Filenews 22 March 2023 - by Despina Psylou
Putting a brake on dog abandonment and mass production of strays, the Government seeks to put the new bill on dogs. Possession of a dog without a licence from the competent Authority will result in a fine of €200 to the owner. For not taking measures to limit nuisance from barking, a fine of €200. For failure to immediately remove stool or other impurities, a fine of €300. The provisions of the "Dogs (amendment) Law of 2022", began to be examined yesterday in the Environment Committee of the House, with the discussion continuing with additional positions.
Specifically, no one under the age of 18 can have a dog without obtaining a possession permit from the competent Authority. The possession permit is valid until December 31st of each year and the owner is obliged to renew it annually, presenting an updated health booklet during the last twelve months. Licence fees are €5 for neutered dogs and up to €30 for unneutered dogs.
The owner must inform the competent authorities of any change in the contact details and the address of residence, within ten days. He is also required to have a sign "beware of the dog" posted along with an image of a dog at the entrance of the residence.
The dog ceases to be in the possession of the owner if it is transferred to a new owner if the competent Authority is informed, if a death certificate is submitted (within seven days) and if theft or loss is reported (within two days) and six months have elapsed since then.
All registered dogs must be marked (chips) in a permanent manner bearing a code number or other element corresponding to its registration number. Dogs older than two months must carry a collar indicating the owner's possession license number and phone number.
The same bill provides for penalties for dog owners.
Anyone who owns a dog without a license, who is not registered and marked, who tries to deceive the competent Authority, abandons a dog or does not take measures to prevent it from leaving, allows nuisance, pollutes, leaves the dog free in a place that does not belong to it, refuses to hand over the dog or to give details of its identity to the competent authorities or allows the dog to live in inappropriate places, is guilty of an offence. In case of first conviction he is subject to imprisonment of up to 12 months and / or a fine of € 2,000. In case of repetition, he is subject to imprisonment for up to 24 months and/or a fine of €4,000.
No prosecution is brought against the owner if the out-of-court complaint is paid before the expiry of 30 days from the issuance of the notice. After this period, the fine is increased by 50% and after 45 days a prosecution is brought.
"Abandonment"
Animal welfare organizations have complained about the situation, saying that the mass abandonment of dogs has suffocated them and the shelters. As has been pointed out, in addition to the legislation that is being modernised, it is equally important to ensure that it is implemented.
On behalf of the Federation of Animal Welfare Organizations of Cyprus "Voice for the Animals of Cyprus" it was denounced that no provision was implemented by the legislation of 2002 and this led to the current, tragic situation. We cannot cope. We don't have spaces, we don't have money, we don't have adoptions. One dog goes out and immediately another comes in." he said. One of the biggest problems, according to the federation, is that microchips are not placed on dogs. "This would ensure that there would be an owner behind every dog. The marking had to be done yesterday." In relation to the bill under discussion, the penalty of €30 for the annual renewal of the possession license for non-neutered dogs was characterized as very small.
On behalf of Nicosia Dog Shelter, it was noted that they are addressing the state with a cry of despair. "There is no value in preparing a perfect piece of legislation if we don't implement it in the end." At the same time, the Society for the Protection of Animals is sounding the alarm about increased cases of rabies and echinococcosis. These incidents were attributed, among other things, to herds of stray dogs, which are looking for food anywhere.
For its part, the Game Service clarified that chips have been placed on 36,000 hunting dogs. Hunters register their dogs. Checks are carried out daily," he said. Finally, the Commissioner for the Environment, Maria Panayiotou, referred to the lack of culture and her intention to take action in this direction.
