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14/06/2009 Archived Article: "Town Hall law requires all in Village of Gaucin to register their dogs"

In fact, cats and ferrets are mentioned by law as well, but in Gaucin it only applies to dogs.) This is what is necessary:
* Have your dog vaccinated against rabies.
* Have your dog chipped, and have the chip officially
registered by your vet. After a few weeks, you will receive a passport with a
registration number and a 'tarjeta', that is a plasticized business card
with its data, the registration number, and stickers with a stamp of the vet
of the vaccinations given (rabies.)
* Make a copy of the 'tarjeta', another of the page of the passport
with its name and a third copy of the page which carries the stamp of the
last vaccination given.
* Go to the police station in the town hall on Tuesday between 10 and
12 am with all the copies and originals to have them registered.
* Sign the forms the policeman fills in. A few weeks later a policeman will give you a letter stating you have done your duty.

Officially, if one were to have a potentially dangerous dog (like a
Staffordshire, bulldog, Rottweiler, etc.,) the procedure is as mentioned
above, with these crucial additions:
* Ask the Malaga court for proof that you haven't got a criminal
History.
* Ask a psychiatrist for proof that you are able to handle a potentially dangerous dog.
* Ask a vet to state that the dog itself is not dangerous, and bring copies of all these to the police station as well. So far the local police has not reinforced this part of the law.

Reasons to comply with the law:
* It will keep people from dumping their dogs, as the dog can
be traced back to its owner.
* In case a dog does get lost, dumped or killed, it helps to find
and inform the owner.
* It forces people to have their dogs vaccinated, and protected
against diseases.
* It protects people against the nasty result of dog bites, if the
biting dog were to have rabies.
* It means people will think twice before taking a dog, knowing there
are so many costs involved, enhancing the chance that the dog really is
wanted for. Ask your vet what the costs involved would be.