Expert: any dog can bite, so vaccination and supervision matter
Following an incident in Carnikava where unsupervised dogs bit kindergarten children, a veterinary expert reminds owners of their legal duty to vaccinate pets and prevent them from endangering others. Latvia remains rabies-free for now, but the risk persists.
In early September, Latvian society was alarmed by an incident in Carnikava, where dogs that had escaped their unsupervised property bit several kindergarten children who happened to cross their path. To help the public understand how to protect themselves and others from similar incidents, the outlet "Zemgales Ziņas" spoke with Alma Plivča, a lecturer at the Preclinical Institute of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies.
Vaccination is a legal duty, not a choice
Plivča points out that, under the Veterinary Medicine Law, owners of dogs, cats and domestic ferrets are required to ensure preventive rabies vaccination starting at three months of age, followed by regular revaccination. She notes that some residents of Latvia treat this obligation carelessly — in the Carnikava case, the dogs involved in the attack had not received their rabies revaccination on time.
Rabies is a dangerous, incurable infectious disease that can cause death in both humans and animals. While Latvia is currently rabies-free, the expert stresses that keeping it that way is a shared societal responsibility. The risk is heightened by illegally imported animals or animals with forged vaccination documents — earlier this year, rabies was confirmed in a dog in Germany that had officially entered the European Union through a Latvian border checkpoint.
Owner responsibility is set out in law
Plivča explains that Latvian legislation, including the Animal Protection Law, requires pet owners to ensure their animal does not disturb or endanger people or other animals. Violations of animal-keeping rules can, in certain cases, lead to criminal liability, including imprisonment, though the expert emphasizes that her expertise lies in animal behavior and risk reduction rather than evaluating punishment policy. Regardless of the cause of aggressive behavior, she says, it remains the owner's responsibility to ensure their dog does not endanger those around it.
