According to Pedro Emanuel Paiva, since January the Municipal Animal Ombudsman's Office of Lisbon has received “a total of 155 complaints about the use of animals in begging”, through reports via email or the “animal help button” on the website of the institution.

“These complaints essentially concern specific areas of the city of Lisbon, more specifically in the areas of Baixa-Chiado, Rua Augusta and Terreiro do Paço, in Restauradores and Avenida da Liberdade”, he pointed out.

“It has been verified that the use and exploitation of animals in begging has become a scourge in the city of Lisbon, with a clear violation of the legal status of animals”, provided for in law 08/2017, which defines animals as living beings endowed with sensitivity and values ​​regarding the promotion and protection of animals”, highlighted Pedro Paiva.

In this sense, the ombudsman considered that the proposal for a regulation submitted to the Lisbon Chamber “strives not only for the defense of animal welfare but also equally covers the civil protection and social action component, which makes it broader and more comprehensive”.

The mistreatment of animals through begging, a phenomenon which is “growing in the city” and “a scourge in certain areas”, requires “special and muscular intervention in matters of defense and animal welfare on the part of the municipality”, he advocated.

A different situation is that of homeless people, who the provider admitted that “the vast majority have a companion animal and do not see it included in the response presented, which is why they often refuse it”.

“The response that is often directed at homeless people is to hand over their animals to the municipal kennel so that they can access a certain social response” which justifies many people refusing this support or accepting it only in “limited situations”.

The provider thus justified that the regulation aims to be “a useful and effective tool”, both in prohibiting the use of animals in begging, namely dogs and rabbits, “for the mere purpose of obtaining alms”, and recommending that people without shelter can hold up to “two animals”.

The maximum number, he explained, derives from what is permitted in general law for a household, in an urban dwelling, of “a maximum of three dogs”.

“It is regrettable that Lisbon, the capital of the country, still does not effectively have an animal welfare regulation, which is one of the measures that the PAN has insisted on throughout its mandates”, said, in turn, António Morgado Valente, elected by People-Animals-Nature.