Man's best friend needs to be registered, at least in Bratislava's Old Town district. (source: TASR)
THE OWNERS of dogs in the Old Town district of Bratislava were supposed to pay the annual dog tax before January 31 but the spokesman for the district, Tomáš Halán, told the SITA newswire that those who failed to register their dogs by the deadline can do so until the end of February without being fined.
The fee is to be paid for every dog older than six months and the owner is obliged to register his or her pet within 30 days after housing the dog for 90 days within Old Town. The normal fee is €40 per year but Old Town has a reduced fee of €20 for dogs which have gone through basic obedience training.
An old-age pensioner, a person receiving a disability pension or a physically handicapped person with only one dog need not pay the fee. Those who adopt a dog from a rescue shelter do not have to pay for the first year.
In 2010, 1,928 dogs were registered in Bratislava‘s Old Town district with the dog tax bringing in more than €42,000. Old Town provides 135 bins for disposal of dog excrement that cost €1,813. But the district said it spends much more money on operating and maintaining the bins, for cleaning doggie poop from paths and lawns, for public education and for signs where dogs are prohibited.
A dog owner who fails to obtain a registration for his or her dog by the end of February can be fined up to €165. By January 31, 2011, 842 dog owners had paid the dog tax for 2011, amounting to nearly €30,000.
