Turkey Implements Strict Rules On Dog Breeds Deemed Dangerous, Pit Bull To Tosa Inu Are Banned

Illustration of a Japanese Tosa Inu dog. (Wikimedia Commons/Susihurtan)

JAKARTA - Turkey began to impose a national ban on dog breeds that are considered dangerous starting last Friday. Dogs on the breed register must be sterilized and registered with the authorities, or their owners will face fines and their animals will be forcibly taken from them.

The new regulations, which are part of a wider animal rights law implemented last year, also carry fines for those who abandon dogs rather than hand them over to shelters.

All dogs will be sterilized at the veterinary clinic prior to their registration, then microchipped to track their status. Owners are also required to keep their dogs on a leash and cover their mouths with a muzzle at all times, to prevent attacks on humans and other animals. They are also prohibited from public spaces such as playgrounds.

Under the law, it is forbidden to own a pit bull terrier, Argentino dogo, fila Brasileiro, Japanese tosa, American Staffordshire terrier or American bully.

Meanwhile, people who sell this dangerous dog, exchange it for another breed, display it, and smuggle it will be subject to a fine of 1.105 US dollars per dog.

Some owners abandon their dogs despite the law, although animal rights activists say the majority of such owners are those who use dogs for dogfights and other criminal purposes.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, which oversees bans and registration practices, announced that as of Friday afternoon 20.843 dangerous dogs had been registered across the country and equipped with microchips.

Pitbull dog illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/Stacy)

In Istanbul, authorities announced 4.858 dogs of dangerous breeds had been registered so far, followed by western Izmir Province, where 2.541 dogs had been registered. In the capital Ankara, nearly 2.000 dogs have been registered.

Ahmet Yavuz, head of the Istanbul branch of the Agriculture and Forestry Directorate which oversees the registration and enforcement of the ban, told the Demirören News Agency (DHA), the dogs are becoming a "weapon in the wrong hands" and they aim to prevent a repeat of the unfortunate incident, referring to a recent spate of pit bull attacks across the country that have injured mostly children.

"We have to get used to this," Taha Eski, who took her American Staffordshire terrier to a veterinary clinic in Istanbul to be sterilized and microchipped, quoted the Daily Sabah on January 14.

"I'm not against microchips, but I hope he's not sterilized. He will gain weight after being sterilized and we will have to cut his diet. It will also take some time to get used to the muzzle."

To note, although no exact figures are available, animal shelters across the country run by municipal governments have seen a spike in the number of dangerous dogs abandoned or voluntarily handed over by their owners.