeets and ferrets will be allowed, as well as falconry birds or aquarium animals not included in the catalog of invasive exotic species or protected wild species. The Ministry has specified that this list is not yet closed and they point out that the owners of non-permitted animals will have to inform the species they have at home in order to receive an authorization that will allow them to keep them until their death. Course for dogs and their owners with the new Animal Welfare Law Another of the measures contemplated in the new Animal Welfare Law 2023 is the obligation to take a course to have dogs, which accredits the owner’s capacity to have this type of animal at home. Likewise, there will no longer be dogs considered potentially dangerous, although all of them will have to pass an obedience and behavior test in order not to assume this definition. Those who do not pass the test will have to go out in the street with a muzzle and on a short leash, until they pass another test with a trainer.

Another of the novelties of the new Animal Welfare Law is the obligatory nature of civil liability insurance. Maximum time a pet can be left alone at home Another of the objectives of this law is to put an end to the abandonment of animals and to ensure that they have “decent living conditions”. For this reason, the law regulates, among other novelties, the time that a dog can be alone in a house and limits it to a maximum of 24 hours and prohibits, without considering timetables, that they can be left alone in a car. It is also forbidden for the animal to live on balconies, basements and terraces. ISTOCK Sheepdogs, by their nature, will be able to spend more time unaccompanied if they have a tracking system that allows the owner to know where they are, and may have a shelter for bad weather with access to drink and food. In the case of a cat, hamster or caged bird, the time they can be alone is a maximum of three days.

In case of non-compliance, owners may face penalties of up to 10,000 euros. Showcases, circuses, fairs or tying animals to vehicles Another measure of the new Animal Welfare Act 2023 is the prohibition of displaying animals in shop windows for sale.

Owners will no longer be able to buy their pets in stores that display dogs, cats and other species for commercial purposes. Only fish, birds or rodents may be sold in pet stores. The regulation aims to avoid impulse buying and the trauma caused to puppies by forced confinement. In addition, only registered and registered breeders may engage in breeding, and the participation of animals in fairs and circuses is prohibited. Another key point of this law is that it is forbidden to train animals such as greyhounds, which could be left out of this law, by tying them to moving vehicles. Sterilization and zero slaughter

The new law also contemplates zero slaughter of pets and euthanasia will only be allowed under very specific conditions. This is one of the most controversial points among the General Council of Veterinary Associations of Spain, which is in favor of the new law.

Here is link to the Generalitat Cataluna site to know more about pets in public transport in Catalonia: