The breeds specified as “dangerous” include pit bull terriers, Tosas, Dogo Argentinos, Fila Brasileiros and mixed-breed dogs from these breeds. The letters to confiscate the dogs was issued upon an order from Parliament’s Petition Committee, which received requests for precautions against “dangerous” dogs from several people who reported being attacked by those breeds, the Milliyet daily reported.The Interior Ministry sent letters to governors’ offices on June 7 instructing them to collect dogs that are banned to raise and own, to fine their owners, to ban the sale of these animals online and to ban animal fights featuring these breeds. The Agriculture and Rural Affairs Ministry has sent a letter to 51 chambers affiliated with the Turkish Veterinary Medical Association (TVHB) and to provincial agricultural directorates across Turkey asking them to inform all clinics, polyclinics and animal hospitals of Parliament’s order.
The Ministry of Environment and Forestry has sent letters to governors’ offices, too, ordering them to fine owners of those animals TL 3,434. Parliament’s Petition Committee head Yahya Akman said despite the legal prohibitions, there were problems in implementation, adding that the ministries took action following the decision taken by the committee. The committee determined that there are about 10,000 “dangerous” dogs in Turkey, with 2,000 of them in İstanbul. Parliament warned the ministries after discovering that the dogs are used by criminal gangs and the mafia as deadly weapons.
