Posted on April 05, 2011 by: WayCoolDogs

There is more than one way for a financially-strapped country to make money …  and that is with taxes on dogs for dog owners or killing their dogs if left unpaid. A bylaw that is over 100 years old has been reinstated in the village of Reconvilier, Switzerland, at a cost of $48.50 a year dating back to the original 1904 law — accumulating in a large amount of unpaid back taxes. According to the old law, the village has legal rights to kill a dog if its owner does not pay the canine charge.

Némitz went further, penning an editorial for a Swiss newspaper in which he notes that, as recently as the 1960s, Reconvilier dealt with troublesome dogs in a brutally straightforward fashion: “We took them to a knacker’s yard, shot them in the head, and it was done.” (He clarified his comments in a follow-up article, insisting that the town’s police force isn’t even armed, and that “this isn’t about exterminating all the little doggies!”) — Global Animal

The LA Times states that the purpose of the dog tax law enforcement is to reclaim hundreds of thousands of doictimsllars in unpaid taxes. Extremely unpopular, local official Pierre-Alain Nemitz says there have been numerous death threats since the law went public. Presently, the village population that is being affected by the law is 2,245 identified nonpaying dog owners and 280 dogs as the would-be victims. According to the Times, “Add it all up, and it’s ‘not an inconsequential sum for a burgh whose population includes 280 dogs among 2,245 people,’ says Bruce Crumle.”

Presently, Change.org has released a petition against the village officials. Animal advocates and local activists have successfully signed it, in addition to over 500 Change community members who protested that the law was inhumane and unreasonable. This has led to the village’s Municipal Council proposing to amend or abolish the 1904 law so the dog killing law would no longer be on their.

Pet by-laws at Calgary, Canada

In comparison, Calgary, Canada, has had great success with enacting new bylaws for Responsible Pet Ownership that are based on four principles:

1. License and provide permanent identification for pets
2. Spay or neuter pets
3. Provide training, physical care, socialization and medical attention for companion animals
4. Pets are not allowed  to become a threat or nuisance in the community

Everyone follows the principals of the new bylaws and public safety has been enforced, which has enhanced its enactment. In fact, Calgary has earned accolades for controlling aggressive-dog incidents and reducing bites. But best of all, no death threats have been aimed at Calgary officials at this time.  Simply put, the programs works.

Before Calgary began its program, in 1985 they had received approximately 1,938 complaints of incidents that involved aggressive-dog incidents — including 621 bites. Whereas nearby Ontario enacted a panic policy-making breed outlaw, Calgary used an approached that involved  the dog’s behavior combined with strong, breed-neutral legislation and an extensive public education program. How successful was it? Last year, despite a burgeoning population of more than 1 million, bylaw officers dealt with only 424 aggressive-dog incidents, including 159 bites.

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