Idiotic & Draconian New Dog Laws

The failure to handle the issue of stray animals humanely and properly here in Cyprus has resulted in lots of animal lovers opting to adopt and take under their care quite a number of stray dogs. This is something that the proposed changes to the dog laws would make illegal.

There are already laws in place LIMITING the ownership of pets in apartments.

The new law propositions state that only one dog can be owned or taken care of if living in an apartment, two dogs if living in a house within the city and up to four dogs in houses outside the town.


If the above law passes not only will it not resolve any of the issues pertaining to animal welfare, but will also put animal loving persons into a state of being the accused ones for abuse if they pass the limit of dogs they have under their care.

Animal lovers will be accused by the law in case they opt to save an animal from death. Real abusers will still remain unpunished, while animal lovers will not be able to help animals in need and hence the number of euthanasia for dogs will further increase in Cyprus.

This law is hitting the animal welfare society beneath the belt, because demand for adoptions of stray dogs will be strained, the number of dogs euthanized will go sky high and is estimated to exceed the previous years' numbers that was over one hundred thousand dogs.

I have signed the iPetition objecting to this proposed change in the dog laws.
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/n...%2Bto%2BFriend
(English version further down page)

Remember this imposes a maximum ownership of TWO dogs in your own house in a Town or City and imposes a maximum of FOUR dogs on anyone - even if they live well outside the cities and towns and have land.

If everyone here who keeps more than 2 dogs in a house in town or more than 4 in a house out of town could take a moment to sign this petition - it would help. You don't have to live in Cyprus to sign.

What depressing news. I am off to sign the petition. I hope it helps.

I am not normally a huge fan of petitions. However, I will make an exception for this one as the proposed change is shocking to the point being almost unbelievable. I cannot understand why the authorities would want to persecute those trying to help the dogs.

I currently only have the one dog and don't plan to ever have more than two, but I would be most put out by a law that stated I was not allowed to have more than two, if that makes any sense.

Same here Coventry - I wish people in small apartments would limit themselves to one dog (and hopefully not a huge one) for the sake of the DOG - some are just imprisoned on tiny verandahs all day which they share with tables and chairs and clothes driers and BBQs while owners work.

But to just try to make it a blanket law that if you live in a HOUSE you can only own TWO dogs is outrageous in my view.

As for only owning FOUR wherever you live? WTF? More than half of Cyprus is still fruit grove and farmland and hell of a lot of dwellings are really isolated.

But the main complaint is it will make the Stray and Rescue dog situation here (which is already in a pitiful state) WORSE.

Make sure people look after the dogs they DO own YES and you will get my vote. Clean up the stray and street dog situation - YES.

But this is insane. I couldn't help wondering what the hell you do if you have two dogs and one gets pregnant?

I have a friend who has FOUR dogs in a house - they have a garden and a pool and they have open land in front of them.

They also have a donkey, chickens, a Chameleon and a sheep (the sheep comes into the house lol!)

And of course the people who won't be at all troubled by this new law are those who kick their dogs out on the street all day. They will never get caught with a dog by the Municipality Dog Registration team when they call.

Most I know who have a lot of dogs HAVE ended up with them because they cannot say NO to a stray that ends up on their doorstep or that might be put down if they don't take it. These are the people who are probably right now worried sick.

Absolutely disgusting I think. No wonder everythign seems to be in sucvh a mess (I don't mean just Cyprus - I mean generally everywhere!).

I've signed the petition and left quite a long comment.