Dog stronghold Spandau: Number of four-legged friends rose suddenly!

Dog stronghold Spandau: Number of four-legged friends rose suddenly!

in Berlin-Spandau are currently registered 10,600 dogs, which means an increase of 100 dogs compared to the previous year. These figures come from the Berlin tax authorities and were investigated at the request of MPs Iris Gertig and Alexander J. Herrmann (CDU). Of the dog owners in Spandau, the city generates income of 1.06 million euros through the dog tax.

While the number of dogs is growing in Spandau, a total decline in registered dogs has been recorded in the city. Currently there are 131,260 dogs, which represents a decline of 140 compared to the previous year. The districts of Charlottenburg, Steglitz and Tempelhof are particularly affected by declines, with 750 dogs lost in Tempelhof alone. In contrast, growths were observed in Lichtenberg (+300) and Wedding (+150). To give a certain perspective: In 2019, there were still 20,000 dogs registered with the Berlin tax offices.

growing dog numbers and income

The Berlin dog tax surveys have changed significantly over the past few years. With 12.6 million euros in dog tax income, Berlin is one of the nationwide leading cities. With 12,300 registered dogs and 1.2 million euros, the Marzahn-Hellersdorf tax office contributed the highest income to this amount. Further remarkable districts with high dog numbers are Lichtenberg, Weißensee/Pankow and Spandau.

at the end of 2023 the total number of dogs registered with the tax offices was already 131,440. In 2019 there were still 111,000, and since then there have been several thousand annually. It is unclear how many dogs are in the households that are not registered with the tax offices.

price increases and records

The revenue from dog tax reached the record amount of around 414 million euros in 2022, which corresponds to an increase of 3.3 % compared to 2021. This shows a continuous increase over the past ten years in which the income has increased by 44 %. This tendency makes it clear that higher tax revenue does not necessarily have to mean a corresponding increase in dogs.

In another context, the price development for dog and cat food is also mentioned. In 2022, the feed was 11.8 % more expensive than in the previous year, and the costs for veterinary services rose by 27.2 % in August 2023 due to an adjustment of the fee schedule.

In addition, statistics from the reported dog bites show an increase to 489 bites with slightly injured and 87 bites with seriously injured people in 2022. In 2020, 291 bites were recorded with slightly injured. Such developments mean that the topic of dogs in Berlin not only affects a statistical, but also a social aspect that could certainly heat the discussion about dog keeping and obligations.