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ARCHIVED - Hunters bite back as Spanish animal protection law includes working dogs
Certain groups in Spain believe that hunting dogs should be excluded from the Animal Welfare Law
Just as the debate seemed to have been put to bed, the battle lines have been redrawn between hunters and those responsible for Spain’s new Animal Welfare Law. For months, many rural dog owners argued that their animals should be excluded from the protection legislation, since they are technically working and not companion animals. However, the final draft of the decree, approved at the beginning of August, categorically stated that hunting dogs have the same rights as any other animals.
The backlash was almost immediate and now the ruling PSOE party has submitted an amendment that excludes animals with specific activities, such as hunting and Police dogs, from the law.
The new legislation is complex: it has established several regulations against the unnecessary euthanasia of animals and bans anyone who isn’t officially registered from breeding animals. It also limits the number of litters a female dog can have, which is the main bone of contention for hunters, who argue that this restriction will harm important economic activity in rural areas.
On the other hand, the government has already made some major concessions in terms of hunting and herding dogs: exceptions were included regarding sterilisation, the obligation to take a responsible ownership course and for the dogs to pass a sociability test.
However, this differentiation was not enough for the Royal Spanish Hunting Federation (RFEC), who warned that if working dogs aren’t excluded from the legislation, it will mean “the end of hunting” in Spain.
Adding fuel to an already stoked fire, the regional president of Castilla-La Mancha publicly criticised the law this week and threatened to take its authors to court.
“It is good that politicians legislate in favour of fixing the problems, but not putting their fangs into something they don’t like. We all agree that dogs and cats should be well cared for… But domestic animals are one thing, and working dogs quite another,” he concluded.
Image: Pixabay
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