Anyone who lives with one or more pets has closely followed every new development related to the Animal Welfare Law. This legislation introduces important changes with the aim of putting an end to animal abuse. For this, it establishes the toughening of sanctions and jail sentences for those who mistreat or abandon their pet.
Likewise, the law introduces important novelties such as the prohibition of exhibiting animals in stores, the regulation of certified breeders and the obligation to neuter pets that live outside the interior of the dwellings. Apart from the controversy and the discrepancies over the exclusion of hunting dogs, this law brings with it two rules that every pet owner should know: taking a course and having compulsory insurance.
As for the course, anyone who, from the moment the law comes into force, opts to own a dog, must take an online training course. In the absence of knowing more details about its procedure, it is known that it will be free, it will be done online and it will be valid indefinitely.
As regards the compulsory insurance for dogs, it refers to civil liability insurance. Until now, it was voluntary to have this, except for some autonomous communities where it was mandatory –as in Madrid–. Likewise, dogs of breeds considered potentially dangerous (PPP) should also be covered.
However, the Animal Welfare Law will eliminate the list of dangerous dogs. From now on, instead of classifying them as such based on their breed, they will be considered "special handling" dogs based on their behavior.
The law intends to extend the obligation of civil liability insurance to all those people with a dog in their charge. The legal text says that "in the case of dog ownership and throughout the life of the animal, the owner must contract and maintain in force a civil liability insurance for damages to third parties, which includes the responsible persons in its coverage of the animal, for an amount of sufficient amount to cover the possible derived expenses, which will be established by regulation”.
In this way, civil liability insurance that covers damage to third parties will be mandatory. Apart from this, each owner will be able to decide if they add more coverage to their insurance. For example, if you want it to also include health coverage for veterinary care or include it in your home policy.
The amount will vary depending on the insurance company, as well as the characteristics of the dog, such as its breed, age or size. In any case, the civil liability insurance that covers damage to third parties would have a price of between 30 and 60 euros per year.
