Eastern Switzerland Amendments required to the St. Gallen Dog Law
A proposal from the St. Gallen Cantonal Council calls for a review of the St. Gallen Dog Law. It focuses primarily on personal responsibility. Its regulations differ from those in Thurgau, for example.
16.07.2024, 16:29
SDA
"Do we need to amend the St. Gallen Dogs Act?" says Margot Benz, Cantonal Councillor for the Green Party, in her new motion. It is time to think about the effectiveness of the St. Gallen approach.
This was triggered by two recent incidents involving dogs in the city of St. Gallen. A German shepherd dog bit the leg of a boy playing football. At the end of June, a pit bull on a lead bit into a free-roaming Maltese and was then seriously injured by a man with an axe blow. The animal died shortly afterwards.
The St. Gallen government should now explain how incidents involving dogs have developed since 2010 and whether these statistics differentiate between dog breeds.
Keeping dogs under control
In 2019, the Cantonal Council last passed amendments to the Dogs Act, which have been in force since 2020. For example, the law now states that owners must have their dogs "effectively under control at all times".
Dogs must always be kept on a lead in special places such as school facilities or on public transport. The municipalities can determine other places where dogs must be kept on a lead. At the time, the cantonal council decided against compulsory courses for dog owners.
In 2023, the Thurgau cantonal parliament took a different stance: "Anyone who keeps a dog must attend a course on recognized practical dog training within one year of acquiring the animal," the law now states. The leash requirement applies "in the forest and at the edge of the forest".
The regulations for keeping dogs in Switzerland are a cantonal muddle. A national dog law was last scuttled by the National Council and Council of States in 2010.
