Recently, news circulated on the Internet that one of the residents of the Odessa region beat a neighbor's husky dog because it strangled several of his chickens. This news caused a wide resonance in the society, therefore, Igor Shavrov, a lawyer who manages the Shavrov and Partners law firm, told the ElitExpert agency about the basic rules for keeping pets and punishments for improper care of them and cruel treatment.
"First of all, it is necessary to determine who the law means by the term "pets". These are dogs, cats, other animals that have traditionally been kept by humans for centuries.
It is the owner who is responsible for creating proper conditions for keeping the animal, namely providing it with food, socializing with its own kind, a normal temperature regime, and creating conditions that are close to those in which such an animal lives.
For example, if an animal leads a nocturnal lifestyle, then the owner is obliged to ensure it, and not torture them during the day, active animals cannot be locked in a cage, as their muscles atrophy," the lawyer notes.
In general, a person can keep as many animals for which he can create comfortable conditions. But if the number of animals is already out of control, it means that the animals are kept in inappropriate conditions, and this leads to the suffering of our smaller brothers. This is a direct violation of the law.
"As for those punished for animal cruelty, there is Article 299 in the Criminal Code of Ukraine. According to the criminal legislation, cruel treatment is considered an intentional act that led to the injury or death of an animal. In addition, calls to commit animal cruelty also fall under the scope of this article," Igor Shavrov emphasized.
Such actions are punishable by a fine from one thousand to three thousand tax-free minimum incomes of citizens or arrest for up to six months or restriction of freedom for up to three years.
But the same actions committed in the presence of a minor or minor are punishable by restriction of liberty for a period of three to five years or deprivation of liberty for a period of three to five years.
At the same time, "actions committed with personal cruelty or in the presence of a minor or minor, or in relation to two or more animals, or repeatedly, or by a group of persons" are already punishable by imprisonment for a term of five to eight years.
"Fortunately, our society is completely intolerant of such things, and the press widely covers the trials of such people. And this is right, because the way we take care of the most defenseless creatures who trust us and love us shows how human we are," concluded Igor Shavrov.
