An analysis carried out by María Alonso, from the EFE agency, based on data from the INE population census and the territorialized figures managed by the National Association of Pet Food Manufacturers (Anfaac), places Asturias, Aragon and Castilla y León as the three autonomous communities with the most dogs per inhabitant. In these three territories it is estimated that there are at least three dogs for every ten people.
They are followed in canine density by Galicia (2.5 dogs for every ten humans), the Valencian Community (2.4), Andalusia (2.3), Murcia (2.1), Extremadura and the Balearic Islands (2). At the other extreme, the territories where the ownership of dogs as pets has had the least impact (or at least they do not appear in the Anfaac figures) are La Rioja (0.3 dogs per ten inhabitants), the Basque Country ( 0.6) and Navarra (0.7). In Catalonia the proportion is 1.6 and in Madrid, 1.4.
With figures from 2021, the latest available, Spain had 47,307,133 registered people and 9,280,821 dogs. The canine population therefore exceeds the child population, because the number of children under 14 years of age on that date was 6,654,130. This reality, that in Spain there are more dogs than children (almost one and a half dogs per creature), has been observed for a long time in the streets, squares and parks of towns and cities. Now the figures compiled by Efe confirm that this is the case in practically all autonomous communities. Asturias, Galicia and Castilla y León (the oldest regions of Spain), where else.
In fact, three times as many dogs live in Asturias as there are children under 14 years of age: 352,229 dogs and 106,861 children.
On the other hand, in the streets of La Rioja, Navarra and the Basque Country there are still many more children playing than dogs, and in Castilla-La Mancha and Madrid the figures are quite equal but still favor the former. In the Madrid community, for example, there are 963,058 dogs and 992,013 children under 14 years of age.
The fact that the autonomies with the greatest number of dogs are precisely those that are older and have lower fertility supports the arguments of those who, like the doctor in Philosophy and Educational Sciences Jaume Bentulà, believe that the increase in the number of households with dogs in Spain has a lot to do with the drop in birth rates. “One of the consequences of the lack of children at home is the increase in loneliness and the desire to alleviate it by sharing time and space with an animal,” he explained a few months ago to La Vanguardia when talking about the impact of the lack of child population. .
The change in social landscape that entails the lesser presence of children and the increase in the number of domestic animals entails transformations in multiple areas, from urban planning (the necessary equipment in cities changes) to the values of society (living with children requires tolerance , patience, sacrifice, ductility...), passing through relationships.
Regarding these, sociologist Eduardo Bericat warns that indestructible ties are disappearing.
“The bond between parents and children is the only one that remains until the death of the parties, while marriage or friendship are contingent, linked to subjectivity and the relationship is maintained as long as it is satisfactory for the parties; Therefore, the fact that there are fewer and fewer children and fewer maternal or paternal-child ties means that primary relationships (those that are imposed, such as the family), have practically disappeared and almost all the relationships we maintain today are chosen," he explained to questions from this diary.
