Local governments' struggle to respond to serious dog attacks
Severe dog attacks have become more frequent in Estonia, but municipalities are unable to hold owners to account. In future, a fine of €6,400 could be issued to negligent dog owners.
In winter, four people a month on average are injured in dog attacks, with the number rising to between seven and nine in summer.
Under current regulations, municipalities can only intervene against pet owners who violate animal-keeping or public order rules after their unleashed dog has already attacked someone. Until then, law enforcement officers can only speak with careless owners and draw attention to violations.
But new legislation seeks to change the situation. One of the initiators of an amendment Tiit Maran (SDE) said municipalities are powerless when trying to enforce responsible ownership.
"They can talk to the owners when it has been known for a long time that certain dogs are aggressive and dangerous, but the owner may completely ignore this because the municipality has no means other than persuasion. They cannot do anything more," he said.
"Usually, only after an incident has occurred can municipalities start taking legal measures to address the situation. But by then, someone has already been injured. The main goal is to give municipalities leverage so that they can take preventive action in areas where these problems are accumulating and deal with irresponsible owners before serious incidents happen," the MP explained.
Maran said the amendment would give municipalities the authority to make sure rules are followed for cat and dog owners.
Additionally, they would be able to inform the public or individuals about risk prevention, potential threats or violations, issue directives, and impose fines.
"A fine is among the last measures," Maran said. "Before that, there is talking to the person, legal proceedings, explanations, and directives. Only if none of that works does the fine come into play. The fine gets the most attention, but it is the last resort. The primary goal is to enable municipalities to prevent situations where people could be attacked by dogs due to an owner's failure to make the right decisions at the right time."
According to Ly Kallas, a development expert at the Police and Border Guard Board, the police responded to more than 1,300 animal-related incidents last year, 550 of which involved dogs. In total, more than 70 misdemeanor proceedings were initiated.
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Editor: Valner Väino, Helen Wright
