‘Walkies’ Law Set to Make Daily Exercise for Dogs Mandatory in Germany
Germans will be forced to take their companion dogs on daily 30 minute walks, as part of new welfare rules that will help improve the lives of the country’s 9.4 million canines.
Daily ‘walkies’ are set to become mandatory in Germany as part of new animal welfare laws that seek to help stamp out abuse and over-breeding of the country’s 9.4 million dogs.
Owners will be legally required to allow their canine companions 30 minutes of exercise in the fresh air at least two-times-per-day, for a minimum of one hour in total.
The law will also prohibit owners from keeping their dogs chained for long periods of time, and outlaw dogs being left alone for the whole day.
With one in five German households sharing their home with a dog, the new “Animal Welfare Dog Regulation” will ensure the welfare for millions of dogs, and help stamp out major problems like black-market “puppy farms” which breed and abuse dogs on a large scale.
"Pets are not cuddly toys, their needs have to be taken into account," said Germany’s Agriculture Minister Julia Klöckner, who is hopeful that the draft regulations will become law early next year.
Selective breeding will also face increased scrutiny under the proposed law. Known in German as Qualzucht, or “torture breeding”, breeds that show “tormenting defects” will be banned from dog shows as a way to discourage any demand.
“Animals are not there to fulfil the dubious aesthetic demands of their owners,” Klöckner added. “They’re not mascots. When they are bred in a way that prevents them from the behaviours appropriate to their species, that is animal torture.”
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