ANIMALS STOP BEING "THINGS": CONGRESS EQUIPPES PET WELL-BEING
Animals are already, according to the Congress of Deputies, sentient beings and not "things" or goods. It implies that pets are one more in the family in the eyes of the administration and the judges.
It will have repercussions on divorce proceedings (about 30,000 couples who start the process a year in Spain have one) and will mean that the animals are unencumbered or have to be cared for in the event of a car accident, as until now they had the same legal consideration as a suitcase.
The changes have repercussions for pet custody in the event of divorce in marriages and common-law partners. The judge will decide the fate of the animals in case of a dispute between the ex-spouses, and his decision in favor of one or both will be "taking into account the interests of family members and the welfare of the animal."
