Of course, there are dogs that are not registered, but as City police checks prove, it is really only a small percentage. Of the total number of more than 80,000 dogs in Prague the police found 64 this year whose masters have not had them marked with a chip or a tattoo.
Is a new regulation expected?
“Inquiries are piling up on my desk about what the town will do next about dogs,” says Deputy Mayor Rudolf Blažek.
“Fortunately there are not so many dog attacks in Prague compared to other places, but there is still a lot of discussion about making dog-leads compulsory or other ways of restricting dogs’ access to public places and so on. Anyway, I think that no further measures are necessary. Dogs are registered and obviously the owner is responsible for the animal. Therefore I think that issuing a new regulation stating that dogs must be on leads or wear muzzles is not really necessary. Incidentally, this issue was discussed five or six years ago and it was incredible; it started with five experts and ended with several dozen, each one having a different opinion. In the end they couldn’t agree on the size, weight or breed,” said Blažek.
How many are there?
The current number of registered dogs in Prague is 85,000 and estimates of non-registered dogs vary considerably. It may be up to tens of thousands of animals. The total estimated number of dogs within Prague is somewhere between 90 and 120 thousand dogs.
“In some cases, however, it is a question of legislation. A dog may be registered elsewhere. It stays in Prague for some time and otherwise lives in a different town, so the situation in Prague can be quite complicated,” explained Blažek.
What’s the situation with dogs running free?
It is obvious why there’s no need for another regulation to avalanche people with still more rules. At the moment legislation forbids people to let their dogs run free in thoroughfares according to the law on public thoroughfares. The same applies to public green space in Prague – wherever running free is not allowed, it is forbidden.
“Therefore, in my opinion, issuing a new regulation, involving a fine of 1,000 CZK, or 30,000 CZK if an administrative hearing is necessary, would not have any significant effect,” said Blažek.
Fighting breeds and aggressive dogs
There is a lot of discussion about fighting breeds. Prague is not a city where many people are attacked by dogs, but minor conflicts occur. “We receive a number of complaints from people about dogs bothering them, for example a dog that approaches a mother with a pram or a small child. This cannot be prevented by any regulation, again it is up to the dog’s owner to control the animal. The city police are supposed to deal with such incidents and they manage it, even without a regulation,” said Blažek.
As far as fighting breeds are concerned, a regulation issued by the city would have no effect at all. If anything like this should be decided, then it should be a matter of law, like in some other European countries.
How much money is collected?
55,362,000 CZK was collected in dog-fees in Prague in 2008. Three quarters of this money is retained by the city districts, a quarter goes to the city treasury.
“As for the city, all the money collected goes towards the animal shelters in Trója and Horní Měcholupy. The city districts obviously use their money for cleaning the streets using special equipment. According to statistics the dogs produce 11 tonnes of excrement per day,” said Blažek. 1,000 bins with bags for excrement have been installed throughout the city. The majority of districts even put extra money into cleaning up.
Which breeds are most popular?
Most of the 85,000 dogs in Prague are crossbreeds, about 16,000. Among pedigree dogs the Dachshund is the long-standing favourite, the Retriever is second and the Yorkshire terrier third. Alsatians, third last year, now occupy fourth place. The statistics were compiled according to owners, so the name of the breed doesn’t always match, such as with “Alsatians”. Prague 4 holds the record for the highest number of dogs.
Obedient dog and responsible master
In all discussion about dogs in the city the subject of obedience is raised. Some towns even provide a dog-fee discount for owners whose dogs have passed an obedience test. This works, for example, in Kladno.
“I’ve had several meetings with representatives of the Czech-Moravian Cynological Union,” said Blažek. On the one hand it would bring less money into the city coffers and the city quarters, but it would certainly have an effect in terms of safety and maybe hygiene as, during training, the owners would comprehend why clearing up excrement from pavements is so important.
Punishment is not everything
This year the City police have dealt with three thousand petty offences relating to fouling a public place.
“We are all aware that the required effect needn’t only be achievable through sanctions and fines,” said the director of City police, Vladimír Kotrouš. Therefore, the City police have established an advice centre for dog owners. You can find it at the dog shelter in Troja and the centre can be approached on issues such as dog obedience. “Since 2008, when we introduced this type of service, nearly 9,000 people have turned to us either in person, by phone or via e-mail,” said Kotrouš.
Dogs are a benefit to Prague
Prague is not only home to pet dogs, but also working dogs. The City police established a dog section in 1992, with 5 dogs at that time, it now has 27.
“Our dog-handlers achieve the best possible results, we have dogs which are specially trained to search open ground and in rubble. Their excellent skills were recently demonstrated in the collapsed building in Soukenická street, where our dogs precisely located the workmen who were buried, and unfortunately died, under the rubble,” said Kotrouš.
