Dog Owners In Benalmadena Will Need To Carry A Bottle Of Soapy Water Or Be Fined
Spain News
Published: 09 October 2019 12:59 CET
Updated: 09 October 2019 14:59 CET
From today, dog owners in Benalmadena will need to carry a bottle of soapy water with them when walking their pets or risk a fine under new legislation announced by the town council.
The new rules aim to reduce the smell of dog urine on the towns pavements, especially during the hotter months when the urine dries quickly leaving a nasty odour.
Councillor for Health, Alicia Laddaga said, "We live in a city with lots of sunny days, and the urine dries quickly on the street if it is not diluted, causing problems of bad odours and unhealthiness".
"By diluting the urine with soapy water, we avoid this problem and make living together more bearable," she said.
Mayor of Benalmadena, Victor Navas hit the streets yesterday handing out bottles of soapy water to help educate the towns citizens and raise awareness of the new rules.
The Mayor said, "The purpose of this modification is to contribute to having the cleanest city. We all have to be responsible and respectful in living together. Neighbours should not have to suffer from the presence of urine and feces at the doors of their homes and shops".
Navas also stressed how important it was for owners to register the genetic profile of their pets, which will be obligatory under new legislation.
Once registered the dogs profile will be added to a central database and used to identify the dog and its owner if feces is found on the streets. The owners can then subsequently be fined for breaking the new laws.
Councillor Laddaga urged owners to take the time to register their pets, as to not do so, did not guarantee that they would not be fined. Veterinarians will take the profiling data and add it to the animals microchip. Local police will then be able to use their chip readers to check a dog's microchip to see if it contains the information and if not added, can fine the owners.
From today, local police will be informing the towns dog owners and educating them as to their new obligations to carry a bottle of soapy water when walking their dogs. Once the campaign for public awareness is over, police will fine any owners not carrying a bottle of water with them while walking their pets.
Image courtesy of Benalmadena Council
