Filenews 4 October 2025 - by Angelos Nicolaou
Animal welfare organizations are at an impasse, with the situation around abandoned dogs now characterized as uncontrollable. Despite their constant appeals to the competent authorities, solutions are delayed, responsibilities are diffused, and volunteers are exhausted. The "Voice for the Animals of Cyprus" and the Federation of Animal Welfare Organizations call for the serious problems faced by the country in relation to the management of stray animals to be put on the table.
"The situation has reached extremes," the organizations emphasize. Animal welfare groups and sensitized citizens can no longer withstand the pressure, both financially and humanly. Every week, they collect dozens of abandoned dogs – often in a tragic state of health – and bear the cost of their treatments and care, painstakingly looking for responsible families for adoption.
As it is pointed out, 99% of the dogs detected are unmarked despite the fact that electronic identification has been mandatory for years. The absence of a microchip makes it impossible to identify the owner and, therefore, to impose any sanction, even in cases of abuse or abandonment.
The revision of the "Dog Law" of 2002 has been coming and going for decades without result, while two critical amendments, the mandatory marking from the age of 2 months instead of 6 months and the introduction of extrajudicial ones, remain in the "refrigerator" of the Parliament.
On the day of World Animal Day (October 4), animal welfare organizations declare that they have nothing to celebrate. As they emphasize, "instead of celebration, we experience a daily drama, abandonment, abuse, indifference and absolute institutional silence."
In a letter to competent bodies, they record in dramatic tones the extent of the problem: Herds of strays in residential areas, risks to public health and safety, uncontrolled births of puppies, incidents of abuse, but also increasing euthanasia of healthy animals by local authorities due to the fullness of shelters.
The Federation calls on the competent bodies to consider specific steps to solve the problem. Among other things, it is proposed:
>> Immediate mandatory marking of all dogs by decree (if necessary, even legislative regulation).
>> Restart of state-subsidized sterilization programs.
>> Creation of appropriate shelters per province, in collaboration with animal welfare organizations.
>> Strengthening of the National Dog Registry with electronic access by all competent Authorities.
>> Voting of the necessary amendments to the "Dog Law" that have been pending for years.
"If they are not interested in animals, let them at least be interested in public health and the safety of citizens," says the Federation.
Dog abandonments and the need for mandatory marking in the spotlight
An important meeting was held last Wednesday, October 2, between the Game Service and the "Voice for the Animals of Cyprus" at the Ministry of Interior, on the initiative of the Minister of Interior, Constantinos Ioannou, to address the growing problem of abandoned dogs in Cyprus.
The organization raised the major problem of dog abandonment, pointing out that, with a few exceptions, the found animals do not carry a microchip, making it impossible to identify their owners and impose penalties for abandonment or mistreatment. Many of them are in a deplorable condition and hundreds of euros are required for their rehabilitation and reintegration through adoption.
Although the mandatory dog tagging has been in force since 2002, its implementation by citizens remains disappointing, while the Local Government, which bears the responsibility for implementing the legislation, shows indifference, according to the organization.
The "Voice for the Animals of Cyprus" proposed the issuance of a decree by the Minister for the immediate marking of all dogs within a predetermined period of time, with the imposition of a fine of €500 in case of non-compliance. An example is Great Britain, where the universal implementation of the measure led to a reduction in strays.
The head of the Game Service, Pantelis Hatzigerou, explained that, although the Game Service agrees with the necessity of universal signage, the current legislation does not enable the Minister of the Interior to issue a relevant decree. Nevertheless, the Agency has adopted its own measures for hunting dogs. In particular, all hunting dogs, regardless of age, must carry a microchip, which is stated in the hunting license. The Service maintains its own register of dogs with more than 40,000 records and proceeds with checks through special scanners, while it is planned to consolidate this register with that of the Veterinary Services.
It was also proposed to issue a single dog ownership license per owner, with all animals and their microchip numbers recorded, in order to reduce costs for those who keep multiple dogs. The need to reduce the cost of labelling was deemed crucial, with the organization arguing that the price of the microchip should be set at €10, compared to the current €27-€60, an amount that is considered a deterrent.
Interconnection of dog registries until the end of October to deal with strays
The process of interconnecting the databases related to the marking and registration of dogs is at a critical stage, with the aim of limiting the abandonment of particularly hunting animals and the overall management of the stray population.
As the director of the Veterinary Services, Christodoulos Pipis, told "F", the interconnection of the database of the Game and Fauna Service with the marking register of the Veterinary Services is expected to be completed by the end of October.
Today, 187,693 dogs are registered on the basis of the Veterinary Services, while on the basis of the Hunting Service there are about 40,000 registered hunting dogs.
Mr. Pipis emphasizes that the reduction of the stray population is not possible without the cooperation of animal owners. "The reduction of the stray population starts with the responsible occupation of animals. The owner must ensure the well-being of his pet, signal it, prevent unwanted births and not abandon it," he added.
At the same time, the Ministry of Agriculture calls on the Local Government Authorities to fully implement the "Dog Law", in order to reduce the influx of new strays and ensure the well-being of those who are already outside the home.
Despite the existence of a legal framework, there are gaps in implementation. According to Mr. Pipis, many Local Authorities do not have the staff or technical infrastructure to carry out inspections. "The law obliges them to implement the marking and ensure that no dog is released without a possession permit. However, there is confusion and excuses are often made," he noted. He emphasizes that the interconnection of the bases with the Local Authorities is crucial, as without it they cannot check whether an animal is registered or if it has a possession license.
The existence of a single, up-to-date database is characterized by the director of the Veterinary Services as a "safety valve". Each veterinarian has access to directly register the microchip number in the system, which is now linked to the possession license issued by the local authorities. If an animal is not registered, a possession permit cannot be issued and the responsibility lies with the owner and the local authorities who do not adequately control.
