11/12/24 No Advertisements for Pet Adoption or Sale without Microchipping!
Meðimurje scandal: a woman illegally advertises dog sale and calls inspection check a witch hunt
- To advertise a dog for sale, both dog’s and its mother’s microchip numbers must be quoted in the ad as this helps prevent animal abandonment
A lady from northern Croatia got a male and a female dog, failed to neuter them or control their reproduction despite the legal obligation to do so, which resulted in an unwanted litter. She advertised the puppies for rehoming, but members of the public warned her of her obligation to publish the microchip numbers of both the puppies and their mother, which she ignored. After community wardens and a veterinary inspection acted on a report filed against her, the local media published her complaint claiming that she had experienced horror and torture over the rehoming of the litter, pursued by animal shelters, community wardens and veterinary inspection. The local media wrote: “How to rehome puppies without Animal Friends Croatia jumping at your throat and sending community wardens and veterinary inspectors to your door!?”
Animal Friends Croatia responded: “It would be funny if it were not tragic! The legal obligation of microchipping dogs has been in force for over twenty years; the obligation of persons advertising a dog sale or adoption to list the microchip numbers for both the puppy and the mother for over seven years; and the obligation to microchip all dogs before selling or rehoming them for two years. These regulations have the purpose of preventing dog owners from distributing dogs which have not been microchipped as this leads to further problems and places financial burden on local communities. Regulations must be observed, and they really are not either illogical or complicated.”
The group are stunned by the impertinence and attacks by some citizens on those who adhere to the law: “Instead of offering praise for community wardens and veterinary inspection in Medjimurje County, for doing their work and enforcing the law, something we don’t often see across Croatia, people are publicly attacking the very persons who have saved more than 3100 sick and broken dogs from Roma communities. Many dogs end up in Roma settlements very much due to the distribution of non-chipped puppies which are a result of irresponsible owners’ failure to neuter their dogs, prompting them to rehome unwanted litters by advertising in newspapers. Anyone supporting this is an accomplice in the violation of law to the detriment of animals!”
Animal Friends Croatia reminded that, shockingly, every year ten thousand dogs enter animal shelters, due to irresponsible behaviour by dog owners which gets tolerated and law violation which remains unpunished: “ The illegal and unregistered distribution of dogs must end!”
According to the Animal Protection Act, pet owners must control the reproduction of their pets. According to the Animal Health Act, dogs must not change ownership before being microchipped, which is both justified and useful. Anyone advertising dogs for sale or adoption on social media, in online or printed ads, on veterinary clinic notice boards or anywhere else must previously microchip the dogs in a registered veterinary clinic and quote the microchip numbers in the ad.
As far as non-microchipped abandoned dogs whose origin, i.e. mother, is unknown, they must first be registered with a shelter which is authorised to microchip them before they have a new owner. It is impossible to visit a vet with a non-microchipped dog whose mother is unknown, who has been found in the street, purchased, or gifted, and request microchipping – veterinarians are not authorised to perform it under those conditions. As all dogs going through a shelter or are registered by a shelter must be neutered, the distribution of non-microchipped dogs is thus prevented, to the benefit of the animals and the entire community.
“A consistent implementation of regulations ensures more dogs are microchipped, resulting in fewer dogs abandoned or non-microchipped dogs illegally imported. In neighbouring Slovenia, this is customary practice as veterinarians refuse to microchip a dog or register it with a new owner in their database if they do not know their origin,” explain Animal Friends Croatia. They added that there was no ambiguity concerning the legal obligation to control pet reproduction.
The group invite the public to microchip their dogs and quote the microchip numbers of both the dog and its mother in the advertisements. They also invite the media to support the efforts of individuals and animal protection groups by educating the public on the importance of dog owners’ observation of law. No one is obliged to have a dog, but if they do, they are obliged to care for it in accordance with the law.
