hi everyone, i have just bought a business in the valais im from england AND IM SO WORRIED AS i have Rottweiler who is stuck in london with all his passport and shots done and was enlightened about the fact that Rottweiler are banned in some cantons please tell me if i can bring him as im deeply upset in regards to this

https://www.vs.ch/web/scav/veterinaire/chien

Rottweiler is on the list of banned breeds in Valais so I'm afraid you won't be able to bring him if you want to live in Valais.

PLEASE use punctuation...

As for your question: Owning a rottweiler is indeed prohibited in Kanton Wallis/Valais, with the exception of dogs born before 2005.
But I don't know if the exception applies to dogs brought into the country after 2005, even if they are older.
The decision was made in 2005 and the point of the exception was that people who already had rottweilers would not have to get rid of them or move to another Kanton.

Edit: Ah, you guys beat me

Bad news:

Your Rottie is banned in Valais.

http://www.tierimrecht.org/de/tiersc...cht/wallis.php


Der Staatsrat erlässt eine Liste von Hunderassen und deren Kreuzungen, die im Wallis verboten sind (Art. 37 Abs. 2 AGTSchG/VS). Auf der Liste sind derzeit verzeichnet: Pitbull-Terrier, American Staffordshire-Terrier, Staffordshire-Bullterrier, Bullterrier, Dobermann, Dogue Argentin, Fila Brasileiro, Rottweiler, Mastiff, Matin Espangnol, Matin Napolitain, Tosa.

Roughly:

The State shall adopt a list of breeds and crossbreeds that have been banned in Valais (Art. 37 para. 2 AGTSchG / VS). On the list are currently: Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Bull Terrier, Doberman Dogue Argentin, Fila Brasileiro, Rottweiler, Mastiff, Spanish Mastiff, Neapolitan Mastiff, Tosa.

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The period where resident dogs of these breeds were allowed to stay if they passed the tests has long since passed.

More from the Valais website:

https://www.vs.ch/web/scav/veterinaerwesen/hundewesen

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Do not under any circumstances move to Valais with your dog.

Valais was one of the worst cantons during the post-Oberglatt hysteria, euthanizing some 10% of the resident listed breed dogs who were made to stand the tests at that time

Your dog is your responsibility, for his natural lifetime. Valais is not possible, so you need to find a solution - which likely means that you will need to move to one of cantons where your dog is allowed.


You can find a summary of each canton's dog law here:

http://www.tierimrecht.org/de/tiersc...echt/index.php

MC, out of interest, what caused this to happen? Too many incidents with these dogs?

I had a Dobermann, he was one of the sweetest dogs you could imagine. He probably would slobber you to death rather than bite.

The exception period has long since passed. No dogs of those breeds may be imported into Valais, regardless of their ages. The exception only applied to dogs legally resident at the time.

If one were so foolish as to try to bring a banned dog into Valais, if discovered the dog could be seized and euthanized.

hi thanks for your reply, i cant read much french yet what about VAUD is that canton okay ?

According to the link Meloncollie posted (which is actually in German) Rottweilers may be allowed in Vaud but the are one of the breeds which require special permission. My German isn't good enough to be able to translate all the exact details for you quickly, it would take me a bit of time.

There are no banned breeds in Neuchâtel.

Ah ok, thanks for the clarification

The Oberglatt (ZH) tragedy launched a wave of anti-dog hysteria - and most of the cantonal BSL laws.

Condensed version: in Dec. 2005 three pit bulls escaped from their flat and killed a young child. The dogs were owned by a known criminal, illegally brought into Switzerland, kept starving, abused and thought to be trained for illegal dog fighting. The dogs were supposedly in the care of the criminal owner's friend at the time.

A horrible tragedy, of course one understands why people were so upset. There is no excuse for what happened. The criminal should have had the full weight of the law thrown at him.

And the tragedy was made all the worse by the fact that complaints against the criminal owner had already been made to the police - and ignored. Had any of the laws already on the books been enforced, this awful incident should never have happened.

The tragedy unleashed a wave of anti-dog feeling throughout Switzerland, fueled by the national media. Pictures of snarling dogs graced the front pages for quite some time. Politicians quickly reacted, lists of 'dangerous dogs' were drawn up, largely with no basis but prejudice.

Calls for 'something must be done!' were loud and clear. Many proposals were bandied about, some downright draconian. At the federal level these fortunately morphed into the mild SKN requirements.

(As a aside, this is why I get so hot under the collar when people refuse even to do these easy peasy SKN courses, or at paid dog carers who refuse to follow the law. I lived through the hysteria, my dogs (fluffy shelties!) were attacked. I know how close we came to losing our dogs - and how close we could easily come again. So for goodness sake: if any of you are still scofflaws - do the courses!)

About half the cantons have some form of BSL, either banning breeds altogether or putting restrictions on them. I remain adamantly opposed to BSL, as such laws only target that which is not a problem. Dogs who have never put a paw wrong are condemned. It's an old cliche, but apt nonetheless: deed, not breed. What I would like to see, however, is that we actually enforce training requirements across the board - an ounce of prevention, and all that. And I would like to see a consistent approach to dealing with owners who have been proven to be a problem.

Tangential to this thread, but I am so upset that information on banned dogs does not seem to percolate through correctly when people are considering immigrating to Switzerland.

It is true - there is no BSL at the federal level. This is what leaves many people to wrongly believe they can bring their dogs here. But federal law is only one of three layers.

Dog control is the competency of the cantons. Each canton establishes it's own dog law. There are 26 different sets of laws a dog owner must understand: the laws in one's own cantons of residence, and the laws of any canton one visits. And as per my earlier post - about half the cantons have some form of BSL on the books.

Please - if any of you are involved in relocation issues with your companies, or in hiring folks from abroad, please do what you can to disseminate this information. I have seen too many relocations go sour - at great expense to the company, at great heartbreak to the family - because incorrect information is being given out.

My experience: I have had a Doberman, German sheperds (is that the correct spelling) and all were well behaved and well trained dogs. Never had an issue with any of them.

I agree, put a dog in the wrong hands, any dog can be vicious. Put it in the right hands and it is a good dog.

germanguy, while Neuchatel canton may not ban the breed it would possibly be a long way for you to commute to/from work every day depending on exactly where you're going to be in Valais canton.

I would contact the Vaud cantonal veterinary office and find out what requirements are needed. Vaud is much nearer to Valais as regards commuting.

http://www.vd.ch/autorites/departeme...-veterinaires/

As a dog owner here you will be required to the the mandatory SKN theory and practical course and there may be other requirements for courses on top, but the veterinary office can inform you about these.

Another question: does your dog have a docked tail or cropped ears? You will be able to bring him over, but need to also contact Swiss Customs.

"1) Is it actually still possible to bring cropped or docked dogs into Switzerland?

It is forbidden to import dogs that have been docked. Docked dogs are therefore turned back at the border. Owners resident abroad, however, may bring their docked dogs into Switzerland for holidays or other short stays. Also anyone who moves to Switzerland from abroad may bring their docked dogs with them. It is absolutely essential that you ask the customs office in good time before you move whether the criteria are met in your case, so that your dog is considered part of your so-called household effects (http://www.ezv.admin.ch). The dog must not be advertised, sold or given away in Switzerland."

https://www.blv.admin.ch/blv/en/home...frettchen.html

Here is the list of "problem" dogs for the Swiss French cantons (including Bern).

http://www.animalia-sa.ch/fr/chiens/...ment-dangereux


The second section (put it through Google Translate) tells you a bit more about what needs to be done for a "problem" dog in Vaud. It is best to talk to someone to explain how this relates to you (not all of it does) since you are importing your dog.

http://www.c-f-c.ch/loisvaudois/loisvaudois.html

My hope (for you) is that your dog is off the scale trained as this will be the deciding factor about whether you can keep the dog in Vaud or not.

Good luck.

__________________
Do or do not, there is no try(ing). Yoda

the requirement in zurich to bring our two boxers with docked tails was simply to show proof of ownership for over six months prior to arrival so it is possible without too much headache. we lucked out even as i had vet records for our dogs on shot history but nothing over six months. the cantonal vet actually ended up accepting heaps of photos on facebook as proof. :-)

thanks you guys for all the information