Palma/Madrid.—Spain’s ruling party has presented a draft law which would see pet shops banned from selling cats and dogs as the country struggles to deal with the highest rate of pet abandonment in Europe.
If passed, the draft law would mean only licensed breeders and shelters could sell or hand over pets to their new owners, with offenders facing fines of up to €30,000 ($40,000).
In its draft law, Spain’s ruling Partido Popular is also looking at regulating the sale of pet dogs and cats for occasional and habitual breeders, a stance which animal groups blame for the average rate of 400 pet abandonments every day.
Spain to ban sale of cats and dogs in pet shops