More than 12,000 dogs registered in the province of León will be required to have civil liability coverage with insurance with the new Law 7/2023 that came into force in September. The measure was suspended when the Government was in office and has not yet been developed.
The then general director of Animal Rights, Sergio García Torres, informed the interested parties that “in purity of legal terms, it is not effectively applicable until the regulatory development of said precept occurs, in accordance with the provisions therein.” ». Now the ball is in the court of José Ramón Becerra Carrollo, the new general director, who took office at the end of December.
According to data from a survey by the insurance company Línea Directa, almost 30% of pet owners admit that they still do not have insurance for their pet, despite the entry into force last September of the Animal Welfare Law, which It still has no regulatory development.
More than half of the owners (52%) are in favor of the new rule due to the protection offered by civil liability coverage against possible mishaps caused by their pet, according to a report published this Monday by the Home division of said insurance carrier.
It is estimated that there are more than 9 million dogs in Spain, which represents an increase of more than 48% in four years, adds the report, prepared from a survey of more than 1,700 people throughout Spain. In the province of León there are about 12,000 registered dogs. Until now, mandatory insurance was only mandatory for potentially dangerous dogs.
Many insurers offer insurance coverage for your canine pet along with home insurance, but “there are many homes that lack insurance and therefore also the dogs,” says Leire Abarquero, Albroksa delegate in León.
Until the new regulations come to light, the doubt will not be cleared up as to whether dog insurance will be an exclusive product independent of the home or whether the product can be maintained as it is now. Currently there is insurance to cover liability for ordinary dogs for 32 euros and with coverage of 150,000 euros. Insurance for potentially dangerous dogs has much higher coverage and its annual cost is around 80 euros.
Just over half of pet owners, 56%, have adopted their pet, but 29% admit that they have bought it, a practice that with the new rule becomes controlled in the case of sales between individuals and prohibited if done in a store.
The new law also establishes the obligation for new dog owners to take a training course. The content of this training must be established by regulation, as is the case with the issue of insurance.
This measure has social support. 75% of those surveyed agree, although 32% support it only if it is voluntary and 14% only for new owners and not for those who already had their dog before the law came into force.
10% of owners report that their dog has attacked another person or animal on some occasion, causing minor injuries such as scratches (64%) but also serious injuries such as bites (23%).
Regarding the penalties for these mishaps, almost 4 out of 10 owners whose pets were attacked had to pay a fine of between 600 and 3,300 euros.
Among the obligations introduced by the law, the contracting of civil liability insurance for damages to third parties throughout the life of the animal stands out, as well as putting them on a microchip, registering them in the pet animal registry, taking the aforementioned course, which is free , and prevent the dog from affecting feline colonies.
For its part, the main prohibitions included in the text are letting pets loose or wandering unsupervised in public spaces, regularly leaving them on terraces, balconies, rooftops or storage rooms, keeping them on a leash in the car, leaving them alone for more than 24 hours. hours, sell them or display them for commercial purposes and use electric, punishment or choke collars.
The new law requires mandatory insurance for dogs, but rules also apply to other pets, such as not leaving them alone at home for more than 24 hours. The animal welfare law allows the sale of animals in stores, with the exception of dogs, cats and ferrets, which can only be sold by registered breeders.
2024-02-08 09:58:41
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