Put my dog licence fee towards a dog beach, please

Sir,

Following the latest discussions in the media, regarding the presence of dogs in public places, I would like to say the following:

For many years now, I personally, our Association and other non-governmental animal protection organisations, have demanded the creation of parks and beaches where the owners will be able to take their dogs, for training, playing and swim.

Unfortunately our pleas have remained unanswered, an unsolved problem compounded by the recent tragic death of a dog owner and his pet. However, the Authorities can easily resolve this matter.

What they just have to do is to open to the dog owners a fenced park in every municipality of reasonable size, and a beach. Taking care of those places is not difficult. They wouldn’t have to do anything more than the regular litter-collection.

Such parks and beaches exist for many years now in other countries. Even though the parks and beaches open to the public are numerous, nothing has been done for the dog owners and their dogs.

This contributes towards the negative image and reputation of Cyprus in the eyes the world. What makes us really furious is the fact that on the one hand, the authorities do not take into account the rights of the dogs and their owners, and on the other, they collect substantial amounts of euro as fees for the records of microchips and the licences.

This money should be exclusively used for the protection and welfare of dogs. However very little is done for the animals in Cyprus and one wonders what happens to all that money that we pay.

Authorities however should know this: the more they ignore us, the more we will take our dogs to public places, because for us our dogs are like our children. From the moment our demands and pleas are not answered by them, they will be held responsible, not us.

Nicolaos Chr. Nicolaides,
Personally and on behalf of the Animal Protection Association, Limassol District

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