Limited response to Rottweiler ‘amnesty’ in Zurich after ban on breed

Only 55 owners apply to keep Rottweilers in Zurich Keystone-SDA

The Zurich Veterinary Office has so far only received 55 applications to keep Rottweilers. Owners still have until the end of June to submit their application to keep the banned breed.

Zurich’s Rottweiler owners are taking their time with the newly introduced application to keep Rottweilers: only one in six has submitted an application to the veterinary office to be allowed to continue keeping the large canine.

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Owners still have until the end of June to submit their application. If they miss the deadline, they will be liable to prosecution. Around 350 Rottweilers are registered in the canton of Zurich.

Because several children were attacked by Rottweilers last year, the government decided to ban the purchase of this breed from the beginning of 2025. Anyone who already owns a Rottweiler needs a licence and must take the dog to a character test.

In addition, someone from the veterinary office will visit the owners at home. The new regulation also applies to mixed-breed dogs with more than 10% Rottweiler DNA.

Critics of ban

The ban on keeping dogs will soon also be an issue in the cantonal council: a citizen who works as a dog trainer is calling for the breed ban to be lifted in a new individual initiative.

The dog trainer wrote in his petition that such a ban is generalising and ignores both the current state of science and the many years of experience of many experts. A general ban on keeping dogs does not create safety, but rather leads to hidden and inadequate accommodation for these animals.

This would create the very risks that the ban is intended to prevent. If a Rottweiler is demonised or isolated because of its breed, this leads to behavioural problems. The Cantonal Council will debate the motion at one of its upcoming sessions. However, it is unlikely that the government will be prepared to lift the ban.

Rottweilers are also still an issue in court: the Swiss Rottweiler Club (SRC) and the Zurich Dog Association have lodged an appeal with the administrative court against the government’s decision. This appeal is still pending.

Adapted from German by DeepL/ac

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