Animals and birds

Provisions set out in the Animal Protection Act, the regulation of the Minister of Rural Affairs “Requirements for keeping pet animals” and rules for keeping cats and dogs in Tartu must be adhered to when keeping animals.

Persons keeping pets must comply with the following:

• Ensure supervision of their cat or dog when on private property or in a public place. Keep their pet on a leash and use a dog muzzle, if necessary.
• Ensure that dogs and cats cannot leave their property without supervision.
• Promptly clean up their pet’s droppings.
• Ensure that keeping a cat or a dog and that the behaviour of their cat or dog does not violate public order or disturb or endanger other people and animals.
• Leashe the dog while walking on property owned by another person (including in a public place), unless otherwise agreed with the owner. A dog does not have to be leashed in a dog park specially built for this purpose, a service dog when performing a service task and a hunting dog during hunting.
• Microchip their dog. Microchipping cats is voluntary. Pets can be provided with chips at veterinary clinics.
• Register their dogs with the Estonian Small Animal Veterinary Association’s Estonian Pet Registry. Pets can be registered at veterinary clinics.

Pet owners must comply with prescribed requirements and ensure the welfare of their pet. Moreover, the rights of neighbours must also be taken into consideration. Keeping animals should not disturb your neighbours too much.

A dead pet can be buried on your own registered immovable or, with the permission of the owner, on the registered immovable of somebody else. If you bring a dead pet to the animal shelter, you will have to pay for the cremation of the body. Information about the pet cremation service can be obtained from the web page www.lemmikloomadekrematoorium.ee.

It is obligatory to register cats and dogs and implant them with a microchip. This enables animals to be identified more easily and for owners to track their missing pets faster. It is not obligatory to register and implant other pets with microchips, but we highly recommend it.

Pets can be provided with chips and registered at veterinary clinics. You can find a list of veterinarians here: http://www.tartu.ee/et/koerte-kiibistamine

Marutaud ja lemmikloomade kohustuslik vaktsineerimine

Marutaudist Põllumajandus- ja Toiduameti kodulehel

Containers for dog droppings have been installed in many places across Tartu.
Locations can be found here.

Pet owners must clean up after their pets. The penalty for a violation of said obligation is a fine of up to €383.50.

The Tartu Animal Shelter is located in the Raadi district at Roosi Street 91k. The shelter’s telephone +372 5333 9272 or 15 400 can be used to report stray or injured animals as well as any dead animals found in public areas of the city.

You can use the Environmental Board’s hotline 1313 to report emergencies involving wild animals and birds.

For more information see the website of the Tartu Animal Shelter.