There will be no mandatory guides in Prague, it will be a matter of regulating the movement of dogs
Updates: 12/1/2021 12:33 PM
Released: 1.12.2021, 12:33
Prague – Prague will not add wording on the mandatory use of leashes for dogs to the forthcoming amendment to the Decree on Public Greenery. Deputy Mayor Petr Hlubuček (STAN) told the press today. The original wording that owners must keep dogs under control will remain in the amendment. The places where their free movement will be allowed will be newly named. He wants to further negotiate the regulation of dog movements in the metropolis, especially in connection with the so-called fighting breeds.
The current decree states that it is forbidden to “let the dogs run free”. In the original proposal, it was explicitly stated that the dog must be on a leash. According to Hlubučka, however, this encountered objections during the discussion of the decree, so the municipality will eventually leave the original wording. The decree will then include a list of places with free movement of dogs, which has selected the city district.
“I reckon the decree will be in the January council, if we make it,” said the deputy. He added that he would also like to open a discussion on more comprehensive regulation of the movement of dogs in cities, even in connection with cases of attacks on people by fighting breeds, such as pit bull terriers, Rottweilers or Dobermans.
Hlubuček wants to be inspired abroad, where, according to him, similar regulation exists. “There are cities that have it arranged so that if you have such a breed, both the dog and its owner must have a certificate that they have undergone some training and have some tests,” he said.
However, he added that a change in the law would be necessary for a similar regulation, and Prague cannot determine this on its own. “We would like us to have a discussion with our deputies and other cities,” he said, adding that he also wanted to involve professional canine organizations and the veterinary administration in the debate. “I want us to find some social consensus that won’t be easy,” he finished.
The forthcoming amendment to the Decree on Vegetables was created primarily for the purpose of adjusting restrictions in city parks and is intended to simplify the definition of public greenery. According to the proposal, access to the lawn, scooters, swimming in water tanks and a ban on sledding and cross-country skiing should disappear. The current decree from 2001 was criticized in February this year, when police officers expelled sledding children from Petřín Hill.