The Association for Protection of Animals Mi Mejor Amigo (My Best Friend) NGO took to social media on October 12, 2021 to denounce the brutal skinning of a six-month-old puppy in the northeastern Colombian town of Saboyá, Boyacá.
“S.O.S. We are speechless. A drug addict attacked this puppy and skinned him. He had not received medical attention since then. We have now rescued him, but please don’t leave us alone. We need to save him, and we don’t have the resources to do so,” the NGO stated on X, sharing a heartbreaking picture of the dog, whose body had been 80% skinned.
According to Colombian newspaper El Colombiano, the attacker had had presumed disputes with the dog’s owners, which led to violence against the animal as retaliation. However, although the dog’s owners denounced the slasher to police, he was not punished.
The dog, which the Mi Mejor Amigo NGO named Ángel following his rescue, experienced grave health setbacks following the attack, including torn muscles in his frontal left leg, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, by which skin becomes extremely fragile, renal failure and severe hemorrhaging.
Image Source: Asociación de Protección Animal Mi Mejor Amigo via X.
The case sparked massive outcry, and through donations from people who learned about the case on social media, Mi Mejor Amigo was able to cover all costs for Ángel’s recovery.
“We decided that we were going to fight for him. The veterinarian told us ‘he has been fighting for his life for four days, he is still standing, let’s go for it.’ So we started his treatment. I think that we have spent over 50 million Colombian pesos ($12,000 USD) on his recovery. He was hospitalized for six months, and underwent 15 surgeries and two blood transfusions,” recalled Vivian Nieto, director of Mi Mejor Amigo, while in conversation with newspaper El Tiempo in 2023.
Ángel’s attacker was denounced by the NGO before local police on the same day as the rescue, but the man did not receive any sanctions. As of February 2025, the man is still free despite being identified by the community and on social media.
Image Source: Asociación de Protección Animal Mi Mejor Amigo via X.
In the dog’s honor, however, Colombian Senator Andrea Padilla proposed the Ángel Law bill on July 20, 2024, “to strengthen the fight against animal abuse through actions that ensure the investigation and sanctioning of violence against animals in criminal and police sanctioning processes while also helping to prevent such behavior via awareness initiatives.”
“Ángel’s case was very special, not only because of the extreme violence component, but because there was no justice. Vivian had to see this criminal practically everyday, knowing what he did, living what he did, and suffering the inefficiency and indolence of our justice system,” Padilla told Latin America Reports.
Ángel ultimately passed away on February 18, 2025, exactly one week before the Ángel Law was unanimously passed by Colombia’s Congress.
Image Source: Asociación de Protección Animal Mi Mejor Amigo via X.
“As an activist, as a woman, as a human being devoted to this cause, it is a truly beautiful feeling. Knowing that my life has meaning and that I am being useful to the beings I love most in the world… animals,” Padilla shared.
A culture of animal abuse?
In Colombia, cases of animal abuse have reached historic highs in recent years. According to the Bogotá City Council, the number of reported abuse cases jumped 87% from 2023 to 2024.
For Padilla, however, this doesn’t necessarily imply a spike in violence against animals, but rather a higher prevalence in reporting and denouncing.
“In recent years, I believe this increase is mainly due to more people reporting cases. They may not always report through official channels, which is an issue of noncompliance, as social media has not become a platform for everything,” the senator stated.
“And I definitely believe that people are reporting more because they are more outraged, and that speaks well of a society’s mental health. It shows that people don’t have to see a dead, destroyed, burned or hacked animal to recognize that it is a problematic, wrongful behavior – one that must be condemned and requires state intervention. This also reflects the impact of the extensive education efforts that we’ve done through various fronts to promote respect for animals,” she added.
Image Source: Asociación de Protección Animal Mi Mejor Amigo via X.
Colombia officially recognized the need for animal protection via Law 84 of 1989, by which the state adopted the National Statute for Protection of Animals. In this, the State committed itself to protecting all kinds of animals from suffering and pain, “caused directly or indirectly by man.”
In 2010, the State also recognized animals as sentient beings although, it was not until 2016 that punitive measures were outlined, including prison sentences of up to 36 months, disqualifications of up to three years from professions or ownership related to animals, and fines, according to the Universidad del Rosario.
Now, the Ángel Law makes these punitive components harsher, with prison times of up to 56 months, and higher fines for criminals between 30 and 60 years old whose actions result in the death of an animal.
“I have always said that defending animals is, of course, an act of empathy and compassion, a cultural shift – but it is also about justice, punishment, and the activation of the state apparatus,” Padilla asserted.
The Ángel Law was passed while Colombia debates the cultural heritage component to some practices that allegedly endanger animal welfare. Bullfighting, for one, was outlawed in the country in 2024, although some claim it is intrinsic to the cultural identity of Colombia.
“Being anti-bull fighting has become a trend in this country of hypocrites or brutes… We threaten bullfighting cartels with prison time, those honest ones who risk their lives in a millenary ritual in which a bull is born to be fought,” wrote Aura Lucía Mera, a Colombian writer and journalist, in 2018.
When asked how to confront these arguments that appeal to people’s fundamental right to culture, Senator Padilla highlighted the nuances in this debate.
“It is very hard for a Congress member to defend, with full conviction, a practice in which people end up dead, with their intestines hanging out, with eyes bulging out, or where minors are left wounded, bleeding… The cultural argument is not enough anymore. [Congress members that support bullfighting] must acknowledge that while it may be culture, culture is not inherently good; there are negative and harmful cultures – slavery, female genital mutilation, for example, are negative cultural practices. So, they have to appeal to other arguments,” Padilla explained.
Regardless, the senator also explained that her colleagues in Congress supported the bill because, beyond the protection of animals, their constituents were asking them to do so.
“People helped us do the job in the regions, and congress members told me that of all the animal rights agenda, the most important topics, those which their constituents were asking for, were neutering – Neutering Saves Law (Ley Esterilizar Salva)– and justice – Ángel Law,” Padilla recalled.
The Neutering Saves Law, passed in May 2024 by Congress and also proposed by Padilla, created a national program for the neutering of dogs and cats in Colombia.
Beyond punitive measures, however, the Ángel Law also establishes the Animal Abuse Care Route, which will define the procedure for denouncing cases across Colombia, and pedagogical training for members of the public forces and judges.
“We understand that justice operators are not gods, and they don’t know everything. They need to be trained and made more aware because many may have the knowledge, but their sensitivity is lacking,” explained Padilla.
The government will also face challenges in the implementation of the Care Route.
“Our State is fragile, and it isn’t even present in all corners of the country. There are municipalities where there are no public services, no schools, or healthcare coverage, where we still need to bring the message of animal protection and citizen action. Municipalities where there is armed conflict, remote areas, are all included in this Care Route,” added the Senator.
Animal rights on the public agenda
The quick passing of the Ángel Law was atypical. As explained by Senator Padilla, it is extremely rare that a bill has three debates in the same semester, let alone is passed unanimously.
The senator’s team also helped pass the Lorenzo Law on February 18, which seeks to protect those dogs which are used in security and vigilance vocations. According to the senator, this bill was drafted following an influx of social media posts which highlighted mistreatment against animals used by private security firms.
Regardless, education remains a key component of animal rights advocacy. As per Senator Padilla, “birthing” a law does not end when it is brought to life in Congress. One must ensure that it has its own life, its own autonomy.
“In other words, it’s not about letting it develop on its own like a wild plant, but rather about ensuring that institutions do their job, that legal timelines are met, that regulations are appropriate, and that the pedagogical content is suitable. So, we have to do very intensive work – not only political oversight and support for institutions, but also citizen education,” the senator explained.
For children, education that highlights respect for all sentient beings, including animals, is essential for cultivating emotional intelligence and compassion. For adults, however, it may even prevent crime and gender-based violence. According to data shared by the senator, 41% of people convicted for violent crimes have a history of abusing animals, while 81% of men convicted of gender-based violence have also abused animals.
And although Colombia is one of the countries in the Latin American region with the most legal precedent in animal protection, others, like Brazil and Argentina, have also accomplished historic feats.
In Argentina, animal abuse has been penalized since 1954 via law 14.346 of the same year, which also established fines and prison terms for offenders. In 2024, however, President Javier Milei proposed the Conan Law, named in honor of his deceased dog, and which would introduce stricter penalties if passed.
With it, prison time for animal abusers would be set between three months and three years, and fines would range from five to 20 minimum wages, while offences would entail withholding enough food and water from animals, employing them for the pulling of carriages, and abandoning them.
On the other hand, Brazil is among a handful of countries around the world with animal protection enshrined in its constitution, as per the Harvard Review of Latin America. Article 225 of the document prohibits all practices which represent a risk to the ecological function, cause the extinction of a species or subject animals to cruelty.
With the Ángel Law, then, Colombia joins its regional counterparts in the advancement of the legal protection of animals.
“More than me, I believe that what is behind this is a society that is maturing in its public awareness. So, politically and socially, I think that it’s remarkable that the Colombian Congress approved this law because it means that there is a very critical and sensitive public opinion, capable of making congress members understand that this is important,” remarked Senator Padilla.
Featured Image Credit: Andrea Padilla.
