Spike in unlicensed dog breeding in Zimbabwe threatens public safety and health

As
night
falls
in
Zengeza,
a
suburb
of
Chitungwiza,
21km
south
of
Harare,
packs
of
large
dogs
roam
the
streets.
They
scavenge
at
dump-sites
and
only
return
to
their
owners’
yards
at
dawn.

“We
live
in
constant
fear
of
the
dogs
because
they
have
become
a
threat
to
the
community,
and
the
responsible
authorities
are
not
taking
action,”
said
resident
Sheila
Muganhu.

“We
fear
attacks
and
[for]
the
health
of
our
children,
because
we
have
heard
of
attacks
around
the
country.”

It
is
only
a
matter
of
time,
residents
say,
before
there
is
a
serious
attack.

In
Zimbabwe,
dog
bite
cases
have
become
a
pressing
public
health
concern.

According
to
the Ministry
of
Health
and
Child
Care’s Weekly
Disease
Surveillance
Report
for
the
week
ending
4
January
2026,
619
dog
bite
cases
occurred
in
just
that
one
week
across
the
country.

In
only
about
one
in
five
of
those
cases
could
the
ministry
establish
that
the
dogs
were
vaccinated
against
disease,
while
the
vaccination
status
of
more
than
half
of
the
dogs
involved
in
the
attacks
could
not
be
ascertained.

The
number
for
that
week
is
not
atypical.
In
late
2025,
statistics
from
an
earlier
version
of
the
same
government report showed
that
Zimbabwe
recorded
on
average
around
500
dog
bite
cases
per
week.
In
2025,
three
of
these
bites
led
to
fatalities.

In
July
last
year,
Chrispen
Chikadaya,
a
senior
inspector
with
the
Zimbabwe
National
Society
for
the
Prevention
of
Cruelty
to
Animals
(ZNSPCA), told NewsDay
that
illegal
backyard
breeding
of
dangerous
dog
breeds
was
helping
drive
the
crisis.

“Because
of
economic
challenges,
people
are
now
doing
illegal
breeding
of
dogs
as
a
source
of
making
money,”
said
Chikadaya.
“So
we
find
that
now
we
have
a
lot
of
what
we
call
backyard
breeders
who
are
bringing
what
they
call
special
breeds.
Some
are
from
South
Africa,
and
they
breed
those,
and
the
population
of
dogs
is
now
increasing.”

Interviews
with
dog
breeders
and
animal
welfare
inspectors
indicate
that
unlicensed
breeding
is
proliferating
across
Zimbabwe,
especially
within
urban
centres.
With
minimal
enforcement
of
regulations
designed
to
curb
reckless
breeding
practices,
inspectors
warn
that
dog
bites
could
become
a
persistent
and
escalating
threat
to
residents
in
densely
populated
areas.

Breeding
without
licences

Thomas
(not
his
real
name)
is
a
35-year-old
illegal
Boerboel
breeder.
Because
what
he
is
doing
is
illegal,
he
agreed
to
speak
only
on
condition
of
anonymity.

He
keeps
five
Boerboels
at
his
residence,
producing
approximately
60
puppies
annually.
He
admitted
to
operating
without
a
breeding
license
and
confirmed
that
his
kennel
exceeds
the
maximum
number
of
dogs
typically
permitted
on
a
residential
property
under
municipal
by-laws.

“It
all
started
as
a
hobby,”
he
said.
“But,
after
I
acquired
a
dog
from
a
friend,
people
started
to
ask
about
the
breed.
[They
were
interested
in
the
dogs],
mainly
for
security
reasons,
with
a
rise
in
burglaries
and
violent
crimes.
Since
then,
the
number
of
my
customers
who
need
dogs
has
grown.
My
prices
for
the
puppies
range
from
$200
to
$1,000,
depending
on
the
size
of
the
puppies.”

Thomas
acknowledged
that
he
operates
outside
municipal
rules.
He
claimed,
without
producing
evidence,
that
enforcement
can
be
avoided
through
bribery.

Another
dog
breeder
said
he
could
earn
up
to
$2,000
in
a
good
month.
Some
breeders
exchange
and
trade
puppies
in
place
of
payment
for
mating
services.
They
coordinate
through
social
media
and
online
messaging
platforms,
including Facebook and
WhatsApp.

Enforcement
challenges

In
July
2025,
following
a
tip-off,
the
SPCA
in
Harare
removed
eight
dogs,
including
Rottweilers,
from
a
breeder
in
Southerton.

“These
female
dogs
[collectively]
were
capable
of
producing
at
least
100
puppies
per
year,
and
we
got
a
tip
off
from
an
informer,”
said
Kudzai
Chatikobo,
an
SPCA
inspector.

“The
dogs
were
sick
and
underfed.
They
were
kept
in
inhumane
conditions,
confined
to
small
cages.
This
is
against
city
by-laws.
The
case
proceeded
to
court,
and
the
dogs
were
taken
by
SPCA
for
rehabilitation
and
rehoming.”

Animal
welfare
groups
say
such
cases
are
difficult
to
pursue
consistently.

Bernard
Ndlovu,
an
inspector
at
Veterinarians
for
Animal
Welfare
Zimbabwe
(VAWZ),
said
inspectors
frequently
confront
dangerous
situations
involving
armed
individuals
and
well-connected
groups.

He
said
inspectors
can
assist
city
and
law
enforcement
officers,
but
do
not
have
independent
powers
to
enforce
by-laws.

Mel
Wood,
the
chief
animal
welfare
officer
at
VAWZ,
described
instances
where
suspected
breeders
appeared
to
have
prior
warning
of
inspections.

“At
one
time,
in
Harare,
we
went
to
a
certain
location,
where
someone
was
engaged
in
illegal
dog
breeding,”
said
Wood.

“On
arrival,
we
were
surprised
to
hear
that
the
owner
knew
we
were
coming,
and
it
seems
he
got
a
tip-off
from
someone
in
authority,
since
nothing
happened
to
him.”

Wood
said
such
incidents
raised
concerns
about
enforcement
effectiveness,
though
no
official
findings
of
wrongdoing
have
been
made
public.

In
another
case
in
2025,
SPCA
inspectors
were
preparing
to
act
against
a
breeder
when
the
individual
allegedly
left
the
country
before
the
raid,
abandoning
six
dogs,
according
to
Chatikobo.

Responsible
breeders

Not
all
breeders
operate
outside
the
law.
According
to
the Zimbabwe
Herd
Book,
dog
breeding
requires
licensing
with
local
municipal
authorities
and
compliance
with
vaccination
and
property
standards.

Joseph
Tichagwa, who
breeds
American
bulldogs
and
American
bullies,
said
he
complies
with
all
regulations.

“Dogs
are
kept
in
separate
yards
to
ensure
we
abide
by
the
city
by-laws
of
maximum
numbers
of
dogs
per
yard,
making
it
easy
to
manage
the
dogs,
ensuring
they
get
adequate
care
and
avoid
kennel
accidents.

“To
avoid
inbreeding,
we
have
quite
a
number
of
dogs
of
different
genealogy,
which
ensures
that
we
can
have
a
breeding
programme
for
at
least
five
years
without
repeat
breeding,
and
each
female
getting
enough
rest.”

Another
breeder, Mhondoro
Dzembwa, has
spoken
publicly
about
dog
breeding
online.

“The
main
purpose
of
dog
breeding,”
he
said,
“is
to
improve
and
maintain
the
breed
standard
and
to
avoid
some
breeds
going
extinct,
to
provide
security
and
companionship.
We
don’t
crossbreed,
we
just
select
good
parents
to
breed,
with
the
right
genes
we
need.”

On
enforcement,
he
said,
“Currently,
there
are
no
serious
or
strict
laws
that
prevent
dog
breeders;
it
is
being
done
illegally,
more
like
vending.
There
is
a
need
for
the
government
to
amend
the
existing
by-laws,
which
restrict
people
from
keeping
dogs
on
smaller
plots,
and
make
them
conducive
and
allow
people
to
engage
in
dog
breeding,
and
to
operate
openly.”

Dog
breeder
Peter
Nyaundi
concurs
with
Dzembwa.
“There
is
a
lack
of
awareness
on
the
[legalisation]
of
…
keeping
dogs
and
dog
breeding
in
Zimbabwe.
There
has
also
been
a
lack
of
support
structure
in
legalising
and
maintaining
the
legality
of
dog
breeding,
in
respect
of
registration,
inspection,
documentation
and
enforcement
of
laws.”

Animal
welfare
officials
say
overbreeding
and
poor
conditions
can
lead
to
neglect
and
abandonment,
contributing
to
stray
dog
populations.
However,
official
statistics
do
not
disaggregate
stray
dogs
from
owned
dogs
in
bite
data.

For
now,
residents
in
areas
such
as
Zengeza
say
they
want
stronger
oversight
and
clearer
enforcement.

As
dog
breeding
continues
to
operate
both
within
and
outside
the
law,
animal
welfare
groups
argue
that
the
core
issue
may
lie
less
in
the
existence
of
by-laws
and
more
in
their
consistent
enforcement. DM

Derick
Matsengarwodzi
is
a
freelance
journalist
based
in
Harare,
Zimbabwe.
He
mainly
writes
for
regional
and
international
media,
focusing
on
climate
change,
healthcare,
media
rights
and
investigative
journalism.

This
report
has
been
produced
by
the Southern
Africa
Accountability
Journalism
Project
(SA
|
AJP),
an
initiative
of
the Henry
Nxumalo
Foundation, with
the
financial
assistance
of
the
European
Union.
Under
no
circumstances
can
it
be
regarded
as
reflecting
the
position
of
the
European
Union.