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Germany is bringing in a new law that aims to make unwalked dogs and lonely puppies a thing of the past. Under the "Hundeverordnung"—Dogs Act—owners will be required to walk or otherwise exercise their dogs at least twice a day, for a total time of one hour, the BBC reports. It will also be illegal to leave dogs alone all day, or leave them chained up, and puppies will be required to have human company for at least four hours a day.
Second, It is not a new law at this time. Basically, "Agriculture Minister Julia Klockner this week announced she will introduce the changes to the animal welfare law..."
It is further noted that many dogs (stated as 1 in five own dogs with many bred for physical characteristics (whatever they are) that causes them to suffer and it is prohibited by law, but still happens.
And finally, "The new regulations, if passed, could become law early next year."
But I have to ask HOW would you police this? How will you know if that dog being walked actually got a full hour? How will you know how many dogs are behind that door in a house and were they walked? It is totally unenforceable and actually laughable. I guess one way it have all the people line up and GPS chips installed and then people can monitor them at the local PD station.
Don't get wrong, I think all dogs should be walked, mine get easily 2-3 miles every day on separate walks so I can get 4-6 miles. I walk them very early in the AM to keep them cool in the summer, winter, two walks a day. (Malamutes don't love heat.) However, I know that most likely 95 percent of the dogs around here are never outside of the backyard or house. Maybe a trip to a vet, and that is about it. Is it right NO, but a law that cannot be enforced the answer? NO!
So will this ludicrous idea of this person take into the idea that if I walked my Mals in the AM but a thunderstorm came up and it was cut short I would not walk them in the evening at 97 degrees; just not going to happen.
Now chained up dogs is something easier to police since people will turn in people who chain up dogs all the time; I sure will.
Any law benefiting the well being of dogs and pets in general is a positive step in the right direction. If you need to keep your dog inside all day alone, then you don't need to own one. The dog's well being outweighs your want to have one even though you can't properly care for one. This works well with me. Too many people treat their dogs like a piece of furniture or worse.
The proposal is probably well intended, but does not differentiate between dogs that live in a more suburban or rural setting and and urban setting. Dogs in a rural or suburban setting often don't stay indoors all day. Many in those areas have a backyard space where they can spend time outdoors and run around in the yard (hopefully not chained up or in a cage). In those cases the animals are not in a confined space like a dog that stays in a small apartment in a bigger city all day long.
The proposal would likely run into opposition from those that defend the privacy laws and guard against the state trying to monitor activities of law abiding citizens. The proposal would be supported by people who make a living by taking dogs for a walk!
Dog owners pay a tax to their local government in nearly city and town in Germany. Of course, every dog has to be registered with the city, just like every resident of every household is officially registered with the city. The dog tax is not fixed, it is a sliding scale depending on income bracket. There are also higher penalty taxes for people that own certain breeds of dogs that are classified as aggressive or fighting dogs, but the average dog owner probably pays the equivalent of $100 tax per year. Many cities don't charge tax per dog, for people that have 2 or 3 dogs, it is the same tax for 1 or more dogs. However, this tax can be a lot more in certain cities!
If you need to keep your dog inside all day alone, then you don't need to own one.
I agree all dogs need exercise! But if you have a toy dog that runs around your house for three hours, might that be sufficient? Yes for some, no for others. All dogs are different, and each one had different exercise needs.
I don't know how will they enforce it. I think a more strict law related to animal cruelty would be more effective
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