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A town in the north of Spain has become the first place to grant cats and dogs special rights as “non-human neighbors”. Trigueros del Valle, a town of 300 inhabitants in the province of Valladolid, has accepted a declaration which seeks to “dignify the lives of dogs and cats, animals which have stayed with man, thousands and thousands of years and have been a great help to him.”

“It seems to me a very important, historic declaration, like, for example, the day that children’s rights were enshrined for the first time,” Mercedes Cano, an animal rights campaigner told. “Trigueros del Valle is a place where people love animals, they have lots of dogs and cats,” she said. “People coexist with them and often work with them.”

“We’re not saying you have to love cats and dogs, but you have to respect them,” said Ms Cano. “If you respect them, then you’ll respect the other [human] neighbors as well.”

This initiative is an attempt to protect the animals from cruelty and abuse, as well as acknowledging their importance in the town, which is situated in an agricultural area. Besides the symbolism of the decree, it also means that the town hall will take responsibility for any abandoned cats and dogs and it will rebuke owners who mistreat their animals.

By Premji