wellinever

Is it illegal in PT to just open your garden gate and let your dog out, on its own, to roam the streets and presumably poop where it wants to, that is apart from upsetting every other dog in the neighbourhood as it walks by?
If it is what is the maximum fine that can be given?

macliam

How many flats have a garden gate?

wellinever

dunno, I am talking about a house

bons

It's just the way they do it here. I hate it. I was walking along with my dog in the street the other day after a lovely walk on the beach and a loose dog jumped out at us from behind a wall and tried to attack my dog. I'm on the look out for stray dogs every time i walk the dog, I find it quite stressful at times.

wellinever

Yes I understand if it is a stray dog of which there are too many, but I am talking about a dog owned by a new neighbour, who does this. Tother day they went to work with the dog still out and the gate closed in the wind and the dog was then out wandering the streets all day......this is particularly dangerous as dogs tend to not be aware of the highway code and just run into the road at a whim or chasing another dog............i assume that this illegal and can be reported to the GNR?

bons

When I say stray dogs, I mean dogs that are owned but just loose.

wellinever

??? what are you on about?

macliam

Dogs that are owned are not strays...... believe me, there are enough issues with strays without confusing the two.

An owned dog that is not controlled is just that.... a stray dog has no recorded owner. Visit you local Canil and they will quickly show you the plight of stray dogs in Portugal.If stray dogs are a bother to you, consider donating to your local Canil to enable them to sterilise strays so they don't reproduce - or ask your Camara to run a sterilisation campaign. My local Canil actively sends strays to Sweden or Germany, once they are fully vaccinated and healthy.... but there are always those that won't be adopted - and no dog is destroyed unless it has a medical problem.

I seriously doubt whether the GNR would do much about a wandering dog any more than they "waste their time" prosecuting gypsies who break traffic laws or hunters who cut fences to release their dogs....... as i was told by a veteran GNR sergeant "You have to understand, this is a business - if I spend time on something I need to see a result". But you could try SEPNA, who are part of the GNR, but specifically tasked at environmental issues.... including animal cruelty issues. If someone can't be bothered to look after their dog, what's the chance that it is chipped (a legal requirement), registered (a legal requirement), licensed (a legal requirement), or fully vaccinated (a legal requirement)?

wellinever

hells teeth, I have said that this is a dog owned by a French neighbour, who thinks its Ok just to let his dog out for a crap...!!! This is not a stray dog.
Also I all I want to know is .........Is it illegal (ie is there a law that forbids allowing an OWNED dog (presume it is chopped as all dogs in Pt must be by the law, if in PT for more than 120 days)
If there is then I can make a formal written complaint to the GNR

sportpix

Sadly it’s the same here in HK, particularly in villages such as where I have been living for the past 15 years (until I discovered the charms of the Algarve). The older villagers just open their gates in the mornings and let the dogs wander. These dogs are not pets; they are thought of as security. But it’s not just the indigenous who do this. There is a young British couple, both teachers, who live about 50 yards from our house and they do the same. Their dog just wanders around. A year or so ago my wife and I were walking our dog when a dog ran out from
an open gate and viciously bit my wife on the calf. She reported the incident to the police and the owners were prosecuted and fined about 200 quid. People such as these just don’t give a toss about the rules or the welfare of the animals they abuse.

macliam

It's an owned dog, therefore the only target is the owner. If there is a law, it is not enforced as a short time in any Portuguese town will show you. I'd also suggest that any letter submitted would be a waste of your time (or worse).... the GNR rarely react well to being told "their job".

If you have a problem with your neighbour, expecting the GNR to help is usually a waste of time - as I have said, SEPNA may take an interest because there's a potential for a fine, but I doubt if the normal GNR will do anything at all.

Rambling archer

Macliam said - "But you could try SEPNA, who are part of the GNR, but specifically tasked at environmental issues.... including animal cruelty issues. If someone can't be bothered to look after their dog, what's the chance that it is chipped (a legal requirement), registered (a legal requirement), licensed (a legal requirement), or fully vaccinated (a legal requirement)?"
and also "If you have a problem with your neighbour, expecting the GNR to help is usually a waste of time - as I have said, SEPNA may take an interest because there's a potential for a fine, but I doubt if the normal GNR will do anything at all."

All about correct. The dog should be microchipped by law and this should be registered with the local Freguesia, or at least with a vet so that the dog can be traced via the chip records. How many dog owners actually do all they should for their animals is a moot point. However that is the law. Another proviso is to try to find out just how "well-in" the dog owner is with the local powers that be ... you may find yourself upsetting someone and that may sooner or later rebound on you. There is also a law about poop collecting which all dog walkers are to do when walking their dog - since this one is not even being walked, you might have cause to complain on that point too - again the Freguesia might be the first point of call on this as they should be upset about poop in their neighbourhood --- perhaps. You might collect the offending poop, having photographed it in situ especially if in a particularly dodgy/offensive area and in theory they could do a DNA test on it if needed to prove which dog dropped it, but really is any of this going to happen? Keeping a photographic record of the dogs perambulations, and/or risky events would help. Ask the other neighbours if they are upset about it and get together ...

liveaboard

Yes, it is illegal.
GNR can theoretically catch the dog and send it to the kennel where it's chip will be read and then the ball starts rolling.

Theoretically.

In reality these things are decided locally. In the many places I've lived, some tolerated free dogs and dome didn't. Some changed and then changed back.

10 years ago, our head GNR warned me that I had to tie up my dog who always walked diligently next to me or he'd fine me. Now they're more relaxed again and dogs are walking around loose so long as they don't make trouble.

Midgo

It is ilegal
But not enforced
(heard that before?)
You could put the dog in the car and then take it to the nearest a faraway rescue shelter / cliff

wellinever

car not big enough to collect all of them or I would 9later choice would be chosen)