Last year, 113,000 dogs were registered in Flanders in the dog database DogID, an increase of 4.5% compared to 2020 and the highest figure since the database was launched in 1998.
“The number of registered dogs gives a picture of the growth of the dog population and therefore also gives a better idea of the size,” said Flemish Minister for Animal Welfare Ben Weyts.
Last year’s increase brings the total number of registered dogs in the region to 1,378,400. The number reflects, in theory, all the dogs living in Flanders, but while owners are required to also register a pet’s death, many don’t.
Lockdown dogs
The coronavirus pandemic fueled pet adoption, especially for dogs. But the boom in the dog population hasn’t been without growing pains: tensions are rising over shared use of the Forêt de Soignes, where poorly behaved off-leash dogs have killed deer and attacked horseback riders.
Likewise, many people who adopted dogs during the pandemic are finding their post-lockdown lifestyles and work schedules to be incompatible with pet ownership.
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“Following the boom in pet ownership during the pandemic which saw millions of us delighting in the companionship of a dog, today's figures have sadly come as no surprise to us,” Owen Sharp, the charity's chief executive, told the BBC, referring to figures that show a large number of people in the UK looking to give up recently-adopted dogs.
“As owners' circumstances change, puppies grow into boisterous ‘teenagers’ and the country unlocks, many owners are being forced to reconsider the place in their lives for their pet.”
Tracking the dog population in Flanders
The requirement to register and microchip dogs in Flanders has been around since 1998, when the rule was created in order to make it easier to find lost or stolen dogs more quickly and allow the government to better regulate the dog trade.
DogID, as the system is called, provides a variety of data regarding dogs in Flanders. In 2021, around 15,000 dogs passed away, 169 were stolen and 381 were lost. The last figure represents a decrease: since 2015, the number of lost dogs has dropped by 55%.
The most registered breeds last year were chihuahuas (also the most popular dog in Brussels) with 7,016 registrations, and border collies (5,896). However, mixed-breeds, or “mutts,” remained the most common with 9,842 registered dogs in 2021.
The most popular female names were Luna (registered 557 times), followed by Mila (361) and Nala (357). For males, Max was the most popular, (420 times) followed by Jack (298) and Milo (266 times).
