The main factor in solving the problem of homeless animals in Belgium are shelters. A certain role is also played by mandatory dog chipping for 25 years, cooperation of the police and shelters and criminal punishment.
In the ninth part of the file news called “Homeless Animals in Europe,” AA correspondent summarized the practice and legal norms of Belgium regarding homeless animals ..
In one of the Western European countries of the European Union (EU) Belgium, there are practically no homeless animals on the streets.
Despite the differences in the legislation of Franco and the Flemish -language federal regions of the country, homeless dogs on the streets are not due to the general laws that have been operating for a long time.
In Belgium, the first shelter was opened in 1908. A sufficient number of shelters and the quality of the work of these organizations are considered the most important factor that prevents the life of dogs on the streets.
Priors work on donations of patrons. Regional authorities allocate budget funds and organize campaigns to attract citizens to adopt animals from shelters.
Press Attache of Veeyweyde’s shelter Nolf, which was founded 115 years ago, told AA that she visited Turkey many times and saw many dogs and cats on the streets.
“Most often, I saw dogs calmly lying on the streets, but I also heard that they are becoming aggressive, and this is becoming an increasing problem,” said Nolf.
Nolf advises to attach more importance to the shelters and increase their number. She explained that in the shelters the dogs have the opportunity to undergo training, calm down and be adopted.
“I know that the Turks are very fond of animals, and I hope that the solution will be found. I know that there are many volunteers in Turkey who feed homeless animals, give them food and water. At the same time, one of the main measures should be Sterilization “.
According to her, Belgian legislation does not provide for sterilization of dogs.
“This is due to the fact that domestic cats are homeless animals that often mate and increase the population of homeless cats, while home dogs go outside only in the company of their owners. Fans of animals lead the campaign for the introduction of mandatory sterilization as for dogs, and for cats, ”she continues.
– What to do if a homeless animal appeared on the street?
In Belgium since 1998, all dogs are mandatory, and their identification data is entered into the central database.
Wandering dogs, which can rarely be found on the streets, either fled from the house, or were lost, or were thrown by the owners.
Police officers analyze the chips of dogs found during patrolling or by citizens’ reports, begin work to search for their owners and delivery to the nearest shelter.