The government estimates that around 4 million stray dogs roam Turkey's streets and rural areas.
Erdogan noted that stray dogs ''attack children, adults, elderly people and other animals.
Mayors who fail to meet their responsibilities in controlling stray dogs would face imprisonment of six months to two years.
Existing regulations require stray dogs to be caught, neutered and spayed and returned to where they were found.
But a failure to implement those regulations has caused the dog population to explode, animal rights groups say.

Turkey plans to regulate a large stray dog population, raising some fears about mass killings