The Croatian capital is home to many a dog, and small fluffy apartment-dwelling breeds are a common sight next to the chairs of their owners sipping coffee for hours on Cvjetni trg or taking a stroll through Gornji grad (Upper town). Just how many of them are being treated responsibly with microchips and vaccines, however, is yet to be determined.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, currently, a detailed control of dog microchipping is underway in Zagreb. Microchipping is mandatory under Croatian law, and all pet dogs must be properly microchipped by a vet no later than 90 days after their puppyhood ends. The fine for those who fail to do so goes up to as much as six thousand kuna.
There are ten teams currently out on the field on the hunt for the irresponsible owners of unchipped Zagreb dogs, and they are conducting a full analysis to see how many dogs are living their lives without microchips in the capital city, writes Dnevnik.hr.
Dejan Jaic, Head of Agriculture and Forestry, said that all Zagreb dogs, and indeed those elsewhere, need to be microchipped and fully vaccinated against the devastating zoonotic viral disease, rabies. Zagreb dogs who don’t have a microchip end up being placed in the city’s shelter for neglected animals – Dumovec.
“The first preliminary data indicates that the owners of Zagreb dogs are still responsible and that they treat their pets responsibly, and we’re especially glad about that,” stated Zeljko Renic from the Sector for Traffic and Communal Police.
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