Turkey wants to kill strays How Switzerland and other countries deal with stray dogs

Collecting and, in certain cases, killing: the Turkish government wants to get rid of millions of stray dogs. How do Switzerland and other countries deal with stray dogs?

According to estimates, there are around four million street dogs in Turkey. They are now to be captured and in certain cases - such as illness or aggression - euthanized.

However, activists are up in arms against the new law, partly because there are only around 100,000 shelter places for the millions of street dogs. Even now, shelter animals often live in deplorable conditions.

Animal rights activists therefore fear a mass cull in practice. They want to stick to the old regulation: catching, neutering, vaccinating and releasing back into the area of origin - if implemented consistently, this is a proven method of reducing the street animal population.

How do other countries in Europe deal with stray animals?

Switzerland

Switzerland has strict animal protection laws. It is forbidden to abandon dogs and other animals: The penalty is up to three years in prison. Anyone who wants to keep a dog in this country must register the pet with the cantonal authorities.

Keeping dogs is strictly regulated, with different legal provisions depending on the canton of residence. In some cantons, it is compulsory to complete a course (certificate of competence/SKN) before acquiring a dog.

For these reasons, street dogs are rare in Switzerland. The primary aim is to place strays with new owners. In some cantons, however, stray dogs whose owners cannot be traced may be killed. Dogs that repeatedly chase wild animals can also be shot by authorized persons.

You can find an overview of cantonal regulations here.

Germany

According to the German Animal Welfare Association, Germany generally has a good infrastructure of shelters that look after animals in need and therefore has no problem with stray dogs. However, the facilities are overloaded and many have issued an admission freeze. The situation has become particularly acute since the coronavirus pandemic.

In contrast to other countries, Germany strictly rejects the euthanasia of animals; according to the Animal Welfare Association, they may only be euthanized in individual cases. For example, if they are terminally ill in order to avoid further suffering. The decision on this must be made by an ethics committee.

Greece

A strict animal welfare law has been in force in Greece since 2021 - among other things, owners are obliged to have their animals registered and neutered. However, despite the laws and the desperate efforts of animal welfare organizations, the number of stray animals remains high: there are said to be well over three million stray cats and dogs in Greece, although exact figures are not available.

There is a particular problem with dogs in mountainous, uninhabited regions of the country: according to surveys, there are around 70,000 stray sheepdogs roaming around that have been abandoned by shepherds. In packs, the large animals also pose a danger to humans and livestock.

Healthy dogs and cats may not be killed in Greece, neither by the state nor by doctors or even private individuals. Instead, last year the state launched a program worth 15 million euros to help municipalities neuter stray animals.

Great Britain

Euthanasia of stray dogs is permitted in principle after a holding period of seven days, but in practice this is often only carried out if the animal is terminally ill or aggressive. The local authority catches the animal and tries to find the owner. If no one can be found, it is usually handed over to a shelter, where the aim is to re-home it. Whether the animal is euthanized if it is not rehomed is at the initiative of the facility. Many shelters have a "no kill" policy.

France

In France, too, the final decision on the fate of the animal is the responsibility of the shelter. Stray cats and dogs are caught by animal shelters on behalf of local authorities and become their property within eight days if no owner can be found. A vet can also order them to be put to sleep due to illness, dangerousness or other reasons. According to animal welfare organizations, this happens in practice with animals that are difficult to place and problematic.

Spain

The vacation destination is far ahead of other countries in terms of the number of dogs abandoned each year. In 2022, around 170,000 dogs were abandoned or lost. The Affinity Foundation cites unwanted offspring as the most common reason. However, abandoned dogs are rare and are therefore not considered a problem. They are usually quickly taken to animal shelters by the relevant services, where it is hoped that they can be placed with new owners. However, this only works to a limited extent, meaning that the approximately 1,500 animal shelters across the country are often overcrowded, which is very stressful for the animals.

According to a new animal welfare law passed last September, the killing of dogs is restricted to cases in which the animal has to endure excessive suffering due to an incurable disease. However, only those dogs that are companions to humans as pets fall under the protection of the law. Hunting dogs such as the Galgo, the Spanish greyhound, are excluded.

Italy

The killing of street dogs has been prohibited by law in Italy since 1991. However, a system of animal camps has been established in Italy in which the conditions are catastrophic, according to animal rights activists. In the so-called dog kennels (canile), the animals are crammed into very small spaces, often in the open air, and are only given makeshift care. According to animal welfare organizations, the operators are only out to make a profit, as they receive state support for each animal.

According to Carabinieri statistics, an estimated 50,000 dogs were abandoned last year - mainly in the south and center of the country during the vacation months of July and August.

Romania

In 2013, the Constitutional Court in Romania approved a law according to which local authorities only have to care for captured dogs in animal shelters for 14 days and are then allowed to euthanize them. As in Turkey, there are repeated reports of packs of stray dogs attacking people.

Romania is also considered a negative example of how animals are treated. Only veterinarians are allowed to carry out euthanasia. However, animal rights activists report that dogs are starved to death, hanged or beaten to death. In practice, the implementation of the law is difficult to monitor and is not uniform throughout the country. There are no figures on how many dogs have been euthanized. The problem of stray dogs in Romania has not been solved.