Stray dog situation ‘greatly worsened’

The situation regarding stray dogs in Cyprus has “greatly worsened” in recent years, animal workers said on Saturday.

They told the Cyprus News Agency (CNA) that overcrowding in shelters and “constant” abandonments have exacerbated the issue, while the number of adoptions from abroad have also decreased as international efforts have shifted to rescuing stray dogs from Ukraine.

Michalis Papadakis, responsible for stray dogs in the Nicosia municipality for the last 20 years, told CNA the situation began to deteriorate after the Covid-19 pandemic, wherein many people bought dogs to be able to go outside more often during lockdowns.

He said the shelter in the village of Paliometocho, which is the only shelter serving the municipalities of Nicosia, Aglandjia, Strovolos, Lakatamia, Engomi and Ayios Dometios, has a capacity of 70 dogs. Now, however, more than 100 dogs are housed there.

He added that work is being done to expand the shelter but said “building shelters is not the solution”. He noted that many dogs spend years in shelters and called into question the quality of life of dogs in them.

To this end, he called for stricter legislation to prevent animal abandonment.

He said the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union has had a negative impact on dog adoptions due to the increased amount of paperwork required, and that would-be adopters from other countries within the EU are now electing to take in strays from Ukraine instead.

However, he said, “the root of the problem is births, to be able to limit births, to convince people to sterilise their animals”.

He suggested that the cost of registering a neutered dog should be decreased, while the cost of registering an unneutered dog should be increased, with the aim of incentivising dog owners to neuter their dogs.

He added that a number of dogs which are abandoned belong to dangerous breeds, including pit bulls and Staffordshire bull terriers. He was keen to point out, however, that “the problem starts with people, not dogs”.

Dogs are not the only animal to be abandoned in Cyprus, however, according to Papadakis. He said that around two years ago, he received a call out regarding a donkey in Kaimakli, which had travelled to the suburb from the north.

He said several attempts were made to capture the donkey, which was eventually taken to a shelter in Aradippou.

Papadakis’ evaluation of the issue was corroborated by Alexandros Oriettas of Simba animal aid Cyprus, the organisation responsible for the dog shelter in Paliometocho.

He described this year as “the worst year in a decade”, and also apportioned part of the reason why to people buying dogs during the pandemic.

“These are dogs that people got because of the pandemic, to be able to go outside, and now they don’t want them, they are dogs which were taken as puppies because they were cute and now people realise the responsibility and don’t want them,” he told CNA.

He also noted that people who encounter financial difficulties decide they can no longer care for their dogs and abandon them.

He agreed with Papadakis that shelters are “under a lot of pressure”.