From July 1, Local Police Take Over Pet Welfare Supervision

Starting July 1 of this year, changes in the supervision of pet welfare have come into effect. From now on, complaints about improper treatment of companion animals – dogs, cats, ferrets, and even domestic rats – must be addressed to the municipal police, not the Food and Veterinary Service (PVD) as before. PVD inspectors will only be involved when there are reasonable suspicions of cruelty.

Karīna Vilsone, head of the animal protection society “Ķepu sargi” (Paw Guardians), expressed hope that municipal police can respond immediately, unlike the PVD, which sometimes took up to a month to act. She emphasized that an animal cannot wait that long. Since police patrols are constantly present in municipalities, she believes responding to calls will not be problematic.

However, municipalities have raised concerns about the ability of police officers to assess animal condition. Ansis Bērziņš, chairman of Talsi Municipality Council, noted that such assessment requires specific knowledge that veterinarians possess, not police officers. Jānis Fecers, head of Dobele Municipality Police, admitted that the issue of determining cruelty is debatable, but the law does not prohibit involving the PVD or a veterinarian when needed.

In spring, the PVD and the Latvian Association of Local Governments organized a training cycle for municipal police officers on pet welfare, but only 219 officers from all over Latvia completed it. Animal advocates would also like municipal police to take control of microchipping for puppies and kittens – verifying that animals are chipped before being given to new owners to prevent straying.

Last year, the PVD received almost 1,300 complaints about possible pet welfare violations, of which less than 300 were found to be justified.