9,000 dog owners at risk of DNA fine

MORE THAN 9,000 pet owners are at risk of being fined for failing to register their dogs’ DNA by the end of September.

Animal-lovers in Rincon de la Victoria had until September 24 to register their animal on a DNA database, however only 500 of the 9,700 dogs in the area have been so far.  Owners who failed to comply with the regulation now face a €2,000 fine if stopped.

The scheme was designed to encourage dog owners to clean up after their pets as well as to prevent dog abandonment and dognapping.  Just five per cent of the municipality’s owners have now signed up to the initiative, which costs €35 per animal.

The head of Don Animal, Jose Antonio Villodres, told one publication the scheme “is very good on paper, but we are already seeing that it has had very little success.” 

Sergio Diaz, President of the Association of Merchants and Entrepreneurs of Rincon de la Victoria, added, “there are still a lot of questions to clarify, like who will take the samples of dog mess to send them to the company specialised in analysing them, which is in Sevilla.”