Update as of 15 June 2007:
http://www.nzz.ch/2007/06/15/il/newzzF2YE93UR-12.html http://tagesanzeiger.ch/dyn/news/schweiz/762048.html
The
Bundesrat has proposed less restrictive measures than the
Nationalrat; they propose to make a dog owner automatically liable for damages done by his/her dog. (Currently, if an owner can prove that there was no negligence he/she might not be found at fault.)
On the darker side of the news, the
Nationalrat has now accepted the WBK commission's proposal for new dog control legislation.
The commentary period for both proposals will run until 15 September 2007.
Under the
Nationalrat version, in addition to labeling all dogs as either 'dangerous', 'potentially dangerous', 'less dangerous' using as yet undefined criterion, and imposing restrictions according to categories, the gov't. will have the authority to introduce further measures, such as leash laws and obligatory training classes, as it deems fit.
One thing that everyone should understand: The news articles discussing the
Nationalrat proposal use the word '
verboten' (banned). Make no mistake - banned means dogs will be killed. Dogs will be killed, not because they have bitten, shown aggressive behavior, put a paw wrong, even so much as looked cross-eyed at someone. They will be killed because of breed and physical type.
(In Valais, where 13 breeds are now banned, all puppies born of those breeds, or crosses thereof, or who look like they might be crosses thereof must now be euthanized at birth.
)
It's not just pit bulls, or 'criminal's dogs', or 'killer beasties' who fall under this legislation - every single dog in Switzerland, from Bernese Mountain Dogs to German Shepherds, to Collies, to Staffies, to Yorkies, to Poodles to Chihuahuas, and including your own beloved pet - will be affected.
Regardless of whether you are a dog lover or not, this badly conceived and badly written law - far too much is left open ended. The government is being given the authority to arbitrarily categorize our dogs - and in many cases, condemn them to death - without defining upfront what what the criterion for categorization will be.
Most of the politician involved in writing this law are not dog owners, nor has it been made public who the 'experts' consulted were, or that qualifications these so-called experts might even have. According to a letter published in Hunde-Online, there are only two breeders of pitbulls in Switzerland; these are the people who would have the necessary expertise to comment on the breed and it's character. Neither of these experts was ever contacted for input into the new legislation:
http://www.hunde-online.ch/pdf_2006/LB-WBK.pdf
(However, in an interview published by Hunde-Online, Heiner Struder of the EVP, one of the leading architects of this legislation, does speak on how his beliefs have influenced his input into this legislation.) See:
http://www.hunde-online.ch/pdf_2006/IDS.pdf
If you haven't done so already, please sign the Hunde-Online petition. And, if you are able to vote in Switzerland, please make your views known to your representatives.
And even if you can't vote, a letter to the Bundesrat, or to the Nationalrat respresentative of your district, would be a good idea.