Türkiye’s shelter project for stray dogs: Gov’t support and new regulations

Türkiye is taking steps to address the large stray dog population with plans to build shelters across the country. The government has allocated a budget of ₺13.3 billion (approximately $39.5 million) for this initiative.

This decision comes after intense discussions within Parliament’s Agriculture Committee regarding the costs associated with managing the stray dog population. These costs include sheltering, vaccinating, and neutering the estimated 4 million stray dogs in Türkiye.

According to information provided by AK Party members who prepared the proposal, the government will cover 40% of the total project cost, with the remaining amount coming from municipal budgets.

AK Party Amasya Deputy Hasan Cilez also stated that all rabies and other vaccination services will be provided free of charge by the government, noting that the cost of neutering a dog is ₺12,000, with ₺1300 of this amount being covered by the government.

Cilez mentioned, “If a friend spends ₺10 million to build a shelter, ₺4 million of this will be provided by the government as support. All vaccinations, including rabies vaccines, are free.”

Additionally, according to calculations, if all 4 million dogs are neutered, the cost per dog would be ₺2,000, totaling ₺8 billion. Thus, ₺1.2 billion of the neutering cost will be covered by the government.

Harum Mertoglu, the first signatory of the proposal and AK Party Rize Deputy, responded to the criticisms of opposition deputies by recalling that around 540,000 animals were imported in 2023, stating, “This import consists entirely of pets and ornamental animals, birds, or aquarium fish. There is no import of cats and dogs as alleged.”

The Bill on Amending the Animal Protection Law, which includes regulations for stray animals, was accepted by the Agriculture, Forestry, and Rural Affairs Committee after a 42-hour meeting. The 17-article proposal will be submitted to Parliament for approval.

For dogs taken into shelters that pose a threat to human and animal health and safety, those with uncontrollable, contagious, or untreatable diseases, or those unsuitable for adoption, the provisions of Article 9 of the Veterinary Services, Plant Health, Food, and Feed Law will apply.

Municipal officials who fail to fulfill their responsibilities will face prison sentences ranging from six months to two years, and the fines for abandoning owned animals will be increased from ₺2,000 to ₺60,000.