Egypt Bans All But 10 Dog Breeds After Pit Bull Mauling Death
Rebecca West
Talk about restrictive! In the wake of the death of a man who was reportedly attacked and mauled to death by a pit bull, authorities in Egypt have moved to disallow all but 10 dog breeds the citizenry are legally allowed to own now.
That's right, Egypt has outright banned nearly every breed of dog from legally living within its borders. Anyone found in violation of the new law will reportedly be receiving heavy fines imposed as a result of the ban.
The shocking "Regulation of the Possession of Dangerous Animals and Dogs" bill was introduced on May 29, 2023, and instantly sparked blowback from dog lovers and animal rights advocates in the country over what's viewed as breed discriminatory legislation.
The law amounts to most dog breeds ultimately being deemed as "dangerous and unsuitable" for inclusion as family pets without what's being termed as thorough "safety" inspections.
A copy of the new law, which was published in the Egyptian Official Gazette, requires all pet owners with "banned" dog breeds, tigers, and lions to register the creatures with the authorities for inspection.
The 10 breeds selected for legal ownership without safety inspections include cocker spaniels, Labrador retrievers, poodles, Pomeranians, Jack Russells, Maltese, Malinois, white shepherds, Samoyeds, and Great Danes. Not to point fingers, but there are some questionable choices on the list as far as a history of biting among the breeds.
The new law imposes strict regulations on dogs like pit bulls, Rottweilers, German shepherds, boxers, huskies, Caucasian shepherds, and bull mastiffs, all of which will be subjected to stringent government licensing processes. Those dogs deemed as "unsafe" will be "confiscated" by public veterinarians without providing any further details.
"It's like passing a law prohibiting people from driving cars because of a car accident," Mona Khalil, chair of the Egyptian Society for Mercy to Animals, explained to Ahram Online, an Egyptian news outlet.
"We were also taken aback by the list of banned breeds, which includes dogs commonly allowed in other countries. There are clear discrepancies in the list. For instance, one dog breed is prohibited but is also listed as permitted under a different name. This indicates a lack of understanding on the part of the drafters of the law regarding dog breeds, their actual traits, and their level of aggression."
The registration process requires pet owners to pay a fee of up to 50,000 Egyptian pounds ($1,620) to Egypt's General Organization for Veterinary Services.
According to the American Veterinarian Medical Association, “Intact (un-neutered) male dogs represented 90 percent of dogs presented to veterinary behaviorists for dominance aggression, the most commonly diagnosed type of aggression. Intact males are also involved in 70-76 percent of reported dog bite incidents."
Why so many people are hesitant or resistant to having their dogs neutered (mostly male owners) defies explanation, but here we are, regardless.
