Latvia auctions 11 seized malamutes despite law declaring animals are not property

Latvia has auctioned 11 Alaskan malamutes seized from a breeding facility, even as lawmakers have enshrined in law the principle that animals are not things, LSM reports. Animal welfare advocates say auctions based on price rather than a buyer’s suitability could put the dogs at risk.

More than 40 malamutes were removed from a private home in Dundaga in late September by the Food and Veterinary Service. The dogs had been kept outside in narrow cages without proper care or shelter, and some were severely underweight. They were split among several animal shelters because it was not possible to accommodate them all in one place.

The Labās mājas animal shelter took in seven dogs and later paid 76 euros to redeem them. Eleven malamutes initially taken in by a shelter in Liepāja were transferred to a state-run auction. The starting price for each dog was just under 11 euros.

“They are often emaciated. They have recently arrived with injuries. They are poor things. And then they are handed over in a simple auction like objects. For how much? As we joked, 40 cents per kilogram? As if they were worthless, ordinary property. That is wrong,” said Astrīda Kārkliņa, head of the Labās mājas shelter.

Animal advocates raised concerns about the practice in the spring, arguing that an auction where price is the deciding factor, rather than a prospective owner’s intentions and ability to care for an animal, creates serious welfare risks. They warned that dogs could end up with unscrupulous breeders or buyers.

Advocates also wrote to the Saeima’s Legal Affairs Committee and the Ministry of Justice, asking them to consider explicitly stating that only property can be auctioned. Kārkliņa said the committee’s leadership did not reply. The ministry said the issues required careful, systemic review of existing practices, she said, but no further action followed.