Podenco Post

New Animal Welfare Law in Valencia Region

This is a precis of an article which appeared in my online copy of The Olive Press.

The Valencian parliament has approved a new regional animal welfare law which is tougher than recently-passed national legislation.

Penalties of up to 45,000 euros for very serious cases of animal cruelty

Breeding and sale of pets restricted to authorised professionals.

Also includes hunting dogs who inthis instance are classified as pets.

Valencian agriculture minister Isaura Navarro - guarantees the rights of animals.

Classifies animals as 'sentient beings' and not just pets.

Adoption prioritise. Registration and identifiation of animals required - owners have 6 months to register them.

URGENT - petition to sign and share before 8 March 2023

This petition is launched by associations of lawyers specializing in animal rights, to request a veto in the Senate to withdraw the reform of the Spanish Penal Code.

According to the decision of February 9th, 2023, galgos, podencos and all Spanish hunting, guard, companion and herding dogs are excluded from the new animal protection law and the abuse of the dogs is largely unpunished.

Please help, sign the petition and share it!

A Black Day for Spanish Animals - 9th February 2023

From Bev Farmer of Podenco Friends

'9th February 2023 was a black day for animal welfare in Spain, the Government signed an agreement where both parties promised dignity for all animals. In what will be the " National Animal Protection Act" the animal welfare law was passed but have excluded the bulls tortured at bull festivities, the millions of animals riddled by hunters, the ones used for animal testing, the ones considered production, such as executed in slaughterhouses, some horses, those used in pilgrimages, dolphins and hunting dogs. What this means Podencos and Galgos plus many other animals in Spain, are not protected they are in a worse position than before.

Podenco Friends - complications in transporting rescued hounds

As if the marvellous volunteers in Spain working to save and rehome podencos and galgos don't have enough stress in their lives, living with all the cruelty and abandonment, getting hounds to forever homes also brings its stresses. Bev Farmer tells of a recent nightmare she had to deal with.

'Sancho should have been on a plane flying to Canada last weekend, along with Radley and Gawain, two more Podencos from Ibizan Hound Rescue. They travelled down in the evening with Brian, following morning all the dogs checked in at Malaga Airport and had gone through security ready to board the plane.

Then Rhonda and Denise (from Canada who were travelling with the dogs) set off to go through passenger security when they discover Rhonda's passport is missing. Anyway, to cut a long story short the Supervisor for Air Transat at Malaga was rude, obstructive and wasn't willing to help in any way. I was on the phone to Rhonda and I could hear what she was saying. The dogs' crates were tagged to Rhonda's boarding pass but the Supervisor refused to change them over to Denise's boarding pass, even though other Air Transat personnel on duty at the check in desk asked her to do it.

PACMA - Spanish political party fighting for the rights of Spain's animals

This is a weblink to introduce the new team at PACMA, leading the fight to protect Spain's abused animals.

This is a weblink to an article about the Government of Castilla-La Mancha wanting to promote the violence and cruelty of hunting among young people and women.

Also in March 2022 PACMA urged the Junta de Andalucía to stop promoting, protecting and shielding hunting in the community. We have sent a letter to the Governing Council of the Junta de Andalucía to stop their efforts to promote this cruel and violent activity. Weblink to this article.

This is the translation of a PACMA article about dog-fighting in Spain. Galgos are sometimes bred as bait dogs to be used in this cruel and barbaric activity.

PACMA on the draft change to the Penal Code - no good for hunting dogs

'As you may know, in recent months there has been a considerable stir around possible changes in the Penal Code that would affect the penalties for animal abuse.

The reforms that are projected in its draft are very far from meeting the expectations of animal activists; not even with those of current social feeling. The abusers will continue without stepping on jail.

Killing and mistreating animals will remain a game.

The maximum sentence for assault on an animal resulting in death is 24 months; just the minimum to avoid going to prison. The potential prison saturation could lead the judges to decide to change the sentence for a fine, whose bureaucratic process has also been streamlined. Many may become insolvent.

Please sign and share widely

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/606922?fbclid=IwAR02qItxUtsiV2iQhQoJ1a8z_KYOeekZs-uRiwQYOF4ACzgWX9VLZB6CirU

DeAnimals - fighting to protect the Spanish hunting dogs

In 2016 I met Raquel, a Spanish lawyer who organised training courses for anyone involved in animal law in Spain. Here's a weblink to their site which explains the work they do.

Proposed new animal welfare law in Spain

Read the full draft on this weblink - we'll believe it if it happens! But it is seriously needed, as all of us know who are aware of the terrible maltreatment of animals in Spain in the name of sport, fiestas, bull fighting, hunting...the list goes on.

Gran Canaria - August - hunting with hounds has started again!

Civil Guard detects 21 violations at the beginning of hunting season in Gran Canaria

On Sunday, August 08 was the first day in which film activity was permitted and several coordinated inspections were conducted with Cabildo Environment staff in the Gran Canaria summit area

The Nature Protection Service (Seprona) of the Civil Guard Command in Las Palmas, in coordination with the Environment agents of the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, have inspected the beginning of the hunting season on August 8 on the island, detecting 21 administrative offenses of which 20 were made due to non-compliance with the Canarian Hunting Law and 01 of them the Canarian Land and Protected Natural Areas Law.