Seven times more dogs seized due to neglect and aggressive behavior than before pandemic
Since the coronavirus pandemic, the police have seized significantly more dogs that were neglected, mistreated, or showed aggressive behavior. In the first eight months of 2024, the police took 535 dogs away from their owners. This is seven times more than in the same period in 2018, according to figures that ANP requested from the police.
According to the police, the coronavirus pandemic may have had an impact on the increase. “During this time, we have seen that people have taken a pet more often and now, after the pandemic, pay little to no attention to it,” a spokesperson said.
The police have also recorded an increase in calls about animal cruelty. Around 10,000 reports have already been filed this year, compared to only half as many a few years earlier.
The Royal Dog Protection Society calls it a worrying development that the number of dogs seized due to neglect or mistreatment has risen so sharply.
Besides dogs, other animals are increasingly being seized, especially cats. This year, the police have already taken one or more animals away from their owners in at least 565 cases, while they had to intervene 219 times in 2018.
The seized animals are sent to a secret shelter. Anton Fennema, veterinarian at AniCura, works in a veterinary clinic where confiscated animals end up. Fennema also sees an increase in neglect. “Before the coronavirus period, it was mostly aggressive animals and occasional neglect. Now it is increasingly neglect”. In his opinion, this is partly due to the increased focus on animal welfare. “There has always been neglect, but we have become less tolerant,” he says.
According to Fennema, most cases are not intentional. “It's often people who are struggling to make a living or living in poverty. It's a difficult situation for them because they love their animals very much. Only in a few cases there is unwillingness”.
After confiscation, the owner can give up the animal, and a new place is found for it. In some cases, the animal returns to its original owner after a court order.
More dogs taken away from owners after biting incident
More and more dogs are being taken away from their owners by the police after a biting incident. In 2023, the police seized almost twice as many dogs for biting incidents than in previous years, according to figures from the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO).
Dogs seized by the police end up, among other places, at the RVO, a government organization that regulates the management of seized goods. According to the law, animals such as dogs are considered goods.
Last year, the police seized 164 dogs after a biting incident, compared to an average of around 80 per year in previous years. This year, the count is so far at over 90.
During the coronavirus pandemic, the demand for dogs increased enormously, which led to a large growth in commercial trade. According to an expert from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Utrecht University, this has led to an increase in anxious dogs. "Regular breeders could not keep up with the demand, which is why commercial breeders entered the market with overbred dogs and more stray dogs were brought to the Netherlands."
In addition, many puppies have had insufficient social contact with people and other dogs during the pandemic, which has led to behavioral problems in some dogs. "These problems can cause aggressive behavior and can result in biting behavior."
The expert expects that the number of incidents will remain high for the next two years but will then decrease.
Every year, about 20 percent of all seized dogs are taken away from their owners for a biting incident. The rest are mainly confiscated for neglect and abuse.
Reporting by ANP and NL Times