Zbigniew Bogucki, head of the presidential chancellery, said the presidential draft would ban keeping dogs on tethers and require adequate shelter from weather. It would also oblige owners to prevent animals from escaping “beyond the place of permanent residence.”
Bogucki called the proposal “good law without populism,” inviting cooperation on “real solutions serving both people and animals” without pitting “village and city” against each other.
Explaining the veto, Bogucki wrote that the rejected bill would have mandated kennels as large as 20 square meters for dogs kept outdoors, and up to 30 square meters for three large dogs, or three separate 20-square-meter enclosures totaling 60 square meters. The president deemed those standards unrealistic.
Bogucki said the shelved measure disproportionately affected rural residents, noting that city practices such as keeping a large dog in a small apartment or on a balcony for long hours were not addressed. He added the costs could prompt some owners to abandon dogs and deter adoptions from shelters.
“This is not a veto against animals. It is a veto against bad, harmful, unworkable law for people and animals,” Bogucki wrote.
(jh)
Source: PAP