Girona City Council will create a new fee for owners of domestic cats of 10 euros per year and will enable more open spaces where dogs can be taken unleashed.
They are two of the measures that are part of the policies that the council wants to promote in terms of animal welfare, also as a result of the entry into force of the new law.
The councilor of Ciudad Que Cuida, Gemma Martínez, explains that the council will update the animal possession ordinance, which dates back to 2009, and that it will launch an information campaign for citizens and businesses about the new developments included in the law.
Martínez insists on the "need" to census and chip dogs, cats and ferrets because failure to do so carries a fine of 10,000 euros.
Gemma Martínez has explained that among the powers of the council she heads are, precisely, promoting animal welfare policies. "We want to improve the lives of pets, guaranteeing them the necessary affection and care, and protecting them from situations of abuse, neglect and abandonment," stressed the councilor of Ciudad Que Cuida.
With this objective, and also coinciding with the entry into force of the new law, the Girona City Council has explained what actions will be undertaken with pet animals.
At the outset, Martínez explained that the council will work to update the municipal census (mainly with dogs, cats and ferrets).
Currently, the number of animals registered in the city does not reach 5,000. A figure that the councilor already admits is "low", because the data shows that, on average, one in three households has pets. "In addition, it is estimated that only 4% of Girona's cats are registered," explains Gemma Martínez.
Coinciding with the entry into force of the new state law, which requires census and chipping of animals, the Girona City Council is also launching an information campaign aimed at both citizens and businesses (because dogs cannot be left tied outdoors without supervision).
The councilor insists on the "need" for owners of dogs, cats and ferrets to register their animals and chip them (later the obligation will also be extended to other species). According to Martínez, it must be kept in mind that the new law "toughens" the fines for not doing so. In fact, if the animal does not have a chip, the penalty regime ranges between 10,001 and 50,000 euros; and if you carry it but it is not registered in the census, then the fine can range from 500 to 10,000 euros.
In parallel, the council will also draft a new municipal ordinance on animal ownership, which will update the current one (which dates back to 2009). Although an attempt was made to renew the ordinance three years ago, the process was stopped, precisely, waiting for the new state animal welfare law to come into force.
