Woman Fined After Leaving Dog Outside Supermarket to Go Shopping

A woman was fined in the Canary Islands, Spain, after leaving her dog tied to a railing next to a supermarket while she went shopping. 

 

The situation occurred in a commercial space in Arrecife, Lanzarote. The Arrecife Local Police activated the Arrecife City Council's Animal Protection Center to take charge of the pet and then posted a warning on social media about what had happened.

Although this is not an episode of abandonment, the Animal Welfare Act in Spain considers this action to be negligence, with fines of up to 200,000 euros.

The law states that “under no circumstances may the person responsible for a dog leave it unattended at the entrance to an establishment, be it a store or other public place”. 

The police notice points out that those who fail to comply with the regulations can be punished with fines of between 500 euros and 10,000 euros for minor infringements, between 10,001 and 50,000 euros for serious infringements and between 50,001 and 200,000 euros for very serious infringements.

The Arrecife Police stress that coordination with the Animal Protection Center “has been fundamental in ensuring compliance with the legislation in force, which has led to a significant reduction in cases of abandonment and mistreatment of animals in the municipality.”