How does the Animal Welfare Act affect you if you have a dog?
Since 29 September 2023, Law 7/2023 of 28 March on the protection of the rights and welfare of animals (Article 30), also known as the Animal Welfare Act 2023, came into force.
Among other changes and as far as insurance is concerned, this law obliges dog owners to have a civil liability insurance for our pets regardless of the breed of dog (dangerous dogs were already obliged before) and throughout the life of this, (if you want us to give you the best price contact us), as well as to conduct a training course for new owners, who will give this course and its content we have not been able to access information that explains it to us in the law.
If you want to know all the details of the new animal protection and welfare law you can view or download the original text by clicking here.
What does compulsory dog insurance cover?
It is compulsory to insure the dog’s civil liability, which serves to compensate the personal and material damage that the dog may cause to third parties, although the Law does not indicate a minimum or maximum civil liability capital for the animal.
In futurseguros we can complement the basic pet insurance, i.e. civil liability with other voluntary coverage such as compensation for accidents involving our pet (dog or cat), whether veterinary expenses, compensation for death or slaughter, coverage for theft of our pet, loss or misplacement, find out more.
How much does compulsory dog insurance cost?
Pet insurance for cats or dogs can be included in the home insurance with futurseguros free of charge for the first pet, from the second one onwards you can include it in your home insurance for around 35 euros per year, or contracting it independently can cost between 50 and 120 euros depending on capital, coverage and breed.
These prices are for dogs not included in the list of potentially dangerous dogs PPP, you can consult the list of breeds included in this blog entry.
Be careful not to confuse these liability insurances with optional covers with a veterinary insurance, such as barkibu or any other veterinary assistance insurance for pets, they are policies that cover different insurance needs.
Good news for the end.
Don’t worry, you are about to get rid of the need to take out insurance for your pet. On the one hand, this law is temporarily unenforceable due to the lack of its own regulations, so as of September 2024 there is no penalty for not having civil liability insurance for your pet (as long as it is not a potentially dangerous dog). On the other hand, with Futurseguros you can include a dog in the civil liability of your home insurance free of charge, saving you from having to take out a new policy.