A law that allowed fines for owning a dog that was not microchipped and registered stayed in force for only a month before parliament amended it and removed the fines, Agriculture Minister Christos Senekis said. He said the Veterinary Services’ register of dogs has 197,672 dogs on it.
Senekis was replying to a question from parliament member Andreas Konstantinou.
The legislation was passed by parliament at the initiative of the Veterinary Services to promote responsible dog ownership and tackle the problem of stray dogs, he said. It provided for out-of-court fines for keeping a dog without a microchip and registration in the Veterinary Services’ register, and for failing to comply with the rules on the sale, import, distribution, supply and fitting of dog identification devices.
Under the Dogs Law, local authorities are responsible for enforcing the law, Senekis said. They must ensure that dog owners in their area comply with their legal obligations, including the requirement to microchip and register their dogs, which is a condition for the dog licence the local authorities issue.
The Veterinary Services keep the countrywide register of dogs and set how dogs must be microchipped. They also set the procedure private vets follow when registering the dogs they microchip.
Senekis added that a scheme with a total annual budget of 100,000 euros, which also covers cat sterilisation, sterilises about 2,000 cats a year.
