Pets in San Marino

San Marino has no single comprehensive pets portal or unified authority for all animal species. The Istituto per la Sicurezza Sociale (ISS), including its veterinary and public-health services, works with the Servizio per il controllo della popolazione canina, Giunte di Castello, Polizia Civile and Gendarmerie. Private veterinarians provide much of the practical care and identification work. A person buying or receiving an animal takes responsibility for its health, welfare and control. A puppy may not be transferred before it is two months old. A buyer under 18 needs explicit parental consent. The sources reviewed do not show a general private pet-keeping permit, but commercial activity, shelters and special cases can require a declaration to the U.O.S. Sanità Veterinaria e Igiene Alimentare, competent staff, suitable premises and an animal-movement register. When acquiring an animal, check the seller or breeder, veterinary records, identification, vaccination status and rabies status. APAS operates a local refuge for dogs and cats, but its intake and adoption conditions should be confirmed directly; acceptance is not automatic. Dogs must be entered in the Anagrafe canina, the canine register, by the 30th day of age under the current law. A death or transfer must be reported within 30 days. Identification is carried out through a veterinarian or ISS service, normally with a microchip. A published reference tariff is about EUR 14 including the chip and database entry, but the current fee should be verified. The ISS database pathway also supports dogs, cats and ferrets. The reviewed sources do not establish universal compulsory registration for cats, so the applicable procedure should be checked for the animal and situation. Owners must provide suitable food and water, meet the animal's species-specific and behavioural needs, allow appropriate exercise, prevent escape and provide shelter. Systematic chaining is prohibited. Abandonment, cruelty, painful training with shock or prong devices and breeding animals for aggression are prohibited. Cosmetic tail, ear or vocal-cord surgery is prohibited unless a therapeutic reason justifies it. Owners are liable for damage or injury caused by their animals, and competent authorities can inspect, prescribe corrective measures or seize an animal. Cruelty, abandonment, welfare violations and non-compliance in commercial or shelter settings can lead to criminal or administrative sanctions. In urban areas and other open public places, a dog may be led on a leash of no more than two metres. The handler must carry a muzzle and use it when the animal's risk or an authority's instruction requires it. The handler must collect faeces and carry the necessary tools. Entry into public venues depends on the venue's provider. Dogs use a leash and, where required, a muzzle; cats and other pets travel in a carrier. Public transport follows these handling rules, while a taxi may refuse an animal. Guide dogs must be admitted. San Marino's rabies rules require dogs aged six months or older to receive rabies vaccination and to be registered with a rabies certificate under Legge 54/1991. Current notices, fees and veterinary instructions should be confirmed because the reviewed material does not establish every current administrative detail. After a bite, the current text of Legge 30.07.2012 n.101 provides for 10 days of observation and an aggression record, with possible training or insurance measures. An older 1991 text refers to 15 days, so the responsible veterinary authority should confirm the rule for the specific case. For travel, dogs, cats and ferrets generally need a microchip before rabies vaccination, a valid rabies vaccination and a recognised San Marino or EU pet passport. The first rabies vaccination is given at or after 12 weeks of age, followed by a 21-day waiting period. San Marino is treated by the European Commission as a non-EU territory with equivalent rabies status, so antibody titration is generally not required for entry into the EU from San Marino. Destination, transit and carrier rules still apply, and ordinary non-commercial travel is generally limited to five pets unless an exception applies. Routine costs include veterinary visits, vaccinations, food, sterilisation, insurance, boarding and travel documents, and these vary by provider and animal. A lost or stolen dog should be reported within three days under the older 1991 text. If an owner can no longer keep an animal because of force majeure, Legge 54/1991 provides a surrender procedure requiring a request for authorisation to the Servizio per il controllo della popolazione canina, supporting evidence and a decision within a maximum of 30 days. The State must provide temporary or permanent shelter, and associations may operate by convention. Temporary custody can last up to 30 days, and the owner may be charged for shelter, custody and treatment. Abandoning the animal remains unlawful. Exotic-animal and CITES-related rules were not resolved in the available local research and require confirmation from the competent authority.