On 25th July 2014 the Portuguese government passed a law making it an offence to hit a dog, perpetrators would be sent to jail. You can read about it here. In discussion with animal rescuers in Portugal, they are positive about the law as they feel that the threat of jail will discourage some. As is always the case, it only applies to pet dogs, not the hunting dogs. Let’s hope it doesn’t fall by the wayside, like in Spain where the threat of a denuncia doesn’t count for much!