Spain’s Pets Recognized as Sentient Beings: What Changes for Owners

No time to read?
Get a summary

Over the past year, a series of rights long demanded by numerous organizations finally gained recognition. The core achievement: laws were amended so that pets are no longer treated as simple objects or personal property. They are now regarded as “sensitive beings.”

To secure this long-awaited protection for companion animals, changes were made to Mortgage Law, the Civil Code, and the Civil Procedure Law.

Spain thus joins a growing group of nations that regard animals as “living beings endowed with sensitivity,” not as motionless possessions.

In practice, this means pets are legally acknowledged as members of the family, even though this status is not yet codified uniformly across all legal texts.

Cat Pixabay

This tripartite reform was approved on 2 December 2021 and published in the Official State Gazette fourteen days later.

Obligations of the owners

So what does it mean for pets to be part of the family?

The new regulation concerning ownership of pets such as cats, dogs, birds, rodents, reptiles, fish, and others recognizes them as “sentient beings” and assigns them a place in the family as legal members.

one. In any economic dispute involving these animals, they cannot be seized or mortgaged.

2. It is essential to provide all the care they require; mistreatment and abandonment are prohibited, and their life cannot be altered by a will.

3. They cannot be used as a means of suffering in cases of domestic violence or harassment against any family member.

Dog agencies

Four. Where there is sensitivity, the legal regime for goods should be applied only to the extent that it respects the nature of each animal or protects them.

5. In cases of separation in a couple or marriage, just as judges decide guardianship or visitation rights for children, they will decide the fate of pets as well.

6. In these matters, the costs of caring for each animal will be allocated as appropriate. The regulations emphasize that welfare for all family members, including the animal, should be the central consideration.

7. If a lost animal is found, the finder is responsible for returning it to its family, and if the animal has no owner, it should be handed to the appropriate authorities or rescue services.

8. In the event of a traffic accident, the obligation to care for or tend to the injured animal cannot be avoided.

……

No time to read?
Get a summary
Previous Article

Paris Saint-Germain Eyes Lens Test After World Cup Break

Next Article

Jeremiah Green of Modest Mouse Dies at 45 After Cancer Battle