The draft of the Animal Welfare Law is constantly in the news without even having entered into force. From the amendment to remove hunting dogs, rehalas and hunting assistants from the protection of said law to the expansion of the list of pets whose possession would be prohibited in Spanish homes and through the end of the list of potentially dangerous dogs. It is this last point that we will discuss below.
If the animal law proposed by the current government goes ahead, the obligation to wear a muzzle on the street for breeds known as potentially dangerous would be eliminated. Thus, dogs like the Pitbull or the Rottweiler will no longer have to carry this accessory when walking down the street. Yes indeed, as long as they pass a sociability test that all dogs must pass.
It is on page 11 of the draft where it is specified, literally, that “the determination of dangerousness based solely on belonging to a certain race” will be excluded. Further on, it is indicated that “Law 50/1999, of December 23, on the Legal Regime of Possession of Potentially Dangerous Animals is repealed.” Which means that breeds of dogs considered potentially dangerous will cease to exist.
However, that does not mean that control over dangerous dogs will completely disappear. What changes is that it will no longer be differentiated by race. It will be a sociability test that determines when a dog is classified as a “special handling” dog and is forced to wear a muzzle. It is article 30 of the Draft that determines that “owners together with their dogs must carry out a test to assess their aptitude to function in the social sphere”.
Of course, at the moment it is not specified what the socialization tests neither how nor where they will be carried out. In addition, the regulations will also require a training course to be able to have dogs, whose accreditation will be valid indefinitely.
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