Pets
Pets
Animal cruelty: how to report it in Peru
Animal cruelty and abandonment are a crime in Peru: up to 3 years in prison, or 3 to 5 years if the animal dies, under article 206-A of the Criminal Code. Anyone can report it — not just the owner — to the municipality, the police, or the prosecutor's office, and the administrative and criminal tracks run at the same time.
✓ Verified against the official sourceCan a restaurant, shop or bus in Peru refuse your pet? What about a guide dog?
For an ordinary pet, we found no Peruvian rule that forces a business or a transport operator to accept it: they can restrict entry for objective reasons, announced in advance. A guide dog registered with Conadis is different: the law requires entry, with no extra charge.
✓ Verified against the official sourceDog bites: the owner's liability in Peru
In Peru a dog owner is liable for a bite even without negligence — liability is strict. If the injury is serious, Ley N.° 27596 also requires the owner to cover hospitalization, medication and reconstructive surgery until you fully recover, on top of a separate damages claim.
✓ Verified against the official sourcePet custody after a separation in Peru: who keeps the dog or the cat?
Peruvian law has no rules on custody, visitation or support for pets. The Civil Code treats a pet as property: if you bought it during the marriage it is usually shared marital property to be divided, and if it belonged to one of you before, it stays theirs. Ley 30407 calls animals sentient beings, but only for applying that law.
Partly verifiedCan a building or a landlord ban pets in Peru?
It depends on when the rule was set and what kind of ban it is: an owners' association can ban pets in the building's internal regulations, but can't apply that ban to you if you already had the pet before the rule was adopted; a landlord can validly include a no-pets clause in a rental contract.