The war forced millions of Ukrainians to leave their homes, along with their pets. Not everyone was able to take dogs or cats into bomb shelters or evacuation buses. The animals, left to their own devices, began to reproduce, creating new flocks on the streets of cities and villages. Today we have a situation that seems out of control: the number of homeless animals is increasing every day, and with it the risk of spreading dangerous infections is also increasing. Rabies, deadly to both animals and humans, has become a real threat. Cases of this disease, which, in the absence of proper treatment, always end in death, are already recorded in different regions of Ukraine. The introduction of a single registry of domestic animals can be a life-saving step that can not only save thousands of lives, but also protect the country from the epidemic, which is a more terrible enemy than we imagine.
Why the animal registry is not a fad, but a necessity
The war in Ukraine brought numerous tragedies, and one of the less obvious but important problems is the sharp increase in the number of homeless animals on the streets of Ukrainian cities and villages. This phenomenon is the result of the destruction of homes, evacuations when owners cannot take their pets with them, and the deaths of people who left their animals to fend for themselves. Homeless dogs and cats that used to be pets are now forced to survive on the streets. They starve, get sick, become aggressive due to stress and fear. These are unbearable conditions for the animals themselves, but the problem also affects people.
Ukraine has had a difficult situation with homeless animals for a long time. Before the start of the full-scale invasion of Russia, according to experts, there were about 50,000 animals without owners on the streets of Ukrainian cities, but now this figure has increased significantly and exceeds 140,000. There are currently no accurate data on the number, because the country still lacks a single system of registration and identification of animal owners. It should be noted that 84% of homeless animals were thrown away by their previous owners, that is, they are socialized animals that have gotten used to people.
According to the Austrian organization Four Paws, multiple cases of rabies with at least two confirmed human victims were registered in Ukraine in the second half of 2022. At the same time, as reported by the State Production and Consumer Service, only in the first half of 2024, 611 animals with rabies were recorded in Ukraine, including mainly cats and dogs. At the same time, according to doctors, a fatal case of rabies has already been recorded in Ukraine this year. Yes, for data State Production and Consumer Services, at the end of October this year in Kyiv, a case of rabies in a domestic dog was registered.
Already today according to statistics data LKP “Lev” in Ukraine recorded more than 140 thousand homeless animals.
Among them:
- 84% of animals were thrown out onto the street by previous owners;
- 11% were lost, i.e. ended up on the street by accident;
- 5% of animals were born outside.
Special emphasis should be placed on rabies, which is an extremely dangerous and deadly viral disease that is transmitted by bites, scratches and through the saliva of a sick wild or domestic animal. The only way to save your pet from danger is mandatory vaccination. Already now, the state offers to provide vaccines free of charge in state veterinary hospitals. Homeless animals are not neglected either. Local utilities are trying to conduct vaccination campaigns for those animals found on the street. The WHO notes that to overcome rabies, it is necessary to achieve a stable level of vaccination of 70% of dogs in the area. But how to achieve this, when homeless animals every day flood the streets of Ukrainian cities and villages, and there is no one to track and control their number?
One of the key tools for its solution is the creation of the Unified State Register of Domestic Animals (Registry) in Ukraine, which will allow recording all domestic animals, which in turn will contribute to the responsible attitude of owners. Owners will know that leaving an animal to fend for itself is not only immoral, but punishable by law. Thanks to the Register, it will be possible to systematically vaccinate domestic animals, reducing the risk of spreading rabies. In addition, the Register will help create a system of rapid response to cases of infection and minimize risks for the population. Thanks to the registration system, it will be possible to quickly identify abandoned animals and find their owners or new homes.
Currently, there are only a few official electronic registers of pets in large cities in Ukraine. All other animal data is collected and analyzed manually, mostly on paper, through communal veterinary enterprises or territorial departments of the State Production and Consumer Service. This approach significantly complicates the updating of information, especially in conditions of martial law, large-scale evacuations and constant movement of people. As a result, the collected data quickly lose their credibility and relevance.
At the same time, a separate problem is the increase in the number of lost animals due to stress caused by explosions or shelling. Many owners of small dogs or cats do not chip or vaccinate their pets, believing that they will always be supervised. However, in the event of missile strikes, animals can become frightened and escape through broken windows or open doors, often losing their collars or other means of identification. Such animals replenish the ranks of strays, becoming vulnerable to disease and hunger. Unfortunately, such situations are becoming more and more common, and only a small proportion of lost animals are returned to their owners.
The pet registry is a joint product of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy, the State Production and Consumer Service and the Ministry of Digital, implemented with the support of GIZ and the project Support for Digital Transformation, funded by USAID and UK Dev, in partnership with the Office of Effective Regulation BRDO. The main administrator of the Register is the State Production and Consumer Service. Veterinary doctors of state, communal and private veterinary institutions, as well as authorized representatives of state bodies, will have to enter and check data about domestic animals in the Register.
The first stage is already starting, during which authorization will take place in the Register of heads of veterinary institutions, whose veterinarians will become agents of the state for registration of domestic animals. Animal registration services will be mandatory for public institutions, and voluntary for private veterinary clinics. Information about veterinary institutions that are authorized in the Register will be presented on the Vetclinic Map at Portals for veterinarians vet.pet.gov.ua. A free functionality will be created for private doctors to register animals in veterinary information systems — JetVet, ENOTE, Animal-ID.net and Bubibo.
In 2025, the second stage of launching the Register will begin, during which the start of the pet registration campaign will be announced. When the number of animals registered in the Register reaches 100,000, the Ministry of Digital Transformation will start integrating the Register with Diya, after which the veterinary passport of their pet will appear in the Diya application of registered owners.
The advantages of registering pets in the State Register are obvious: it will make it possible to quickly find a lost chipped animal in the future, and it will also make it possible to quickly restore lost veterinary documents or data about a registered animal from the Register. At the same time, the Register will help simplify the procedure for traveling with animals within the country.
Of course, the process of starting the registration of pets is a troublesome business that requires the active cooperation of the government and citizens. Therefore, Ukraine should take advantage of the experience of foreign countries, where such registration is not new or problematic.
What is the procedure for registering animals in foreign countries?
In Europe, registration of animals has long been a common practice. It is the registration of animals at the state level that makes it possible to control and protect both domestic animals and society. Registration systems vary by country, but most successful models are based on three key elements:
- chipping;
- registration in the national database;
- mandatory veterinary measures (for example, vaccination).
In Germany, for example, every dog must have a chip with owner information. The owner also pays a tax, part of which goes to support shelters for homeless animals. Thanks to this, there are almost no stray dogs on the streets of German cities.
In Poland, animal registration has reduced the number of homeless dogs by 70% over the last decade. Thus, chipped animals are registered in a single database accessible to veterinarians and municipal services. Local authorities run promotions where chipping is available for free, encouraging people to register their animals. Sterilization programs are actively financed from local budgets, which significantly reduces the number of homeless animals.
In France, owners are required to register their dogs and cats from the age of three months. Proof of vaccination against rabies must be provided to complete the registration procedure. Also, every pet owner bears responsibility for it, controlled by the state. If the owner leaves the animal without care, he faces a fine or criminal liability.
Finland has the lowest number of homeless animals in Europe thanks to comprehensive sterilization programs and high responsibility of pet owners. There are also numerous educational programs that teach the population how to properly care for animals.
Sweden has implemented strict animal welfare laws, including mandatory registration of all pets. Animal owners are responsible for their health and well-being, which significantly reduces the number of abandoned animals.
In Australia, each region has its own registry, but they are all integrated into the national system. Without a registered chip, the animal cannot access veterinary services, which motivates owners to register their pets. If an animal is lost, the system allows you to quickly find its owner through a chip.
In Canada, in most provinces, pet owners receive a license that is renewed every year. Owners may receive high fines for late or irregular registration or violation of rules. Part of the money from the licenses goes to support shelters and sterilization of homeless animals.
The experience of other countries shows that the registration system not only humanizes the treatment of animals, but also increases the safety of society, reducing the risks of diseases and homelessness. Therefore, the creation of the Register of domestic animals is not only a way to solve the problem of homelessness, but also an opportunity to save human lives from a terrible disease.
