Sorteny Natural Park Issues Eight Fines for Unleashed Dogs in 2026

The Parc Natural de les Valls de Sorteny has issued eight fines since the start of the year for letting dogs off the lead, according to park director Marc Font. The figure is less than half of the 20 penalties processed during the whole of 2025.

Font, who also heads the environment department at the Ordino comú, attributes the drop mainly to information and surveillance campaigns launched last year, which he said have left visitors more familiar with the rules. He credited word of mouth and media coverage for helping spread awareness, and said part of the result came from distributing informative material in five languages and from the ongoing work of environment agents.

He noted that staffing levels and patrol hours have stayed broadly the same as in 2025, adding that it has been very noticeable that people now keep their dogs on a lead.

The park's tighter enforcement is aimed at limiting the impact of domestic animals on wildlife in a protected area that receives around 50,000 visitors a year. Font said that if one in five visitors brought a dog, that would mean as many as 10,000 animals on the terrain — an impact he described as unassumable for the ecosystem and its wildlife.

He stressed that fines are a last resort, with priority given to informing and warning visitors first, and that sanctions are never imposed to raise revenue. The awareness effort appears to be working: of 1,100 surveys carried out with users this year, 75% were first-time visitors, and half of that group already knew about the rules on dogs.

Font cautioned that the trend could shift sharply from one month to the next, since it depends on visitor behaviour and how many people arrive with dogs. He called the pattern highly unpredictable, warning that a coming month could easily bring 20 more fines if large numbers of dog owners turn up in the same week.

He also suggested that the opening of Ordino's dog park, covering more than 5,000 square metres, and a 500-square-metre agility area may have contributed, by giving owners designated places to let their dogs run free.

"We are already providing spaces so that everyone has room, but inside the park we must safeguard wild fauna and flora — that is the objective and the absolute priority," Font said.