# Difficulty of living in Lisbon with medium sized dogs



## j.hamley

Hello!

I am being moved for work to Portugal, and the destination will be Lisbon.

I will be taking with me my dog, as this will be a long deployment - he is a border-collie mix. He is very energetic but very good into the apartment, but I am still very anxious, as I have read in these forums Portugal is not good for dogs and Portuguese people in general are not very fond of them.

What I am afraid of is that I cannot find any information about dog laws in Portugal and in Lisbon in particular. Are there many dog owners in Lisbon? Is it very difficult to own a dog in the city, in your experience? Is there any park where dogs are allowed?

And, are there neighborhoods that you would think more suitable to owning a dog?

Thank you very much!

- Jane


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## mehereinportugal

Jane, I moved to Portugal three months ago with my two dogs, albeit up on the Silver Coast about an hour out of Lisbon. I bought my two dogs with me but like you had heard absolute horror stories about the dogs here.

It isn't great and many dogs spend their lives chained and are then literally abandoned, kicked out onto the street or deposited uncerimoniously at a shelter (and not just by the Portuguese either).

I think Lisbon is probably a bit different but I haven't found it anywhere near as bad as I had imagined it to be, although I have had to stop wanting to adopt every animal not wearing a collar that I come across. 

What I will say is that there are loads of Portuguese who own dogs and love them as much as we love ours but they do just have a different way of thinking of their dogs. It is changing slowly but like anything that has been the way it has been for hundres of years it isn't going to happen overnight.

////snip////


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## siobhanwf

Hi Jane and a very warm :welcome: to the Portuguese section of ExpatForum

Living in any city is not easy with a dog.
It is all down to you really and your attitude.
The Portuguese treat dogs differently to the way we do...eg....a Portuguese neighbour of my dog trainer was horrified at her dogs beingkept in the house when she went out for a couple of hours...why? because they did not have their freedom!!! Her dogs roam free in her garden and they are dearly loved...her babies.
We live in a rural area and locally all dogs are chained, which I must admit I do not like at all!!
But they are not badly treated, fed well and do have human contact for the most part, albeit for a short while.

_The leglislation for Portugal states that dogs must be suitably restrained in a separate passenger area where they cannot interfere with your driving. When they say restrained this means using a special lead that is fitted into the seatbelt, which for your dogs safety and to prevent injury to their neck it should be used with a suitable dog harness. Alternatively they should be contained in a crate/travelling kennel or behind dog guards_. courtesy of Angelic Dogs

One of our member is looking into the laws on dog sin Portugal at present and I have asked her to comment if she can


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## AHKS

I live in the center of Lisbon, in the area Picoas(near Marques de Pombal) and in our area there are lots of dogs. Even in our building, several households have dogs. If we just had the right lifestyle and time, we would as well.. But that's going to be within another couple of years. Until then, I have to settle with petting others  
Anyways, I've never noticed a 'dogs not allowed' sign in a normal park here in Lisbon.

Furthermore, I've luckily never seen a dog just chained or likewise here in Lisbon but I'm sure it probably differs from the rest of the country. In Lisbon, the dogs generally live in the apartments and are walked by their owners(Sometimes in lease, sometimes not). Furthermore, even though I visit a lot of the different neighbourhoods in Lisbon, I haven't seen many homeless dogs either. Homeless cats, yes, but dogs, no. 

As mentioned before, I'm sure Lisbon differs from most of the country(I haven't yet had time to go around PT a lot). I also heard the horror stories before arriving but can't recognize them inside Lisbon.


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## canoeman

Public areas cities, parks your required to clean up after them, public transport they require muzzling, car travel as Siobhán says, chipping, rabies pet passport but you'd need them anyway to enter country. 
You must also register your dog at your local Junta da Freguesia, yearly.

The other thing is to check whether apartments allow animals.


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## siobhanwf

Dogs are not permitted on beaches during the summer months from June 1st to the end of October.


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## siobhanwf

canoeman said:


> Public areas cities, parks your required to clean up after them, public transport they require muzzling, car travel as Siobhán says, chipping, rabies pet passport but you'd need them anyway to enter country.
> You must also register your dog at your local Junta da Freguesia, yearly.
> 
> The other thing is to check whether apartments allow animals.




One other thing you must be aware of is that unlike the UK where a rabies jab is valid for 2 years here it must be done yearly


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## j.hamley

Hello everybody!

Wow, thanks a lot for all the replies and the warm welcome. I am not used to Internet forums and I thought I would have had to wait a month before seeing an answer. You have all gone beyond what I was expecting, thanks so much.

Thanks for describing the situation in detail, it is much better than I had thought and not different from how things used to be in Italy, where I grew up while my father was working there, in the 80s.

I have one question about beaches: are they ALL off-limits to dogs during the period you specified? Are there any areas around Lisbon where a dog can jump into the water during the year?

Thanks again for all the replies - I am very anxious (I love the idea of moving, but my dog already had a difficult life so it is important for me to know he will probably do fine) and reading all these posts really made my day.


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## siobhanwf

WE have two rescue boxer babies. We have had them from 7 months old. They love their life her in Portugal and have had no problem adapting. We rescued them fro the UK (Home Counties Boxer Welfare. So I understand where you are coming from!!

Some of the beaches around where we live (on the Silver Coast 80 kms north of Lisbon) are not closed to dogs during the summer season. it is just a matter of working you way through the beaches to find out what is what.

Looking forward to hearing how you get on with your move and how you settle in here in this wonderful country.


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## mehereinportugal

The nearest beach to me is off limits during the summer months, however I am an early riser and I often take them down about 6:30 before anybody is about and let them have a run on the beach without any problem at all, however make sure I pick up everything. Also many of the beaches do have a large "dune" area with trails running through them before you get to the beach and you can let your dog run on these, it is just the actual beach they are not allowed on.

I have asked a friend of mine who is very involved with dogs to get in touch with you - she helped me with advice on mine when I was moving over and it was really helpful.

Was really pleased myself to read the post from AHKS about Lisbon because you do hear loads of horror stories but like AHKS it is not as bad as you are imagining.


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## anapedrosa

My understanding of 'dogs and beaches' is that if the beech has a lifeguard, then in the summer months, dogs are not allowed. However, beaches that do not have lifeguards are ok. 

This seemed logical to me as they would not want dogs wandering around during tourist season on the popular beaches. 

Hmm, just thinking that with the Portuguese pronunciation, the term might be 'no beaches allowed' in the summer. Sorry - late afternoon here and getting silly.


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## Verinia

I do not agree that generally dogs or other animals are badly treated in Portugal at all. More money is spent on pet food than human food in Portugal. My Portugese neighbours all love their animals. I think the problem is one of perception. The Portugese don't like to share their houses with animals. A very clean people, they do not like the idea of ticks and fleas in their house and feel that animals are happier and better off outdoors. I agree that the government as a whole should do more to support abandoned dogs...and that some people are cruel to their animals, just as they are in England. But I get so tired of people branding all the Portugese as cruel to animals. it simply isn't true. One could argue that letting your pet share your bed and table is not very good for an animal either and personally much as I love animals I do not like encountering dog poo on the beach or dogs in restaurants.
One thing I like about rural Portugal, is that just as in rural Gloucestershire when I was a child, people still understand the connection between the food they eat and their animals...ie they are prepared to kill and eat the chickens they raise, despite not enjoying it...because they understand the connection. I do think animals should be allowed to be animals and that's what most Portugese feel too. I know this may be seen as contentious as when I voice this I am always shot down in flames by my uk immigrant friends. But I think it needs to be said.


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## anapedrosa

Verinia - I thank you for saying what you did. I think your comment is insightful.


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## siobhanwf

Hi Verinia

I don`t think that anyone has said that the Portuguese treat their dogs badly. What is being said is that they treat their dogs differently.


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## Verinia

siobhanwf said:


> Hi Verinia
> 
> I don`t think that anyone has said that the Portuguese treat their dogs badly. What is being said is that they treat their dogs differently.


You are right Siobhan. It's just that I hear and see that view in many different letters and forums and I think that there are value judgements frequently made about that difference.


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## anapedrosa

Siobhan - while no one specifically said that Portuguese treat their dogs badly, there was a reference to horror stories. I may have been over sensitive on this thread, but I did find it refreshing to see Verinia present a different perspective.


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## j.hamley

Thanks everybody! Yes, I was also insensitive maybe in the way I wrote my first message, I apologize. What I really wanted to know was how difficult it was for a person coming with a dog to find a place and live in a city like Lisbon or Portugal in general. You helped me a lot, and you also helped a couple of my friends that will be moving to Portugal probably sooner than me, always with a dog.

Verinia - I also prefer dogs, especially some breeds like mine, to have outdoor space, but it is very difficult to find a place with a small garden in a big city, where I am supposed to be working. But I will try to do as much as I can with what I have!


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## Verinia

j.hamley said:


> Thanks everybody! Yes, I was also insensitive maybe in the way I wrote my first message, I apologize. What I really wanted to know was how difficult it was for a person coming with a dog to find a place and live in a city like Lisbon or Portugal in general. You helped me a lot, and you also helped a couple of my friends that will be moving to Portugal probably sooner than me, always with a dog.
> 
> Verinia - I also prefer dogs, especially some breeds like mine, to have outdoor space, but it is very difficult to find a place with a small garden in a big city, where I am supposed to be working. But I will try to do as much as I can with what I have!




I didn't think anyone was insensitive. Just trying to reassure that this is not a country where people don't love dogs!


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## j.hamley

And in fact your post was really reassuring a well! Thanks again!


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## Angelic

Hi Jane

Moving to Portugal sounds a lot worse when you read bits on the internet. Yes they are behind us is respects to having dogs as guard dogs rather than pets etc. but there a lot of Portuguese who have them as pets, they are more afraid of bigger dogs. They have just gone through a period of dogs attacking people over here with some fatalities which does not help with their of dogs. Some also believe in the old fashion punishment techniques with not just dogs but other animals e.g. horses too so you may find that a little unsettling, however this is changing to more positive ways. I moved over with a working sheepdog and 2 border collies and have had no trouble with them settling in. I agree with all of the above info. I have a lot of friends in Lisbon with dogs who go to agility and obedience classes, so plenty to do with them and I am sure they would be more than happy to let you know where the best places to walk/exercise your dog will be is Lisbon. One of them moved from ireland with her 2 dogs a few months ago and has settled in very well in Lisbon. I am still translating all the dog law into English but so far it is not as bad as what it is getting in the UK. I will post more information once I have finished going through it all. Some of the bits have been covered already above e.g. muzzles, rabies vaccine, registering with the junta etc. Microchipping is law over here but yours will be done already in order to have the pet passport so not an issue.
Hope all goes well with your move over.


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## siobhanwf

Thanks for posting ANGELIC as I know that you keep up to date on the laws here in Portugal


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## anapedrosa

Angelic - I'm glad you posted. We'll be moving to Nadadouro (near Obidos Lagoon) and it's good to know the resources near by for our dog.


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## Angelic

anapedrosa said:


> Angelic - I'm glad you posted. We'll be moving to Nadadouro (near Obidos Lagoon) and it's good to know the resources near by for our dog.


Hi
Nadadouro is only up the road from where we live, lovely area and not far from the Lagoon as you say. We often go to the beach at Foz.


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## siobhanwf

Angelic said:


> Hi
> Nadadouro is only up the road from where we live, lovely area and not far from the Lagoon as you say. We often go to the beach at Foz.




In the company of our two "angelic" boxers


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## Maggy Crawford

It is all very well having laws in place re muzzles, microchips but in the village where we live I doubt very much anything would be enforced. Our neighbours fall into one of two categories. Let them run around loose and annoy people or chain them up all day to bark and annoy people. I have suggested to some that they have dogs instead of door bells which solicits the odd snigger or two. Our German friends who have since returned to Germany went to the Freguesia to buy licences for their two dogs. After looking bemused for a while the clerk finally found two forms, completed them and numbered them "1" and "2".


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## siobhanwf

Fortunately we don`t have dogs roaming in our village and the ones who are chained rarely bark, So I guess we are very lucky.
Our two have the run of the gardens and the house but our baby boy is our doorbell  his sister doesn`t know how to bark

I know they are all vaccinated (the village dogs) as a vet came by a couple of weeks ago and vaccinated any of the dogs I know are here.

As to registering them at the Freguesia I doubt if any of them are!!


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