The protection of animal welfare through administrative law in Spain. Special reference to pets

Abstract

This paper studies the protection of animal welfare, in particular that of pets, through Administrative Law, and thus excludes any analysis of this question from the perspective of other legal disciplines such as Civil Law and Penal Law. To this end, the article begins with a general critical approach to the legal-administrative framework regarding animal welfare in Spain, which is highly influenced by European Union Law. It then makes a specific examination of administrative care for pet animals and analyses some of the principal instruments and protective techniques articulated in the judicial-administrative legislation that regulates this ambit. The study concludes with some final thoughts regarding the current, not entirely satisfactory, legal-administrative framework and offers proposals on how it could be improved in favour of animal welfare.