The mandatory registration of dogs should begin on June 1st, and chips will be funded by the state by the end of the year, while owners will pay two euros per dog. By the end of the year, the state will also finance vaccination against rabies, said the Food, Veterinary and Phytosanitary Directorate.
From this authority, headed by Vesna Dakovic, it was said that the registration in the entire state would enhance the responsibility of dog owners.
The veterinary ambulances currently charge up to 25 euros.
"Identification and registration will be carried out across the entire territory of Montenegro. This will create the conditions for identifying the dog owners at all times, determining the health status of the dog, thereby enhancing the responsibility of the owners, because the primary responsibility for the animal is its owner," the Board said.
Identification is subject to newborns and dogs that have not been identified following the regulations. Newborns must be chipped no later than 90 days from the date of birth, i.e., during the first vaccination against viral diseases or brood abandonment.
The owners will be able to get the chip in any veterinary clinic, as the Department said.
Dogs that were previously labeled with a prescribed microchip will not be re-chipped, but data will only be entered in the animal passport and the Pet Registry. The dog can only be re-chipped if the old chip is impossible to read. As to how the registration is to be implemented in this case, the Management Board will notify the owners.
After applying the microchip, the dogs will be vaccinated against rabies.
The Management expects to receive the first data on the number of units in the population of stray dogs by the end of May. For these projects, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development awarded 30,000 euros last August to several non-governmental organizations.
The obtained data, as expected by the competent authorities, will "significantly contribute to the improvement of the control of the stray dog population in Montenegro".
Text by Damira Kalac, on May 10th, 2019, read more on Vijesti
