We cannot start 2022 in a better way than with fantastic news, since from January 5th, animals will no longer be considered “things”.
The Congress of Deputies gave green light to the new regulations by which animals will no longer be considered “real estate or things”, to recognize their nature as “sentient beings” or living beings endowed with sensitivity, thus considering them as members of the family. This change is due to a triple legal reform of the Civil Code, the Mortgage Law and the Civil Procedure Law.
This new regulation will legally resolve situations such as divorces or separations, deaths and liens. The standard regulates the joint custody of pets in the event of divorce or separation and indicates that they should not be seized or mortgaged, that they are not abandoned, that they are not caused suffering or pain, and that they should not be used as a tool in gender violence and that they can be disposed off by will.
The aim of this regulation is to protect the animal, and combat the very high abandonment rate in Spain (one of the highest in Europe). This is one more step in the fight against abuse and cruelty in general, and in Gosbi we could not be happier about it.