KRALENDIJK- The Public Entity Bonaire (OLB) wants to stimulate responsible dog ownership on the island. A specially created task force will design a plan to deal with the growing problem of biting incidents and other problems caused by loose dogs on the island. 

“The nuisance caused by stray or roaming dogs, and the increasing number of biting incidents have been a major problem for some time now. Although the Dog Ordinance on its own allows for dog owners to be fined in case of irresponsible behavior, like not having dogs fenced it, the issue in reality is more complex”, says the Public Entity Bonaire in a press release. 

The task force includes employees from the Supervision and Enforcement Directorate, the office of Commissioner Hennyson Thielman, KPCN, the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Communications Department. The task of the working group is to set up a Plan of Approach, with the accompanying implementation agenda.

Although there is still the possibility to fine owners who do not control their dogs in a responsible manner, the OLB points out the importance of care and education of dogs that are kept as pets.

Wufi

An information campaign will also be launched to encourage responsible dog ownership. For this, the mascot Wufi and the slogan “Bo Kachò, bo responsabilidat” (Your dog, Your Responsibility) are created. Incidentally, Wufi is inspired by a real dog, which lives a good dog life after being abused by a new family.