By order of the Government of Georgia, the National Food Agency, operating under the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, and in conjunction with the Ministry of Regional Development and local self-governing bodies, is to implement the 2026 Dog Overpopulation Management Programme.
According to information released by the National Food Agency, the programme aims to ensure animal traceability and prevent the spread of rabies, measures of critical importance for safeguarding the health, safety, and lives of both domestic animals and the general public.
“Across Georgia as a whole, except for self-governing cities, the National Food Agency will register owned dogs on a unified database using microchipping, administer anti-rabies vaccinations, and carry out sterilisation of female dogs.
Except for Tbilisi and the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, the Agency will administer anti-rabies vaccinations, identification and registration, and castration/spaying to stray and semi-stray dogs, which will then be transferred, depending on the region, to municipal animal shelters in Tbilisi, Gurjaani, Gori, and Kutaisi.
In addition to the existing shelter network, new municipal shelters are planned for construction in Kvemo Kartli, Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti, and Samtskhe-Javakheti, with the support of the Ministry of Regional Development and the involvement of the National Food Agency.
The National Food Agency calls upon the public to cooperate with the Agency’s authorised representatives throughout the implementation of the programme, to participate in the identification and registration process, and to take responsibility for the health and safety of both themselves and their animals,” the statement reads.
