VMVT has also identified cases where dog breeders, after finding video material on how to clip dogs on the Internet, use scissors to shorten the ears of young puppies, tie their tails to disrupt blood flow and cause part of the tail to fall off. Some of the docked dogs are brought from countries where it is legal to do so. Some dog owners, just for the sake of beauty, illegally clip animals in Lithuania to veterinarians who still perform these strictly prohibited and animal-harming procedures.
The representatives of VMVT and animal welfare organizations (VšĮ “Gyvūņu gerovės initiativos” and VšĮ “Šuniukų fėja”) talk about why dogs are still illegally clubbed in Lithuania and what steps need to be taken to reduce such cases.
Illegally clipped dogs are still very large in Lithuania
According to the VMVT, a few years ago, prohibited clipping procedures were usually performed by breeders for all puppies of one litter. However, after punishing them, it has recently been noticed that most of the people who cut the ears and tails of their dogs are not breeders, but individual dog owners who have already purchased dogs of certain breeds from kennels.
According to Skaistė Svidraitė, the head of VšĮ “Šuniukų fējas”, the number of cases of hacking is not only not decreasing, but at the moment there is even an increase in the number of such cases: “When the prohibiting law came into being, hacking subsided at that time, but now for the last 5 years I have seen a boom in hacking. This is because no one punished anyone, the veterinary clinics that did it – continue to do it. As a result, we have a lot of humpbacked dogs again today.”
According to Lina Vaitekūnaitė, the coordinator of the non-governmental organization “Animal Welfare Initiative” (hereinafter – GGI), in order to stop illegally clipped animals in Lithuania, the efforts of not only non-governmental organizations, but also state institutions are very important: “In cases where dog owners, having clipped their dogs are punished and it would have caused a big change in society, a certain resonance, not particularly much. In my opinion, this is because the efforts of animal welfare organizations such as GGI or the Puppy Fairy are not enough. All of this ultimately rests on the institutions’ desire to find such persons and punish them.”
Ways in which dogs are illegally clipped in Lithuania
According to VMVT, it is observed that more and more pets with shortened ears and clipped tails are purchased from countries where such procedures are not prohibited (for example, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Belarus). This is also determined by the significantly lower prices of animals bred in those countries.
“A big problem remains the fact that we understand the procedures as prohibited, but in other neighboring countries it is customary to shorten the tails and ears of dogs. Already injured animals are brought home from such countries. Therefore, the desire to have an animal with such an appearance is stronger than the consequences and even the animal’s well-being” – says Deputy Director of VMVT Paulius Bušauskas.
In the same way, it is illegal to transport an animal to another country and then bring it back to Lithuania. “A person who has acted in this way is also at risk of administrative responsibility, because according to the provisions of Article 4, Part 2, Clause 23 of the Law on Animal Welfare and Protection, such an owner or keeper of an animal, when on his own initiative he took the pet for the procedure of injury or created the conditions for the performance of such prohibited actions, incurs liability , established in Article 346 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Republic of Lithuania” – Paulius Bušauskas, deputy director of the Ministry of Transport and Communications, explains about the impending responsibility when a dog is taken abroad for training.
Animals are illegally slaughtered in Lithuania as well, and veterinarians who carry out such criminal activities usually remain unpunished. “All big cities have a vet who does it. We receive photos or information from other persons, we check whether the mentioned dog was born in Lithuania and we write a complaint to the relevant authorities” – Skaistė Svidraitė, head of the “Šuniukų fēja” Public Institution, tells about cases when illegal animal clipping procedures are carried out in Lithuanian veterinary clinics.
In the opinion of Lina Vaitekūnaitė, the coordinator of the NGO “Givūņu gerovės initiativos”, it is very important to apply appropriate measures not only to owners who illegally clip dogs, but also to veterinarians who engage in it illegally. “I think that if at least one veterinarian who illegally clipped a dog lost his license, illegal dog clippings in veterinary clinics after work or when there is no traffic would end. In Lithuania, dogs are still clipped because there is no criminal law, especially for veterinarians.” – the GGI representative emphasizes the responsibility of veterinarians.
In the eyes of the public, copying is inexcusable
In order to prevent animals from being clipped, public education is also very important. Illegal dog grooming should be viewed in society as it is intended by the law – as cruel treatment of an animal, and those who break the law should be held accountable. It should in no way be understood as a certain “breed standard”, “fashion”, or even more so should not be associated with a prestigious, aspirational example.
According to GGI coordinator Lina Vaitekūnaitė, due to the negative reaction of the public, people who have illegally clipped animals are less likely to share photos of their pets on social networks. “A part of society understands that mutilating an animal just because of a distorted understanding of beauty, to make a dog look “cooler” or to be someone’s “label of luxury” is unjustifiable cruelty. These people put a lot of pressure on by commenting on pictures of clipped dogs posted on social media. Therefore, people who have published these photos very often delete them, they no longer show their pets in public” – says the GGI coordinator about the increasing public awareness.
The importance of public education in the fight against illegal animal docking is also emphasized by Paulius Bušauskas, deputy director of the Ministry of Animal Welfare: “Until society becomes intolerant of such behavior, it will be difficult to implement this practice. I’m glad that public organizations contribute a lot to education, encouragement to talk about problems and change of society’s behavior and attitude”.
Amendments to the law that will help fight against illegal copying are planned
In order to prevent the illegal docking of animals in Lithuania, it is necessary to tighten the legislation prohibiting the breeding, sale and exhibition of dogs with docked ears and tails. This is foreseen in the already prepared and publicly available draft amendment to the Animal Welfare and Protection Law of the Republic of Lithuania.
It is expected that banning the breeding and selling of clipped animals and subsequently participating in exhibitions with them will, first of all, reduce the illegal clipping of dogs in kennels, change public attitudes and make clipping animals completely unacceptable. “When the owner of an animal will be restricted from attending events with animals, breeding or selling it with an animal that has undergone prohibited procedures, when such a keeper will receive public condemnation, then one will really think about whether it is worth traumatizing the animal, harming its body, harming its well-being for the entire life of the animal” , – says Diana Šutovienė, advisor of the Animal Health and Welfare Department of the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
According to the current laws, dog docking is considered animal cruelty. Actions that harm animals, such as beating dogs, according to the relevant article of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Republic of Lithuania, result in a fine from 150 to 2000 euros, with confiscation of the animals. Repeated offenses attract a fine of 2,000. up to 4 thousand euros.
123RF.com photo/Gift in cash
“Let the packers be happy that they are not yet punished for animal mutilation, which is exactly what happens, because animal mutilation is defined as actions or omissions that cause injury to the animal’s body parts and/or organs and/or create harmful residual effects on its physical and (or) mental health. Then they would face criminal responsibility, when they are punished with public works or a fine, or arrest, or deprivation of liberty for up to one year”, says GGI coordinator Lina Vaitekūnaitė.
“It should be noted that as of this year, according to Article 6 of the Animal Welfare and Protection Law, persons punished for the aforementioned violations and from whom all animals were confiscated are prohibited from keeping animals of that species for 2 years, and in case of repeated violations, the prohibition is valid for 4 years,” – about the sanctions applied says Diana Daina Šutovienė, advisor of the Animal Health and Welfare Department of the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
If you notice cases of animal mutilation, GGI invites you to be civil and notify the State Food and Veterinary Service using the animal rescue instructions prepared by GGI, which you can find here.
You can also report an injured plant while cutting it to GGI using the link you will find here.
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2024-08-11 08:42:44
