Valladolid dog owners will have to clean their pet’s pee

The city thinks that it’s time to update pet-related street cleanliness rules for the 21st century

At the start of this week, the Valladolid City Hall presented the new and updated ordinance for the selective collection of domestic waste and street cleaning. Among the most revolutionary and attention-grabbing amendments in it was possibly the new rule requiring dog owners to make sure that they also clean after their pet’s pee and not only the poo.

The requirement to collect one’s pooch’s droppings has become a standardized practice and duty for dog owners in cities all across the world. Dog urine, however, has been considered a nuisance that will have to be tolerated by everyone with the recommendation that, if possible, the dog should be led to a tree or a grass patch to do its number one business.

The Spanish city authorities, however, have come up with the idea that, apart from dog waste bags, dog walkers will also have to be armed with a bottle of soapy water. They can thus spray the liquid on the urine patch in order to dilute it if the stain is on the street pavement or on a building facade.

Also changes to cardboard waste collection

At a press conference, Alberto Cuadrado, the Valladolid Councillor for Public Health and Citizen Safety, explained that there was a need to update the waste management policy of the city for the 21st-century reality, saying that its last revision dated to 1993.

This ordinance will take effect on 1 January 2025. Before that, awareness campaigns will be launched to educate the public on the general provisions of the ordinance.

Other changes to the waste management policy are less radical and concern things like cardboard box collection.

The sanctioning regime is also updated, which includes minor sanctions, with fines of up to 750 euros, serious ones, with between 750 and 1500 euros; and very serious, with up to 3000 euros maximum.