The ban on keeping dogs on tethers will enter into force on July 28, 2027. The amendment on this matter obliges the Minister of Agriculture to issue a regulation on the minimum conditions for keeping dogs in a kennel. According to the draft regulation of the Ministry of Agriculture, the area of the pen is to depend on the height of the dog at the withers - 4 sq m. (for dogs under 40 cm), 5 sq m (40-59 cm), 8 sq m (60-70 cm), 10 sq m (above 70 cm). October 7 is the last day of public consultations on the project.
Letter from activists to the Minister of Agriculture
The author of the open letter to Minister Stefan Krajewski is attorney-at-law Sara Balcerowicz, representative of the Stop Pseudo-Breeding and Animal Homelessness Committee, responsible for the so-called civic project. Chain Act. It was signed by 36 animal protection organizations.
In their correspondence, the organizations called for the standards to be redefined based on current scientific knowledge and the actual needs of dogs. They emphasized that the point of reference should be solutions providing for a significantly larger space, in particular those adopted in the citizens' bill "Stop pseudo-breeding chains and animal homelessness" (15 sq m, 20 sq m and 24 sq m, depending on the height of the dog at the withers). The citizens' initiative is currently being considered by a parliamentary committee. Over half a million people signed it.
There is no consent from animal protection organizations to replace chains with prison cages, and this is what the Ministry's proposal essentially amounts to - we read in the letter.
Pen space too small?
The organizations emphasized that the proposed kennel areas are so small that in certain cases, after the change in law, the dog may have less space than it had on a three-meter chain (the current minimum legal chain length).
They emphasized that the standards proposed in the regulation "not only are not sufficiently justified by current knowledge regarding the welfare and behavior of dogs, but above all do not correspond to the statutory guidelines, according to which the surface of the pen is to ensure that the animal can move freely and meet its natural needs."
The organizations emphasized that meeting a dog's natural needs does not come down to ensuring it can assume a natural body position, turn around or take a few steps. "Dogs have a natural need to explore the environment, move, sniff, observe the surroundings, engage in social behavior, as well as choose a place to rest and distance themselves from specific stimuli. The correct assessment of the animal's keeping conditions must therefore take into account both its physical, cognitive and social needs," they said.
The justification for the draft regulation states that the proposed basic standards for the size of the area for a dog in a pen correspond to the area standards specified in the regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the welfare of dogs and cats and their traceability. "This regulation comprehensively regulates the issue of breeding dogs and cats," it was noted. According to the organization, referring to these standards is not a sufficient justification, among others: because the nature of these regulations and the scope of their application are different.
The letter to the ministry also noted, among others, the need to consider introducing a minimum length of the sides of a pen, a maximum number of dogs kept in one pen or an incorrectly adopted uniform standard of feeding frequency for all dogs, regardless of their age and stage of development. During Tuesday's meeting of the extraordinary parliamentary committee for animal protection, Deputy Minister of Agriculture Jacek Czerniak reminded that consultations on the draft regulation were ongoing until October 7.
He emphasized that he accepts all suggestions that have been made so far on this matter. He announced that he would "recommend the constitutional minister to change this project."
The Act prohibiting keeping dogs on tethers allows keeping a dog in a kennel - if it is impossible to ensure that a dog kept outside a residential premises has permanent, free movement around the premises due to the lack of a fence or because the dog poses a threat to the life or health of a person or another animal.
