COPS CHECKING UP ON DANGEROUS DOGS

A muzzled dog

In their latest clamp down on unlicensed “dangerous” dogs, local police in Santa Pola have identified 256 animals that fall into the category. Officers have been out and about with scanners to check up on animals to ensure that they are both registered and correctly micro chipped.

Of the 256 registered, 60 of them are Rottweilers, representing the highest portion of breeds in the group; there are 40 Staffordshire Bull Terriers, 36 American Staffordshire Terriers and 35 American Pit Bull Terriers.

Under Spanish law, owners of dogs which fall into the potentially dangerous category must register their dogs and apply for a license, which is then added to the RIVIA register (Registro Informático Valenciano de Identificación Animal), having presented a certificate of their physical and psychological wellbeing, as well as satisfying requirements whilst walking their dogs, such as keeping them restrained and ensuring that a muzzle is worn at all times.

Most of the people approached by the police were aware of the requirements, and cooperated fully with the survey, whilst also being reminded of the stricter requirements of owning a dangerous dog, such as keeping the animals restrained whilst in their gardens at home, as well as ensuring that the dogs are kept in adequate conditions of safety.

Councillor for public safety, Antonio Pérez Huerta, said that although there has not been any cases of potentially dangerous animal attacks, “The important thing is to prevent this, hence these campaigns to prevent a critical incident happening, at the moment citizens are reacting very well and are maintaining a proper attitude and behavior, there is often no abnormalities in their homes and the owners of these potentially dangerous animals know what they have in hand.”

Police officers have also urged the public to assist them in maintaining both the register of animals and monitoring the conditions they are kept in, asking that “if any citizen detects that the owner of one of these potentially dangerous dogs not kept in the right conditions, call the emergency number 112, which will notify the local police”.