exercising dogs

Are you looking for information or help related to pets in Andalucia. Post your questions and advice about domestic pets, veterinary services, legal issues.
scouser
Andalucia.com Amigo
Posts: 84
Joined: Mon Nov 22, 2010 4:21 pm
Location: Velez Malaga - Rubite

exercising dogs

Postby scouser » Sat Sep 28, 2013 8:39 pm

Does anyone else have a problem exercising their dogs.

I'm living in Alcaucin in the campo. I moved here because I wanted open space for my dogs.

Tonight I was stopped by a policeman who was waiting for me at the end of my evening walk. I had both my dogs muzzled and on leads. I was told I must keep them on leads at all times.

None of my neighbours have their dogs on leads or muzzles and they let them roam around chasing cars and barking all night long which I would never do.

How do people exercise their dogs in Spain if there is nowhere they can be let off their leads?

gavilan
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 2164
Joined: Sat Apr 08, 2006 11:59 am
Location: Alcaucin

Re: exercising dogs

Postby gavilan » Sun Sep 29, 2013 8:44 am

Maybe go to Alcaucin TH and talk with Mario there - he speaks English.

User avatar
Enrique
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 9488
Joined: Tue Mar 24, 2009 9:47 am
Location: Mytchett/Alcala La Real

Re: exercising dogs

Postby Enrique » Sun Sep 29, 2013 8:54 am

Hi scouser,

"I had both my dogs muzzled"............are they classed as dangerous dogs :?:

Why was a Police man waiting for you...........someone done a denuncia.... :?:
All my best learning experiences start with a problem I need to solve.

gus-lopez
Resident
Posts: 1572
Joined: Tue Nov 23, 2010 8:55 am
Location: Lorca, Murcia ,Spain

Re: exercising dogs

Postby gus-lopez » Sun Sep 29, 2013 12:31 pm

scouser wrote:Does anyone else have a problem exercising their dogs.

I'm living in Alcaucin in the campo. I moved here because I wanted open space for my dogs.

Tonight I was stopped by a policeman who was waiting for me at the end of my evening walk. I had both my dogs muzzled and on leads. I was told I must keep them on leads at all times.

None of my neighbours have their dogs on leads or muzzles and they let them roam around chasing cars and barking all night long which I would never do.

How do people exercise their dogs in Spain if there is nowhere they can be let off their leads?

" I was told I must keep them on leads at all times."
& your reply should have been " When you've sorted out all the local ones running about, without collar, chips, muzzles or papers, etc; then come back & check on me; until then **** off"
Todos somos Lorca.

Unicorn
Resident
Posts: 1670
Joined: Sun Jun 30, 2013 5:06 pm
Location: Estepona

Re: exercising dogs

Postby Unicorn » Sun Sep 29, 2013 1:41 pm

I can only speak for around here but whereas it used to be only 'dangerous' dogs muzzled now is should be all dogs over 20 kilos. Also in Estepona you have to also register all dogs at the town hall, as well as chip and normal registration.

I always muzzle my Golden and frequently get critisized for it but I am well aware of the crisis and the fines that can be doled out. And of course there are many other dogs running around without leads and almost none with muzzles but personally I think I would rather avoid a fine. I also have an insurance for him with Mapfre if he should cause an accident.

It is a bind but we all know that fines can be dished out quite arbitrarilly, particularly at the moment. Luckily my dog is quite old now and requires less. I have heard, however, about certain areas being cordoned off for dogs but can't remember where. Does anyone know?

olive
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 4501
Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2005 7:13 pm
Location: Poniente, Granada

Re: exercising dogs

Postby olive » Sun Sep 29, 2013 6:58 pm

Unicorn wrote:I can only speak for around here but whereas it used to be only 'dangerous' dogs muzzled now is should be all dogs over 20 kilos. Also in Estepona you have to also register all dogs at the town hall, as well as chip and normal registration.

I always muzzle my Golden and frequently get critisized for it but I am well aware of the crisis and the fines that can be doled out. And of course there are many other dogs running around without leads and almost none with muzzles but personally I think I would rather avoid a fine. I also have an insurance for him with Mapfre if he should cause an accident.

It is a bind but we all know that fines can be dished out quite arbitrarilly, particularly at the moment. Luckily my dog is quite old now and requires less. I have heard, however, about certain areas being cordoned off for dogs but can't remember where. Does anyone know?
There will be no going back in my experience. Life will only get worse.

I am with Gus on this one. Ask them when they are going to round up the ones with or without collars that periodically decimate our poultry. Cleaning blood stains off a house wall over 20 foot up isn't easy or pleasant.

El Cid
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 16058
Joined: Sun Oct 24, 2004 10:42 pm
Location: La Herradura, Costa Tropical, Granada

Re: exercising dogs

Postby El Cid » Sun Sep 29, 2013 8:34 pm

gus-lopez wrote:
" I was told I must keep them on leads at all times."
& your reply should have been " When you've sorted out all the local ones running about, without collar, chips, muzzles or papers, etc; then come back & check on me; until then **** off"
And you really think that sort of response to the Guardia or Policia Local will work for a foreigner?

They are far more likely to arrest you and shoot the dog.

I would be a lot more accommodating if I wanted to avoid such hassle.

Sid

scouser
Andalucia.com Amigo
Posts: 84
Joined: Mon Nov 22, 2010 4:21 pm
Location: Velez Malaga - Rubite

Re: exercising dogs

Postby scouser » Sun Sep 29, 2013 11:54 pm

I have contacted Mario for his advice.

I'm being particularly cooperative because someone's got it in for me.

The policeman who was waiting for me said he had been told my dogs had been seen off lead. He told me people were afraid of my dogs.

My dogs have never hurt anyone but they do bark at men who step out of the bushes on the footpath when they are working in the fields.

I keep them on leads when I'm in public places, near houses, walking through a village. I didn't class a deserted mountain side as a public place. It seems that I now have to.

My neighbours never have their dogs on leads, they just roam the campo and bark all night. I don't have a problem with that - it's the camp not the pueblo.

I rarely encounter anyone but a goatherd on my walks. My dogs barely turn a hair to him and I always put them on a lead as soon as I hear a goat bell.

I have occasionally encountered other dogs off lead with owners but have never had a problem. If I see them first I always put my dogs on a lead.

I certainly wouldn't tell a local police officer to f off. I've only been here a few months and don't want any trouble.

I just thought that, as everyone else's dog roams around without a collar, then it was ok to let my dogs have a run with a ball in the wilderness.

I guess not :/

I just want to exercise my dogs.

User avatar
rafiki
Resident
Posts: 1923
Joined: Wed Jul 12, 2006 2:42 pm
Location: Seville

Re: exercising dogs

Postby rafiki » Mon Sep 30, 2013 12:11 am

scouser wrote:The policeman who was waiting ... He told me people were afraid of my dogs.
If so many Spanish were not so brutal to their dogs causing them to be aggressive they would have less cause to be afraid I often think. I sympathise scouser; we have a large park outside our village where my three dogs run free and, so far, without incident. I always try to avoid times when the village ladies take their exercise walks. In the summer I walk them just before dawn and in winter mid-mornings which are the quiet times and I always take avoiding action when I think there could possibly be a problem but I expect one day there will be somebody who will cause a problem merely because of the inherent Spanish fear of dogs.
Brian.

scouser
Andalucia.com Amigo
Posts: 84
Joined: Mon Nov 22, 2010 4:21 pm
Location: Velez Malaga - Rubite

Re: exercising dogs

Postby scouser » Mon Sep 30, 2013 11:46 pm

Yes I think Rafiki may have hit the nail on the head.

Many dogs in the campo, as are many dogs where I come from, are tied up all day and neglected or deliberately raised to be vicious as guard dogs.

My dogs are happy and boisterous and want to run and play. They are also a bit freaked by strange men shouting and waving sticks at them.

I guess that can be mistaken for aggression by people who don't understand dogs.

Of course, I lack the language skills to discuss issues with my neighbours.

I've been attending Spanish classes for a few months now but it all goes to pot in a crisis.

Hopefully this problem will pass and we can all live and let live.

User avatar
rafiki
Resident
Posts: 1923
Joined: Wed Jul 12, 2006 2:42 pm
Location: Seville

Re: exercising dogs

Postby rafiki » Tue Oct 01, 2013 7:34 am

If we do happen to come across somebody who looks a bit uncomfortable with the dogs when wagging their tails and bouncing around them a call of "No pasa nada. Son muy amables" usually does the trick.
Brian.

gus-lopez
Resident
Posts: 1572
Joined: Tue Nov 23, 2010 8:55 am
Location: Lorca, Murcia ,Spain

Re: exercising dogs

Postby gus-lopez » Tue Oct 01, 2013 10:37 pm

I am sure I posted a reply earlier but it appears to have disappeared ? :think:
Todos somos Lorca.

Lavanda
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 6191
Joined: Thu Jul 29, 2004 1:42 pm
Location: Cáceres Province, Extremadura

Re: exercising dogs

Postby Lavanda » Wed Oct 23, 2013 12:47 am

Luckily I live in the campo and exercise my dog around the lanes, both on-lead (for his education) and off-lead (for his fun). He's all legal with his chip, etc. and has his paperwork done with the Ayuntamiento. He's 58kg and classed as dangerous because he could knock someone over. Everyone acknowledges he'll never bite anyone but he's quite clumsy. He's supposed to be muzzled ... but how does that stop him bumping into someone and knocking them over? (Apart from me holding on to his lead - but you get the idea, I hope. Some laws are a bit weird.)

User avatar
rafiki
Resident
Posts: 1923
Joined: Wed Jul 12, 2006 2:42 pm
Location: Seville

Re: exercising dogs

Postby rafiki » Wed Oct 23, 2013 7:06 am

Crikey, 58kg! Our young Braco Alemán does clumsy too and he's only 29kg so far and he''s bad enough. He also does a good whacking job with a forever wagging tail. 8)
Brian.

Lavanda
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 6191
Joined: Thu Jul 29, 2004 1:42 pm
Location: Cáceres Province, Extremadura

Re: exercising dogs

Postby Lavanda » Wed Oct 23, 2013 12:30 pm

Crikey indeed! He's a Mastiff crossed with a German Shepherd and we've had him since he was two months old - he's now three and a half. We had no idea he would get so big!!!

User avatar
rafiki
Resident
Posts: 1923
Joined: Wed Jul 12, 2006 2:42 pm
Location: Seville

Re: exercising dogs

Postby rafiki » Wed Oct 23, 2013 12:40 pm

We neither with the Braco. We rescued him off the street at about 8 months old and we are wondering if he is, in fact, a horse! :lolno: A kinder, more loyal boy would be hard to find.
Brian.

gus-lopez
Resident
Posts: 1572
Joined: Tue Nov 23, 2010 8:55 am
Location: Lorca, Murcia ,Spain

Re: exercising dogs

Postby gus-lopez » Wed Oct 23, 2013 9:23 pm

El Cid wrote:
gus-lopez wrote:
" I was told I must keep them on leads at all times."
& your reply should have been " When you've sorted out all the local ones running about, without collar, chips, muzzles or papers, etc; then come back & check on me; until then **** off"
And you really think that sort of response to the Guardia or Policia Local will work for a foreigner?

They are far more likely to arrest you and shoot the dog.

I would be a lot more accommodating if I wanted to avoid such hassle.

Sid
& he'd follow within 30 seconds.
Todos somos Lorca.

User avatar
Mystic Merlin
Tourist
Posts: 5
Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2011 9:26 pm
Location: Malaga

Re: exercising dogs

Postby Mystic Merlin » Tue Jul 15, 2014 2:59 pm

It's really simple, the law is the law. The only 'Free lead area' in Spain is currently at The Dog Park & beach in Estepona. (Only in the officially designated areas !!! )

http://www.europapress.es/andalucia/mal ... 64113.html

in Andalucia. However.. other breeds/crosses can qualify if they have, amongst other things, a deep chest (60 to 80 cm), height of over 50 cm and a weight over 20 Kg.

Except on your own property, everywhere else, , Campo, Beach, Road, Lane, Olive Grove, Along the lake side etc, etc, it is illegal to let your dogs off their lead at any time - No exceptions !!!

I know you will shout that there are hundreds of strays in the campo and your neighbours dogs run free, but it is a classic case of two wrongs don't make a right. (In the eyes of the law )

If you don't want trouble with the Police/Guardia - Conform to the law !!

They see it as any dog off the lead is a potential hazard as it is a 'dog without human control'

It is a legal requirement also that you have Public Liability insurance for your dog, (MApfre.) Again, failing to have this insurance represents yet another opportunity to be prosecuted and fined.

Don't give the 'little H*****s' of this world, the opportunity to 'Goose step' in you direction, it will end up in tears and maybe a fine. The law, after all, is on their side.

The Policia Local in Alcaucin is notorious re not giving leeway or second chances to non Spaniards. I know !!!!

Once you do that you trigger a process such as discussed, it can involve the dog being examined by a vet and, normally, that dog classified as a potentially dangerous dog irrespective of breed or anything else. That then carries the requirement that it be licensed and that it meet all the other requirements for potentially dangerous dogs including muzzling, always being on a lead of not more than two metres (one metre in Andalucia)

Compliance with the law, eradicates most of the aforementioned problems, after all, is that not the reason we all tax, MOT & insure our cars ??? (Most of us, anyway)

Please don't shoot the Messenger !!!! :thumbup:

Unicorn
Resident
Posts: 1670
Joined: Sun Jun 30, 2013 5:06 pm
Location: Estepona

Re: exercising dogs

Postby Unicorn » Tue Jul 15, 2014 5:14 pm

Where on the beach in Estepona?

Oh, and don't forget the rabies disc, I know it is not enforced everywhere, but it is here.

User avatar
knowal
Resident
Posts: 1911
Joined: Fri Aug 27, 2010 9:35 pm
Location: England

Re: exercising dogs

Postby knowal » Tue Jul 15, 2014 8:40 pm

Mystic Merlin wrote: It is a legal requirement also that you have Public Liability insurance for your dog, (MApfre.) Again, failing to have this insurance represents yet another opportunity to be prosecuted and fined.
I have heard of this before, but I think it only applies to dangerous breeds, am I right?
If I am not right can you post a link to the relevant law please?

Why did you post "Mapfre"? If insurance is a requirement, surely they can't specify the company!


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 25 guests