The farewell of a colleague

By Aina Paredes Serrano, president of the Animal Law Section of Colegio de la Abogacía de Tarragona. 

I hope you'll allow me a more personal perspective in this article, because, after all, I (like most of you, I imagine) came here for personal reasons. Specifically, I arrived here with my dog ​​15 years ago, he as a fluffy puppy and I as a fledgling lawyer just starting to frequent courtrooms, prisons, and holding cells. He gave me a different perspective on the world in general and the legal field in particular. He was my world in many ways, sharing my defeats and victories for 15 years, and a few weeks ago I had to say goodbye.

It had been raining for days, and on Tuesday he refused to eat. That night, we noticed large lumps on his neck, and I knew: lymphoma. On Wednesday, he didn't want to go for a walk, and his face was starting to swell. He was having trouble breathing, so first thing in the morning, I took him to the vet for tests while I went to a court hearing. Yes, I went to a hearing knowing my partner was dying. I left the courtroom with a message confirming my fears, and yet I still went to a meeting with the prison administration because I had to. I kept my composure and did my job as professionally as possible, even though I knew my partner was dying. I relied on the detachment we often have to practice in our profession, putting the rights, needs, and feelings of others before our own personal situation, our pain, and our own needs. As I left, I went to the vet and we made the decision: they explained it to me, I saw him suffer, and I said goodbye with all the love and pain in my heart. I thanked him for everything and reminded him that he was a great dog. Undoubtedly the best. It was 14:00 PM on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, and my world crumbled. But the rest of the world kept turning, and the death of my companion, my best friend, my purest love, wasn't grounds for suspension or sick leave. And with this, a lawyer, primarily a criminal defense attorney, tentatively ventures into Labor Law to understand what seems incomprehensible: Is animal grief still truly ignored? Is it still a jurisprudential and legislative taboo?

Currently, in our country, paid leave for the death of a pet is not legally mandated, although some companies have implemented it on a case-by-case basis; it has not become widespread. This trend, still limited and specific, introduces recognition of the grief experienced by those grieving for a pet, following precedents in developing legislation such as that of Chile, Italy, and the USA.

In Chile, the Chamber of Deputies approved the "Duque Law" in November 2025. Named after the pet of journalist José Antonio Neme, who passed away in 2024, the law amends the country's Labor Code. It grants one day of paid leave, which must be made up within 90 days, to workers who lose their pets, provided the animal is properly registered. This law is named after the pet's owner, journalist José Antonio Neme, who shared his grief over the death of his dog and called on Congress to legislate on this issue.

In Italy, a legal precedent was set in 2017 (the Sapienza Case), where a librarian at Sapienza University of Rome obtained two days of paid leave to care for her sick dog, which was scheduled for surgery. This was based on the fact that the Italian Penal Code punishes animal abandonment, and therefore, failing to care for the animal would have constituted negligence, thus justifying her absence on the grounds of "serious family or personal reasons." Following this precedent, several bills have been introduced in Italy (such as the one proposed by MP Dori in June 2025) that seek to establish up to three days of paid leave in the event of the illness or death of a pet.

In our country, for its part and apparently following a similar criterion to the above, a recent judgment of the Social Section of the Court of First Instance of Barcelona, ​​square no. 25, specifically and curiously of January 28, 2026 (Judgment no. 17/2026) considers in a case of dismissal for unjustified absences that even though there is no permit or license in the Workers' Statute or the applicable agreement that expressly covers this cause, the absence for going urgently to the veterinarian for the euthanasia of the pet is justified because "it is a humanitarian, urgent, unforeseen and supervening issue in relation to his pet, which had to be euthanized", expressly connecting it with the dignity/sentence of animals with Law 7/2023, of March 28, on the protection of the rights and welfare of animals.

Similarly, we wouldn't be talking about paid leave, but rather a justified absence. The Coordinating Committee of Professionals for the Prevention of Abuse (CoPPA) goes even further, having submitted a legislative proposal to the Spanish Ministry of Labor and Social Economy in May 2025, along with members of the Parliamentary Association for the Defense of Animal Rights (APDDA). Their aim was to adapt labor regulations to social reality, recognizing animals as part of the family and creating paid leave for the illness or death of companion animals, similar to family leave. They had already attempted this in 2021, but to this day, the situation remains exactly the same. Furthermore, in some cases, we could even question whether it violates other rights, not only those of the affected worker/professional, but also, as in our example (when the lawyer who loses their colleague cannot suspend the case), whether we can guarantee that they will be fully capable of ensuring their client's right to defense.

Whatever the case, I think the conclusion is clear to anyone who understands the bond that can form between a human and their animal companion, and how intense that bond is. It's something profound, something that marks your soul and personality forever. It's a constant presence in your life, in your home, and obviously, its loss cannot be taken lightly, nor can the impact it has on the human. Neo was my companion, my therapist, my guide, and to minimize his loss would be an insult to me and to the greatness of his being. We all know that they will probably leave this world before us, but nothing prepares us for it, and yet, despite the immense sadness and pain that his loss entails, I can only wish that you all have the honor of finding your Neo, that he stirs you and changes your lives, compelling you to be better, and that on the sad day when it's time to say goodbye, the world will be a little more empathetic and allow you to grieve and be with them to give them a dignified farewell until you meet again.