That’s awful. We have a problem here, people moving and pets not allowed in the new place, but generally it means a trip to the SPCA. Rarely are they just abandoned.
When I was ten, we got a dog, my sister wanting this particular one. We were too young, I don’t think it was a great life for the dog, though I think in retrospect she was badly treated before we got her. When she died nine years later, I vowed that I’d never have another pet.
And technically, I don’t. Pokey is my sister’s, I started doing things with him in 2013, when our mother needed a lot of attention. I didn’t want the dog to die prematurely, and the only thing I could do was give him attention. And it seems to have worked.
It’s hard to see him old. Especially when he was so active. He’d get excited and jump up, his paws on my shoulder. Now I worry about doing anything that might hurt him. I can’t imagine abandoning him, thiugh there is the very real time coming up at some point where he’s going to die, or have enough trouble that it will be time.
Even before right now, we’d see dogs and the owners wouldn’t stop. I always wondered whether it was me or Pokey. These past few months it’s even worse, though I assume they are avoiding people. Though a few weeks ago we had stopped to look at a dog, from a distance, and the woman waved us on. She was busy talking to someon if people need it, dogs need company too. So when people let their dogs come close, I always thank them, it’s something really important to Pokey.
Several cities in Ohio have anti tethering laws. In my city you can’t have a dog outside on a lead between the hours of 10:00pm and 6:00 am. Other cities limit the number of hours a day you can have a dog tethered.
Frankly I don’t understand getting a dog only to leave it outside all the time. Why bother?
A lot of cities have dedicated dog parks. Also many small dogs do fine with a couple of walks a day (not an hour) and not going to a green space. It depends on the dog. I had an old, old Westie, deaf, going blind from cataracts, he had balance issues and arthritis. He couldn’t go up stairs and couldn’t handle more than 3 steps going down. 2 walks a day for an hour would have been bad for him and we would have gone all of a block and a half total. He did not need or want to go to a park, just wanted to curl up with me and be loved. He was a good boy.
Bulldogs are also cursed by selective breeding. Those flat faces make for constant respiratory and hip issues. Not a big fan of having a “purebred” pet.
I see some unintended consequences on a law like this, if enacted peoplewill stop to adopt pets from shelters and people will abandon them or get rid of them in other manners. Italians will cheat and continue to interpret laws in funny ways but Germans will abide.
Many pets are neglected and don’t lead a happy and/or healthy life. If I’d have to guess, in Germany about half of pets are affected. There’s people who try to keep cats on a vegan diet, or keep them indoors, FFS.
So while that particular law may be flawed, I don’t think it should be so simple to have a pet.
And rather than pass new laws I’d rather we work to simply have a reasonable way of enforcing existing no-barking laws, which seem completely unenforceable and yet barking has negatively affected our quality of life in multiple residences. If you can’t keep your dog from barking at every Tom Dick Harry Jane and passing dog you should not be allowed to own one. I also shouldn’t be threatened with canine assault when I’m just walking down the sidewalk minding my own business.
Train your fucking dogs people, and give them enough attention. Specifying walks seems like a silly zooming in on one detail.
Just for curiosity, I calculated how long I walk my dog. On a normal day, it’s
15 minutes before breakfast
15 minutes to work
30 minutes during lunch break
30 minutes home after work
7-10 minutes before going to bed.
Shorty is also with me during the day, he has a bed next to my desk as my employer allows dogs in the office. So even under the new law, I would be in the clear. Yes, it would apply to me as I live in Munich.
In Sweden, the rules for owning a dog says in part
* Hunden får utlopp för sitt rörelsebehov varje dag, utifrån individuella förutsättningar.
* Mental stimulans: hunden får använda sin nos, jaga, leka, apportera varje dag (detta kan nog variera mellan individer och raser). Ett allmänt råd ger några exempel.
which can be translated roughly to
The dog must have its individual need for exercise met every day,
Mental stimulus: The dog must get to use its nose, hunt, play, fetch each day, depending on individuals and breeds
I agree with everything you say. I have shared custody of my pooch with my ex, she walks him in the morning and i walk him in the afternoon. It’s the highlight of my day. Having a dog is a joy and also a massive commitment. I walk behind my dog and let him lead the way always, repaying his loyalty with attentiveness.
If you think that walking your dog, one of their favorite things, is a chore then you probably should think about another pet
My guess is that the Swedish rules are enforced the same as way as in Europe and North America, where instead of actively checking the rules, citizens can call the cops of the animal welfare authorities to report suspected abuse, the authorities then interview and intervene if the suspicion is justified.
“Good day Mr. Nilsson, your neighbours have called us, they say you leave your dogs chained in the back lot all day and never let them leave the kennel. May we have a look?”
Please correct me if I’m wrong, but Norway did have a similar law, but concerning reptile pets intstead of dogs. I think that existing pets were euthanized under this law, but I’m not sure. There was also similar legislation for whole EU, but it was rejected. Also few years ago a law was passed in Poland than mandated confiscation of some breeds of dogs.
I’d never keep any kind of pet, because it would be heartbreaking if the government conficated and killed it.
