Equal Rights For Pets

A Spanish town voted in favour of creating what are effectively human rights for dogs and cats.

19:29 23 July 2015

Politicians at the town of Trigueros del Valle, a municipality of about 330 people in the Castile and Leon region voted unanimously to define dogs and cats as “non-human residents” giving them rights similar to human beings. The new law bans “any action that causes the mutilation or death of a non-human resident.

 

Pedro Pérez Espinosa, the town’s Socialist mayor, said: “Dogs and cats have been living among us for over a 1,000 years. And the mayor must represent not just the human residents but must also be here for the others.”

 

Meanwhile, animal rights group were extremely happy about the decision. “Today, we are closer as species and we are now more human thanks to the sensitivity and intelligence shown by the people of Trigueros del Valle,” said Rescate 1, a group that campaigns for animal rights. “This is a great day for humans and non-human citizens alike.”

 

Meanwhile, the new legislation does not cover cases wherein a dog or a cat has to put to sleep as an act of compassion.