On the initiative of the Veterinary Services, the Parliament approved relevant legislation which aimed to strengthen the responsible ownership of dogs and address the problem of stray dogs.
As the Minister of Agriculture Christos Senekis explains in response to a question by MP Andreas Konstantinou, the legislation also provided for the imposition of an extrajudicial fine for possession of a dog without marking and registration in the register of Veterinary Services and for failure to comply with the requirements governing the trade, import, trafficking, supply and placement of dog marking means. This bill was initially passed by the House of Representatives and the legislation came into force for just one month, after it was then amended by the Parliament, as a result of which these new provisions were removed.
In the same answer, it states that the number of dogs registered in the Register of Dogs of the Veterinary Services amounts to 197,672. Taking into account that based on the last census of 2021, the households amounted to 357.858, the average per household is 1.8 dogs. Of course, in some households there are no dogs at all, while others have more than one.
The Minister of Agriculture, answering a relevant part of Mr. Konstantinou's question, states that based on the Dog Law, the Competent Authorities for the implementation of the Law are the Local Government Authorities (ATA). As the minister explains, within the framework of their responsibilities, the ATAs have, among other things, the responsibility for checking the compliance of dog owners, who are within the area of responsibility of each one, with the obligation to electronically tag and register dogs, which is a prerequisite for the issuance of a dog ownership license by them.
The Local Government Authorities belong and the responsibility for the implementation of the Dog Law belongs to the ATAs, which, as the minister states, must ensure that dog owners comply with their obligations provided by the Law.
For their part, the Veterinary Services keep the Pancyprian Register of Dog Registration and determine the way and method of electronic tagging of dogs. In addition, in the context of keeping the Register, they determine the procedure for registering dogs in it by the private veterinarians who carry out the electronic tagging.
The minister also states that, on an annual basis, a Plan of total expenditure of €100,000 is being implemented, which also covers the sterilization of cats. Through this Plan, about 2,000 cats are sterilized annually.
