Having a pet brings a lot of responsibility. While the rights of domestic and other animals are rightly being acknowledged, it is just as important to insist that owners and others involved in protecting animal rights are held responsible for their actions.

The many stray cats and dogs found in all parts of the island are the result of various factors including irresponsible owners who abandon their pets and government animal welfare officials not enforcing what little legislation exists.

If it were not for animal welfare NGOs, the problem of stray animals would be even more severe.

A story published in the Times of Malta quoted an animal welfare commissioner saying that abandoned dogs are not being rescued unless injured because there is no space left at the animal shelter in Għammieri.

Animal welfare junior minister Alicia Bugeja Said reacted to this comment by saying: “Unregulated breeding is the source of the problem. We must reduce the number of dogs that are being bred and sold.”

However, she stopped short of defining how dog breeding can be better controlled through legislation and enforcement.

Despite various electoral pledges to work on animal rights, little is being done to translate these good intentions into concrete action to protect animal rights and enforce owners’ obligations.

Countries renowned for their respect for animals like the UK have enacted laws to ensure that the rights of animals and the responsibilities of owners are well defined in laws like the Animal Welfare Act of 2006.

With pet owners seemingly increasing every year and many more people living in apartments, owners’ obligations must be spelled out more prominently than they are now. Animals should have a suitable environment to live in, a suitable diet and exhibit normal behaviour patterns. They must also be protected from pain, suffering, injury and disease.

Just as important, some types of dogs are known to be dangerous and owners should take extra precautions to ensure that their dogs do not endanger other pets or people, especially children, in public places. All dogs must be muzzled in public to ensure they are never out of control.

Owners also must ensure that their pets do not damage the urban and rural environment.

The promenades in many parts of the country where people have a chance to stroll for relaxation are often pouted with dog fouling.

Local authorities should have the power to impose sanctions on pet owners who do not clean up their dog’s fouling. There is little evidence that this is being done.

Another nuisance that the public has to put up with is the irritation caused when dogs bark for a long time.

Aggrieved neighbours of irresponsible dog owners have a right to report constantly barking dogs to the police. The police often take action in court if they confirm that the barking is loud enough to cause a nuisance and lasts for a long time, especially in certain times of the day.

It would be more practical to authorise local councils to curb this nuisance.

Bugeja Said will do well to reflect on what Mahatma Gandhi once stated: “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”

Enacting pragmatic legislation to articulate animal rights and highlight owners’ obligations is long overdue.