German Federal Minister for Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection Julia Klöckner, who came up with the mandate, said that the new law is based on the recommendations of animal welfare experts. She intends to introduce it next year to ensure the nation’s 9.4 million dogs get enough exercise and stimuli, the Guardian reported.
The Hundeverordnung, or Dogs Act, also specifies that each trip needs to last for a certain amount of time - a brief step outside won’t cut it. Dogs must be taken outside twice a day for at least an hour each time, whether to visit the park, run in the backyard or go for a long walk through the neighborhood.
Klöckner said her mandate was based on new scientific findings which indicate that dogs need a “sufficient measure of activity and contact with environmental stimuli,” including other animals, nature and people. Tethering dogs on chains or leads for long periods of time would also be prohibited by the law.
Furthermore, owners would not be permitted to leave their dogs home alone all day and would be required to take care of their canines “several times a day.”
“Dogs are not cuddly toys,” Klöckner told the Guardian. “They also have their own needs, which need to be taken into account.”
According to a 2019 count from the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, the recommendation will affect nearly a fifth of Germans.
A spokeswoman for the ministry said that local authorities in each of Germany’s 16 states will enforce the law, the Guardian reported.
