All About Legal Documentation For Animals
When we decide to welcome an animal into the house, we must respect certain rules and responsibilities to guarantee it a dignified and healthy life. In addition to providing essential care, we will also need to have legal pet documentation that certifies responsible possession.
Contract for the adoption of an animal
Among the legal documentation for animals that one must possess is the adoption contract. It is a binding document that determines the conditions that guide the adoption of an animal. While this is not a mandatory legal document, it helps ensure responsible ownership and a dignified life for the pet being adopted by a new owner.
The contract is concluded between two natural persons or between a shelter and a natural person. Its content must clearly specify the proof of ownership of the animal (how it arrived in the hands of those who have it for adoption), as well as indicate in detail the rules and responsibilities to be taken on when adopting it.
Legal documentation for pets
As responsible owners, we must always update the following legal documentation for pets:
- Health card: it is not a mandatory document, but it is highly recommended and is issued by the vet after the first visit. Its content must specify the data of the animal and its owner, as well as the vaccines carried out, deworming, treatments and veterinary practices to which the animal has been subjected during its life.
- Microchip : today it is the best approved identification method for animals, this is because it is safer than ID tags and tattoos.
- Rabies vaccine : it is considered mandatory in almost all countries, which is why its application must be present in the health book. It is also advisable to administer at least vaccines against the most common diseases of your pet’s species.
- Registry : the owner must register his animal in the registry corresponding to his home.
Documents needed to travel with your pet
The legal documentation required to travel with your pet varies according to the legislation of the country you are traveling to, as well as the type of animal you are transporting. For this reason, it is advisable to always consult in advance the legislation in force in the country of destination.
In principle, to travel with an animal in the European Union, the following documents are essential:
- European Passport for Companion Animals : to find out the necessary requirements to obtain it, we advise you to consult the information offered by the state police website by clicking here.
- Compulsory vaccines : to enter the member countries of the European Union, the only compulsory vaccine is the rabies vaccine, which must be administered at least 21 days before travel.
- Deworming : it is required that the dog has received an antiparasitic treatment, to be exact against tapeworms, maximum three or five days before the trip.
- Blood tests : Some countries, such as England, often ask for blood tests to be done 30 days after the rabies vaccine. It is worth consulting if your destination has this requirement.
- Approved microchip : animals traveling to the European Union must be identified with an approved microchip that complies with the requirements of ISO 11784
Conditions and legal documentation for owning potentially dangerous dogs
In Italy, the current legislation is the Ordinance of 6 August 2013 which establishes the obligations of owners of dogs belonging to breeds considered dangerous.
These obligations can be summarized in these few lines:
- Always use the leash, no longer than one and a half meters, in urban areas and in places open to the public, excluding areas for dogs;
- Bring a muzzle with you to use in case of risk to the safety of people or animals;
- Entrust the dog to people who can handle it correctly;
- When buying a dog, have all the information on its physical and ethological characteristics;
- Ensure that the dog has adequate behavior in living with people and animals.
Furthermore, the possession of dangerous dogs will be forbidden to “habitual or tendency offenders ; who is subjected to personal prevention measures or to personal safety measures; to anyone who has been convicted, even if not final, for a non-culpable crime against the person or against the assets, punishable by imprisonment for more than two years. Possession even for minors under 18 is prohibited “.
The violation of these obligations is punishable by penalties and fines to the owner.
