"On responsible treatment of dogs": the Supreme Council adopted the draft of the new law in the first reading

The Supreme Council of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic has taken the first step towards resolving at the legislative level the long-standing issue of people's responsible attitude to dogs and protecting people from dogs, primarily from stray dogs.

The parliament considered 3 alternative legislations in the course of the plenary session today, that are designed to define standards for the maintenance, walking, registration and regulation of the number of dogs, their protection from cruelty, as well as to ensure public safety, protection and health of adults and children in the territory of Pridnestrovie.

Deputy of the Supreme Council of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic Oleg Vasilaty developed and presented law-in-draft "On the treatment of dogs". The parliamentarian emphasized noting the need to adopt the draft law that last year in Slobodzeya district there was one bitten person every day.

Three negative opinions were received on the initiative. The government opinion was positive with comments.

The Bendery City Council of People's Deputies presented law-in-draft "On responsible treatment of dogs in the PMR" and three accompanying draft laws on amendments to the laws "On licensing of certain types of activities" and "On the basics of the tax system in the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic ", as well as to the Code of Administrative Offenses. Presenting the initiative, the head of the city council of Bendery Yuri Kara noted that during the development of the law-in-draft, discussions were held with animal rights organizations, with various departments, all comments were taken into account, international experience of requirements for dog owners, experience of regulating the number of animals in countries such as the USA, France, Canada, etc. were studied.

This law-in-draft proposes a solution to the issue of reducing the number of stray and/or abandoned dogs on the streets, the author noted.

Another legislative initiative belongs to a group of deputies of the Supreme Council of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic Galina Antyufeeva, Valery Babchinetsky and Andrey Safonov. The parliamentarians developed a draft law "On responsible treatment of dogs in the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic" and a package of accompanying amendments to the laws "On the Fundamentals of the Tax System in the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic" and "On Environmental Protection".

The experience and legislations of various countries, including the Russian Federation, on the capture, sterilization and vaccination of dogs are also taken into account in this draft law. Galina Antyufeeva noted that the authors are ready to finalize the legislations for the second reading, taking into consideration the acute situation and the large number of stray dogs on the streets of the republic's cities and villages.

The legislations of the Bender City Council and a group of deputies of the Supreme Council received mostly positive opinions, in some cases with comments.

Galina Antyufeeva, addressing her colleague-deputies, emphasized that for many years the Supreme Council has been considering draft laws on regulating the number of dogs and responsible attitude towards them, and the President of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic submitted his legislative initiative.

The deputies of the Supreme Council of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic asked all the authors of alternative legislations questions of interest, including on the mechanism for implementation and financial support for the initiatives presented. After a lengthy discussion of the submitted alternative projects, the deputies, by a majority vote, chose one draft law as a basis "On responsible handling of dogs in the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic", which was developed by the Bender City Council of People's Deputies.

The deputies adopted in the first reading the draft law "On responsible handling of dogs in the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic" and 3 accompanying draft laws on amendments to the laws "On licensing of certain types of activities" and "On the basics of the tax system in the PMR", as well as to the Code of Administrative offenses today.

A lot of work will be done in the relevant Committee on Regional Policy and Housing and Public Utilities by the second reading of the law-in-draft on responsible handling of dogs and amendments to the accompanying laws. Amendments are expected from subjects of the right of legislative initiative, including from the authors of the rejected legislations.