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The Spanish Government has now confirmed that the mandatory requirement for all dogs to have civil liability insurance will not enter into force on 29 September with the new Animal Welfare Law.

The Ministry of Social Rights sent the circular to veterinary colleges and other competent public administrations where it recognises that the mandatory contracting of civil liability insurance for all dogs is postponed until the specific regulation is approved.

The reason is that these points needed to have a specific complementary regulation that detailed their characteristics and, today, they do not have it. “In pure legal terms, it is not effectively applicable until the regulatory development of said precept occurs, in accordance with its provisions,” says the circular.

The reason, according to the Ministry, is that Spain does not have a fully functioning Government at this time, due to delays in forming an administration after the results of the elections in July. There is only a “caretaker” Government in office, and it has not been possible to approve the necessary complementary regulations. “This regulation is in the form of a Royal Decree and a government with full functions is necessary to approve it,” point out ministerial sources, who assure that the text is ready to obtain the green light, waiting for the political situation to change.

The same situation applies to the mandatory training course for dog owners. We already know that a two-year transition period was included in the legislation to allow existing dog owners time to complete the course, but as of yet, the criteria is not yet ready, and so there will be a delay.

Also being delayed is the State Registry of Pets. That too is not ready.

All of the points mentioned will become mandatory, as they are enshrined and agreed in law, but not yet. We will now have to wait for the official announcement as to when each part does obtain the necessary legal approval, although there is nothing stopping you subscribing to the soon-to-be mandatory civil liability insurance now.

If you would like more in-depth information, there is a website which has translated the entire legislation into English. You can read the full Animal Welfare Law at animalwelfarelaw.es

In addition, we have partnered with three local companies who can offer you tailor made advice, and provide some of the services which will be mandatory under the new law.

If you need more information about pet health or civil liability insurance, you can contact Jennifer Cunningham Insurances, who have local offices in Benijofar, La Marina, and Playa Flamenca. Their telephone number is 965 795 372, and you can visit their website at https://www.jennifercunningham.net/, or via Facebook, at https://www.facebook.com/JCExpatServices/

For anything related to pet health and services such as sterilisation of microchipping, amongst others, you can contact Veterinary Clinic Eduardo’s Pets, located near Las Filipinas, Villamartin, on the Orihuela Costa. Their telephone number is 966 76 41 09, and you can visit their website at https://www.eduardospetsvet.com/, or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Eduardospets/

For pet supplies, such as kennels, you can contact Madagascar Pets Pet Center Ciudad Quesada, located in Doña Pepa, near the Aldi and Food Co “Tesco” supermarkets. Their telephone number is 966 73 13 50, and their website is https://madagascarmascotas.com/tiendas/madagascar-mascotas-ciudad-quesada/

Please be sure to tell them you found out about them via TKO Radio, and they will do their best to answer any questions you might have, and play their part in ensuring you are both compliant with the new Animal Welfare Law, and that your pet has the best care and facilities.

Within the new Animal Welfare Law that comes into force on 29 September 2023, there is reference to the Positive List of Companion Animals. In other words, it is a list of animals that are permitted to be kept as pets, thus there will be some animals that will not be allowed.

In the run up to the law entering into force, there has been a lot of speculation and misinformation, as is perhaps inevitable, with reports that rabbits can no longer be kept as pets, or that goldfish have more rights than humans, for example, but the truth regarding the list of animals you can keep as pets is that at this stage, we don’t actually know. We have to wait for the list to be published, but it is unlikely to exclude animals we would normally consider suitable, like rabbits, and is more likely to exclude more exotic species.

The reason we don’t yet know is however explained in the law, as it says, “Within a maximum period of twenty-four months from the entry into force of this law, the Government will approve the regulation that develops the positive list of wild animals that can be kept as pets, provided for in Chapter V of Title II”.

So even after the law enters into force, it could well be 2 years before we know the content of that list.

The law also states, “Within a maximum period of twelve months from the entry into force of the aforementioned regulation, the Government will publish the list of species of wild mammals that are included in the positive list of companion animals as established in article 37”.

And finally, “Within a maximum period of thirty months from the entry into force of the aforementioned regulation, the Government will publish the list of species of other groups of wild animals (birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and invertebrates) that are included in the positive list of wild animals. company as established in article 37”.

If you would like more in-depth information, there is a website which has translated the entire legislation into English. You can read the full Animal Welfare Law at animalwelfarelaw.es

In addition, we have partnered with three local companies who can offer you tailor made advice, and provide some of the services which will be mandatory under the new law.

If you need more information about pet health or civil liability insurance, you can contact Jennifer Cunningham Insurances, who have local offices in Benijofar, La Marina, and Playa Flamenca. Their telephone number is 965 795 372, and you can visit their website at https://www.jennifercunningham.net/, or via Facebook, at https://www.facebook.com/JCExpatServices/

For anything related to pet health and services such as sterilisation of microchipping, amongst others, you can contact Veterinary Clinic Eduardo’s Pets, located near Las Filipinas, Villamartin, on the Orihuela Costa. Their telephone number is 966 76 41 09, and you can visit their website at https://www.eduardospetsvet.com/, or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Eduardospets/

For pet supplies, such as kennels, you can contact Madagascar Pets Pet Center Ciudad Quesada, located in Doña Pepa, near the Aldi and Food Co “Tesco” supermarkets. Their telephone number is 966 73 13 50, and their website is https://madagascarmascotas.com/tiendas/madagascar-mascotas-ciudad-quesada/

Please be sure to tell them you found out about them via TKO Radio, and they will do their best to answer any questions you might have, and play their part in ensuring you are both compliant with the new Animal Welfare Law, and that your pet has the best care and facilities.

As the new Animal Welfare Law comes into force, it will no longer be possible to buy most pets from pet shops (already the case in some areas), but if you want to acquire a pet dog or cat, for example, you can only obtain them from licenced breeders, who must be officially registered.

When you purchase your pet, you also now enter into a contract of care, where you commit to look after your pet, and in the case of dogs, there is an additional requirement to sit and complete a training course on how to care for your pet dog.

The good news is that the course is free, according to the Government, and online. You should therefore be wary of the inevitable practice where people attempt to charge for the service.

The bad news, in some ways, is that ALL dog owners will have to sit and complete this training course, including those who already have dogs as companions, and irrespective of how long you have already cared for your pet pooch.

The course will be made available shortly, and for those existing dog owners who might be panicking, don’t worry just yet, as although the completion of the course is mandatory, or you face a fine of up to 10,000 euro, a two-year grace period has been put in place to allow time for everyone to complete the course.

The objective of this course is to provide dog owners with the basic knowledge necessary for the management, care and coexistence with these animals. Additionally, if you plan to adopt a dog, it is important to keep in mind that you will need to complete the course before the dog is allowed home with you. This requirement ensures that future owners are properly prepared to care for and raise their pet responsibly.

If you would like more in-depth information, there is a website which has translated the entire legislation into English. You can read the full Animal Welfare Law at animalwelfarelaw.es

In addition, we have partnered with three local companies who can offer you tailor made advice, and provide some of the services which will be mandatory under the new law.

If you need more information about pet health or civil liability insurance, you can contact Jennifer Cunningham Insurances, who have local offices in Benijofar, La Marina, and Playa Flamenca. Their telephone number is 965 795 372, and you can visit their website at https://www.jennifercunningham.net/, or via Facebook, at https://www.facebook.com/JCExpatServices/

For anything related to pet health and services such as sterilisation of microchipping, amongst others, you can contact Veterinary Clinic Eduardo’s Pets, located near Las Filipinas, Villamartin, on the Orihuela Costa. Their telephone number is 966 76 41 09, and you can visit their website at https://www.eduardospetsvet.com/, or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Eduardospets/

For pet supplies, such as kennels, you can contact Madagascar Pets Pet Center Ciudad Quesada, located in Doña Pepa, near the Aldi and Food Co “Tesco” supermarkets. Their telephone number is 966 73 13 50, and their website is https://madagascarmascotas.com/tiendas/madagascar-mascotas-ciudad-quesada/

Please be sure to tell them you found out about them via TKO Radio, and they will do their best to answer any questions you might have, and play their part in ensuring you are both compliant with the new Animal Welfare Law, and that your pet has the best care and facilities.

This content is restricted.

This content is restricted.

For most people, our beloved pets already form part of the family, but for the minority, they are seen as nothing more than a hindrance at best, or an inconvenience, and as such will never be considered part of the family unit. That is one of the many things that the new Animal Welfare Law is set to change when it comes into force later this month.

There has been lots of talk about the requirement for dogs to have civil liability insurance, which we will talk about another time, but there are so many more elements to this legislation that have been overlooked in the publicity.

In general terms, pets MUST now form part of the family nucleus, and must be welcomed into the home to live. Pets can no longer be kept on terraces, balconies, basements, and other similar places, as they are considered unsuitable.

However, for those pets which cannot be included into the home, it is still possible that pets can live in these areas, so long as they have their own suitable accommodation, in other words a kennel, for example, which is both big enough to accommodate the pet, and provides sufficient shelter from the elements, whether that is rain, for example, or heat. Pet owners in this circumstance must also make sure that the animal has adequate food, water, and toilet facilities.

You are also no longer allowed to leave your pet home alone for long periods of time. In general terms, the maximum amount of time you can leave your pet alone is 3 days, so long as they have access to food and water, for example, but in the case of dogs, the maximum permitted period is just 24 hours.

We will be featuring a handful of informative articles here in the runup to the law entering onto force, but if you would like more in-depth information, there is a website with has translated the entire legislation into English. You can read the full Animal Welfare Law at animalwelfarelaw.es

In addition, we have partnered with three local companies who can offer you tailor made advice, and provide some of the services which will be mandatory under the new Animal Welfare Law.

If you need more information about pet health or civil liability insurance, you can contact Jennifer Cunningham Insurances, who have local offices in Benijofar, La Marina, and Playa Flamenca. Their telephone number is 965 795 372, and you can visit their website at https://www.jennifercunningham.net/, or via Facebook, at https://www.facebook.com/JCExpatServices/

For anything related to pet health and services such as sterilisation of microchipping, amongst others, you can contact Veterinary Clinic Eduardo’s Pets, located near Las Filipinas, Villamartin, on the Orihuela Costa. Their telephone number is 966 76 41 09, and you can visit their website at https://www.eduardospetsvet.com/, or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Eduardospets/

For pet supplies, such as kennels, you can contact Madagascar Pets Pet Center Ciudad Quesada, located in Doña Pepa, near the Aldi and Food Co “Tesco” supermarkets. Their telephone number is 966 73 13 50, and their website is https://madagascarmascotas.com/tiendas/madagascar-mascotas-ciudad-quesada/

Please be sure to tell them you found out about them via TKO Radio, and they will do their best to answer any questions you might have, and play their part in ensuring you are both compliant with the new Animal Welfare Law, and that your pet has the best care and facilities.

WE HAVE A WINNER!

The TKO Mystery Voice was Melanie Chisolm (Sporty Spice from the Spice Girls) correctly guessed by Paul in Hondon!

Mel C on the Diary of a CEO podcast with Steven Bartlett

WE HAVE A WINNER!

The TKO Mystery Voice was Lewis Hamilton, correct guessed by Kazzy!

Lewis Hamilton on Top Gear’s F1 Driver in a reasonably priced car

We are taking a slight diversion away from the sound of summer with this week´s Record of the Week, in order to answer a question a few people have asked us.

Have you been watching Hijack, the fantastic and tense almost real time drama starring Idris Elba? It’s on Apple TV+, which is not the most watched platform in Spain, to be honest, but many people are watching it, and loving it. No spoilers, but we will put a trailer at the bottom for you to see what it’s about, if you don’t know. It might entice you to sign up to Apple TV+ (although other streaming platforms are available).

Anyway, back to the music. Last week’s episode finished with what sounded like a classic song, one of those that makes you think, “oh, I know that”, but it has posed a question from a few people, as we say, asking if we know what it was.

The answer is yes, the song is called “There’s a Storm a’Coming”, by Richard Hawley, and although it sounds from a genre of yesteryear, it’s not as old as you might think.

The song was first released in 2010 by Richard Hawley, later covered by Boz Craggs in 2015, but it is the original that was used in the TV show.

You might have heard the song before though, as it was also used at the end of the film Brighton Rock, the 2010 film loosely based on the 1938 book, starring Sam Riley and Andrea Risenborough.

The song is below, so you can hear it again, or for the first time, but if you start to be transported to another world, thinking that Richard Hawley does have a vocal style is reminiscent of an American classic, with a country and western leaning, you might be surprised to hear he’s from Sheffield, and although he has played with many international artists as a session musician, he also joined Pulp for a while, affirming his Sheffield roots.

One more thing, as Columbo used to say. Before we let you listen to the song, we want to tell you about an awesome website you might well find could take over your life. It is called TuneFind, and is available at tunefind.com. Basically, TuneFine is a database of music from TV shows and films, and even advert, so if you are wondering, “what song was that?”, you can just search there. It does have an American leaning though, and it’s not complete. Hijack, for example, only had one song listed when we looked, but it is great for digging deep into the music from the shows, and even for building you playlists.

So, with that, it’s now over to you Richard Hawley…

Hijack, the trailer…

If we had been hiding under a rock for the last month we would still probably know, without doubt, that it’s summer, which mean a notable lack of any far-reaching or impactful reports being published too often in Spain, or Europe as a whole for that matter, but we will see noticeable attention directed towards China to start the week, where data such as GDP, retail sales, industrial production, and the unemployment rate will be published.

The third EU-CELAC summit, which brings together Europe and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, starts on Monday. Traditionally seen as a platform for dialogue with China, but this time, the first formal meeting for some time, the likely topics leading the agenda will be Russia and Ukraine.  

Aside from the international forum, we will also have a public briefing on Monday from Christine Lagarde, President of the ECB, just before Eurostat publishes the figures for overnight stays in tourist establishments for April.

In the UK, despite the approach of the end of school for MPs, or “recess” as they call it, many are unlikely to be bringing their toys in to play in the last few days as there are three by-elections taking place this week, on Thursday to be precise, when we will find out, possibly, what the constituents of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Uxbridge are feeling right now, where the Labour Party is hoping for a symbolic victory despite Tory attempts to turn the vote into a referendum on the ULEZ scheme.

In the runup to the elections, on Tuesday, TV sleaze will be dominating the headlines, as BBC director general Tim Davie faces another grilling, this time by the Lords Communications Committee, in the wake of the Huw Edwards scandal. In this case, although, according to the Met Police, no crime was committed, the BBC is conducting an internal enquiry which includes further claims that Edwards had sent ‘inappropriate messages’ to junior BBC staff who were reluctant to make formal complaints, prompting an investigation from fellow presenter Victoria Derbyshire. We are of course in no way suggesting that these headlines will serve as any kind of distraction from the political status leading to those elections.

Talking of elections, next Sunday, 23 July, Spain goes to the polls once again, for the national elections, which foreigners cannot participate in, sadly, but might well be a decisive turning point for the country (you can read all about this in The Leader, out on Monday)..

If you actually do want a bit of distraction from reality, then you might want to consider a trip to the pictures, as the much-anticipated Barbie film is released on Friday. In Spain, check with the cinemas for VO on the listing if you want to watch it with the original, English (American) dialogue, but if you’re a pensioner, you might want to prefer the discount day where you can enter for just 2 euro, although the two elements might not necessarily coincide.  

The Week Ahead is brought to you by The Leader Newspaper, out every Monday.