New rule for dog owners? Klöckner plans Gassigeh regulation: "Pets are not cuddly toys"

Changes are pending for German dog owners. Agriculture Minister Klöckner wants to make walking mandatory. Other animals should also benefit.

• New rules may apply to all dog owners in Germany.
• Federal Minister of Agriculture Julia Klöckner is planning a mandatory walk.
• Besides dogs, other animals should also have it better in the future.

Berlin - In order to guarantee dogs sufficient exercise and care , Federal Agriculture Minister Julia Klöckner wants to take action. The CDU politician would like to enact stricter rules for animal transports and dog breeders , a corresponding regulation should be announced in the first few months of next year, as Klöckner's ministry announced on Monday in Berlin.

There is already a draft by the minister, this is now to be coordinated with the federal states and professional associations. The ordinance is intended, among other things, to oblige dog owners to give their four-legged friends exercise in the open air at least twice a day for a total of at least one hour.

Klöckner plans Gassigeh regulation for dog owners: "Pets are not cuddly toys"

"Pets are not cuddly toys - their needs must be taken into account," Klöckner told the German press agency . Dogs should be given enough exercise through regular walks and the animals should also not be left alone for too long.

The very young dogs also require special attention . Puppies should be cared for at least four hours a day by private and professional dog breeders to ensure they get used to people. Dog breeding would also be affected by the regulation. In future, a breeder should look after a maximum of three litters at the same time.

Klöckner also sees a need to catch up when it comes to animal-friendly husbandry . In the future, it should be forbidden to keep your dog by “tethering”, ie permanently chaining it. This is only permitted under very specific conditions.

Going for a walk is mandatory: Klöckner wants to leave verification to countries

The Federal Ministry wants to leave the control of whether all dog owners adhere to the new regulation to the federal states. A spokeswoman for the minister said that the authorities at the state level were responsible for the presumably very laborious examination of private dog owners in particular. However, the officials would certainly not ring every dog ​​owner and ask whether they have already been outside with the dog, it said. First and foremost, it is about keeping dogs in kennels.

The question is whether the issue can be regulated by law. Authorities are already overwhelmed with existing laws. In addition to the lack of exercise, another issue is becoming increasingly conspicuous. Not only masters and mistresses are getting fatter, their four-legged friends too.

Another point in Klöckner's regulation is animal transport . This should take a maximum of four and a half hours within Germany as soon as the temperatures in the van climb above 30 degrees. "Especially in summer when temperatures are high, we have to avoid the animals suffering avoidable suffering from heat," explained Klöckner. "That is why I am enforcing stricter rules for transports that go beyond EU law." (Kh / dpa)

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