One in two French people owns them, but every year 100,000 of them are abandoned.
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Eight months after the vote of an emblematic law against animal abuse, a first text defines the new rules for the acquisition of a pet, according to a decree published Tuesday, July 20 in the Official Journal. One in two French people owns one, but every year 100,000 of them are abandoned. To avoid impulse purchases, a “certificate of commitment and knowledge” will be issued before any acquisition of a horse (non-professional), a dog or a cat “for a fee or free of charge”. The latter specifies the needs of the animals and the obligations to be respected by their owner and the financial and logistical implications of the act of purchase.
In the case of the placement of a pet, a “reception contract” of the cat, dog or hamster must be signed by the host family and any shelter or association using the placement. Online transfer offers must also be presented in a specific section which must include awareness and information messages. “The ads will be checked, in particular the validity of the registration of the animal on the national identification file, and will include the mention ‘verified ad'”said the Ministry of Agriculture in a press release.
The law “aiming to fight against animal abuse and to strengthen the bond between animals and humans”, promulgated on November 30, 2021, provides in particular for the gradual banning of wild animals in circuses and dolphinariums, the end of the sale of puppies and kittens in pet stores in 2024, better supervision of the sale of animals online and penalties hardened for abuse or abandonment. The entry into force of these various texts will be staggered from October 2022 to July 2023.