According to data sent by the institution upon HotNews.ro’s request, in 2022 the Metropolitan Police inspected 639 buildings and issued 59 fines amounting to 124,500 lei and 121 warnings..

The local police of the capital city hall issued 140 fines for a total of 40,000 lei. The local police of the sectors did not issue fines and did not carry out any checks, as they believe that they have no responsibilities in this regard. Local or national police officers cannot enter the yard to check that dogs are sterilized unless the owners want them to.

Since 2015, after the tragic death of a little boy, Jonuts, who was mauled by dogs in sector 2, sterilization and microchipping of dogs is mandatory. why Because one of the main sources of litter is owner’s dogs that are not sterilized, breed, and puppies are left in abandoned areas or in free access. There is also the situation, often reported by ASPA, where dogs with their owners are let out of yards and into the public domain, and because they are not microchipped, the owners are not responsible if they bite someone.

According to GEO 155/2001 on the approval of the program for the treatment of stray dogs, the owners of dogs of ordinary or mixed breeds are obliged to sterilize them. Failure to comply with this legal provision is a violation and is punishable by a fine of 5,000 to 10,000 lei.

According to the latest amendments to the Law 205/2004 on the protection of animals, leaving them in public access is punishable by a fine of 3,000 to 12,000 lei.

We have legislation for nothing if it is not enforced or not enforced from time to time.

After Ana Orosh was killed in the Lacul Morii area by a pack of dogs, and ASPA representatives have repeatedly said that they have picked up dozens of dogs without microchips in the past few days, some of which have been killed near homes in the area. , HotNews.ro asked the Metropolitan Police and the District Police to provide data on whether they checked and verified that the owner’s dogs are microchipped and sterilized.

The number of issued fines is a joke compared to the area of ​​the city

In 2022, the local police of the Bucharest Municipality under the Capital City Hall imposed 140 contraventional sanctions on dog owners who did not chip and/or sterilize their pets. According to the data sent by the institution at the request of HotNews.ro, the amount of fines amounted to 40,000 lei. In the period from January 1 to January 25, 2023, another 32 sanctions in the amount of 15,000 lei were imposed.

The local police in the district town halls did not issue any sanctions. HotNews.ro asked each individual institution and they all told us that they do not have the authority to do so.

The General Directorate of the Police of the Municipality of Bucharest, through the Animal Protection Service, imposed 178 illegal sanctions during 2022, of which 57 sanctions with a fine amounting to 124,500 lei and 121 sanctions with a warning.

“During 2022, the animal protection police implemented two action plans to inform citizens who own and keep dogs about the necessity of their sterilization and microchipping. As a result of these actions, 639 buildings were checked, 191 people were informed, the owners of 302 dogs, 99 were sterilized and 86 microchipped. In places where there was no response, leaflets were left, in which these obligations were specified and the punishments for non-fulfillment were provided by law. Citizens have been informed of these obligations, and measures will be taken again to prosecute owners who did not comply with the law,” said the response sent by the institution to HotNews.ro’s request.

Also, during 2022, 44 illegal sanctions were applied for non-observance of mandatory sterilization and microchipping of dog samples, including 42 warnings and 2 sanctions with a fine of 15,000 lei.

Police officers can enter the yard to check that the dogs are spayed and microchipped, only if the owners allow access

If not, the owners are called to the police to prove that the dogs are spayed and chipped, but often they deny that they have dogs and that’s the end of the discussion. To prove that everything is different, the police practically have to stand in the yard to watch when the dogs go outside.

“According to the provisions of Law 218 / 2002 on the organization and functioning of the Romanian police, Art. 31, par. (1) In the performance of his duties, in accordance with the law, a police officer is vested with public authority and has the following basic rights and duties: lit. e) in the case of committing a crime, pursuing criminals or a terrorist action, enter the premises of housing, economic units, state or private institutions, public and political organizations, regardless of the owner or owner, as well as the board of any Romanian vehicle, in accordance with legal provisions” , – says the answer sent by the Main Directorate of the Police of the Municipality of Bucharest.

According to Art. 52 of the mentioned law, par. (2) A police officer has the right to enter in any way a dwelling or restricted premises owned or used by a natural or legal person, without the consent of that person or a legal representative, in order to:

• a) to save a person’s life or bodily integrity, if there are signs that a person in danger is in this space;
• b) to prevent the spread of the epidemic, if there are signs that there is a deceased person in this place;
• c) detain a person guilty of a serious crime committed with the use of weapons or explosive, narcotic or paralyzing substances, with the use of violence, or a person wearing a mask, disguised or a transvestite, if there are signs that he is in this place;
• d) detain the author of terrorist acts, if there are signs that he is in this place.

“According to the Law 205/2004 on the protection of animals, Art. 30, par. (3) In the case when the place of keeping animals is located at the place of residence or residence of the owners of the animals, the access of the persons provided for in para. (2) in this premises it is done with the consent of the owner. In the absence of consent, the owner of the animal must prove compliance with the provisions of Art. 5 of the same law. For failure to comply with the provisions of Art. 30, paragraph 3, a sanction for violation is provided in the form of a fine from 3,000 lei to 12,000 lei,” the Metropolitan police also answered us.

Do local police departments have the power to fine those who don’t spay and chip their dogs?

It depends on who you ask. HotNews.ro asked every district town hall, and they all told us they had no authority to do so.

However, representatives of the Department for Supervision and Protection of Animals say that they have:

• According to Law 155/2010 on local police, Art. 6. summer e) local police officers detect offenses and apply sanctions in accordance with their competence for non-compliance with the legislation on the regime of keeping dangerous or aggressive dogs, on the program for the treatment of stray dogs and on the protection of animals and to notify specialized services for the management of stray dogs about the presence of these dogs and provide support personnel specializing in their capture and transportation to the shelter;
• According to GEO 155/2001, ANSVSA and police officers from the MAI can apply sanctions for not microchipping and neutering dogs.
• According to HCGMB 120/2010, local police officers can impose sanctions on land owners, individuals or legal entities, who do not properly fence their property and thus allow dogs to enter, breed and then leave the area.

Representatives of the 6th district mayor’s office still say that they do not have the authority:

• “In its appeals to Local Police Sector 6, ASPA asks the local police to “order checks to identify and sanction, if necessary, owners in notified areas who own dogs that are not microchipped and sterilized in accordance with GEO 155/ 2001 year. ASPA also says it “does not have the necessary powers to inspect and sanction animal owners for compliance.”
• WRONG! Article 15 of the law referred to by ASPA (OG 155/2001) states: “Identification of violations and application of sanctions shall be carried out, where appropriate, by authorized persons in accordance with their duties in the National Sanitary, Veterinary and Food Services. The Department of Security, the Ministry of Natural Resources, as well as inspectors of specialized services for handling stray dogs of administrative-territorial units in accordance with the Methodical Rules for the Application of this Emergency Order.”
• At the Bucharest level, there is even ASPA, a specialized stray dog ​​management service. Which has to be coordinated with the local police of the municipality of Bucharest (both subordinate to the PMB). This institution, through the Zoo Police Service, has the legal competence to initiate control over the sterilization and microchipping of dogs and to impose sanctions for offenses in this case,” the City Hall of District 6 recently announced in a press release.

Officials say local police do not have the equipment needed to read microchips, nor access to the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Dog Owner Registry to verify the data.

“The local police of the sector does not have a scanner to read the microchip, if there is one, and does not have access to the database of registered dogs, as it exceeds the authority,” the institution also said.

Officials say local police have the following powers over dogs with owners and can impose sanctions for:

• For leaving at large or unattended animals that may pose a danger to people or property. Only when the owner is known.
• For not keeping domestic dogs on a leash in public;
• For failure to present a medical card when the owner walks the dog in public;
• Due to the lack of cleaning materials. Bags for the owner to collect dog faeces in the public area.

Mayor Cyprian Chuku recently said he would seek to amend the law and give local police the necessary powers to fine people for failing to comply with microchipping and neutering obligations.