A law to force pet owners to exercise their dogs
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(8 Jul 2009) SHOTLIST
Girona, June 17, 2009
1. Various shots of people walking their dogs
2. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) Lidia Ruiz, vox pop
"I think that (the new law) is a very good one. Because it will benefit the dogs, especially those that are not well taken care of. There are people who work all day long and have no time to walk their dogs. But that is not the dog's fault. If you think you can't cope with the responsibility of owning a dog then don't own one."
3. Tilt down of city hall
4. Mid shot of Enric Pardo talking to neighbour
5. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) Enric Pardo, local government representative
"The innovative angle of this new law is that all of its articles are destined to promote a political compromise to protect the right of the animals. Up until now pet animals were considered mere private property of the owners. From now on they remain being private property but they are not just a sale and buy product. They are also living beings with rights and also their owners have obligations."
6. Various shots of municipal inspector arriving at building
7. Various shots of municipal inspector inspecting house from pet dog owner
8. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) Jose Antonio Munoz, owner of pet dog (Dandi, 14 months)
"I take good care of my dog. I walk him three or four times a day. So he goes out for a walk every three or four hours. But I notice that many dog owners don't do the same with their pets. And that may lead to turn the dog into a nuisance and also to the dog suffering. Dogs need to go out for walks so they can make their necessities as well as get some distraction and exercise. So I think that the law is logical."
9. Various shots of municipal inspector arriving at city dog
Various shots abandoned dogs
10. Various shots of municipal inspector feeding abandoned dogs
11. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) Juan Jose Molinero, municipal inspector
"All laws defending animal rights are a good tool to help us to have more control over the pets in town. We need more laws to enforce pet owners to take care of their pets. This helps us a lot."
12. Exterior shots of veterinarian hospital
13. Various shots of veterinarian performing surgery on dog
14. SOUNDBITE: (Spanish) Josep Font Grau, veterinarian
"As any other animal a dog needs to be walked outside. You can't have a German shepherd left in a balcony all day long. But I think that it will be complicated to control this by law. It has to be an issue solved through making people aware that not because of a law but because of logic they need to take their pets for a walk two or three times a day."
15. Various shots of dog owners playing with their dogs at park
16. Various shots of man with his dog
LEAD IN:
Dog owners in one Spanish city have to, by law, walk their pets for at least twenty minutes every six hours.
The canine keep fit scheme is aimed at forcing owners to take their responsibilities towards their pets seriously.
STORYLINE:
It's a dog's life for city canines.
Locked up for much of the day indoors, no doubt 'walkies' is their favourite activity.
The city of Girona in northern Catalonia has recently passed some progressive laws to protect the rights of dogs and other animals.
In June the council approved a new by-law that may result in heavy fines if disregarded.
Dog owners are required to exercise their animals for at least 20 minutes for every 6 hours that they remain indoors or face a fine of 40 Euro ($56 US DOLLARS).
The local city government received more than 300 complaints in 2008 reporting cases of dogs locked indoors and barking day and night.
Student Lidia Ruiz walks her puppy "Trapito".
Lidia thinks that people shouldn't own a pet if they are not prepared to local after it properly.
Jose Antonio Munoz owns a Chihuahua dog called Dandi.
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