“You can’t bring pets into the store, but there is an exception.” We understand the nuances of the new animal law

HEAD of State “On the Responsible Treatment of Animals”, work on which has been going on for many years. And even though its main provisions come into force on January 1 next year, today we can already say: pets now have the rights to decent care, and their owners have a number of responsibilities. What will change thanks to the new document?

Companions are not allowed in. The law

signed by the President is aimed at protecting animals from cruelty, as well as ensuring the rights and legitimate interests of individuals and legal entities when treating animals. Particular attention is paid to “companions”. We asked the deputy of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the 7th convocation, Maria Vasilevich, about who falls under this definition. - This is a domestic animal , a pet, a living creature to which a person feels affection or receives aesthetic pleasure by being next to it. By defining “companions” we exclude farm animals: chickens, cows, pigs, which people keep to obtain food products. In other words, companion animals are pets: cats, dogs and hamsters, a decorative pig. There may even be a goat on this list if it is kept at home and is not needed to obtain, for example, MILK. According to the new law, it is prohibited to visit food stores, healthcare and educational organizations, cultural infrastructure facilities, and physical education and sports facilities with a companion animal. Maria Vasilevich explains how the document included a provision according to which you can no longer go grocery shopping with your four-legged dog: - This is one of the results of the public discussion of the bill on the website pravo.by. People have expressed the opinion that they are allergic to animal fur. For example, there are departments of vegetables and fruits, fresh baked goods, where the products lie open, are not insulated in any way, and even the slightest particle of wool on them can cause severe allergies in such buyers. Therefore, a ban was introduced on visiting grocery stores with companion animals. In addition, we advocate the developing culture of kennels and isolated rooms for dogs in stores where you can leave your pet for a while, as well as the emergence of Pet-friendly establishments whose owners are not against visitors with animals. There is a warning about this at the entrance to such places. Then the person with allergies decides whether to enter such an establishment or not. At the same time, Maria Vasilevich draws attention: there is an exception to the law prohibiting the appearance of visitors with companion animals in grocery stores and other public places. We are talking about guide dogs.







- Each of them has a certificate confirming this status. Guide dogs are only available to visually impaired people, who can be identified by a stick with white marks, so such pets are easy to distinguish from other “companions,” she notes.

Maria Vasilevich also explained the need, prescribed in the law, to obtain permission to purchase an animal from other family members:

- This norm applies to minors. They cannot purchase a pet without the permission of at least one parent. This rule does not apply to adults.

As for the new requirements for temporary animal holding facilities, they have yet to be worked out in more detail.

- The law contains the basic requirements for their creation and activities. We say that such points can be created in cities, regional centers, urban-type settlements, and that local authorities are responsible for this process . Shelters are a place where animals will be kept on a permanent basis, including seized animals, emphasizes Maria Vasilevich. - They should not be killed or killed there in case of overflow. The activities of shelters and temporary detention centers will be established in more detail by the Council of Ministers, which will determine the number of animals that can be there at the same time, the square footage required for this, and the required number of such institutions in a populated area.

Attacks passers

-by The law also enshrines increased requirements for keeping dangerous dogs: according to the new rules, their owners will be required to take special courses and receive a certificate. Tamara Moiseevna, a resident of the village of Machesk in the Berezinsky district of the MINSK region, is looking forward to the entry into force of this particular norm - only after this she will be able to go outside the gate of her yard without fear. At the end of last year, a 75-year-old woman was bitten by a dog whose owner lives in a neighboring village.

“That day, my mother went outside to go about her business. And then a dog attacked her: she knocked her to the ground and began to grab her face and arms with its teeth. It's good that the neighbors heard the scream and ran out to help. Then there was a 10-day hospitalization: at the district hospital, my mother’s wounds were stitched up and she was injected with an anti-rabies vaccine so that she would not get rabies,” says the daughter of the victim.
In 2023, according to current legislation, the dog’s owner was brought to administrative responsibility. The dog continues to walk freely along the streets of different settlements and keep everyone who has already heard about the incident with Tamara Moiseevna in fear. By the way, the new law allows you to take away an animal from a negligent owner or limit its ownership rights for a time, if that owner does not take good care of his four-legged animal, much less does not raise it, which is why the pet becomes dangerous to others.

Dog handler Yegor Ivanov is confident that the dog’s owner is to blame for what happened to a pensioner in the Berezinsky district, even if we assume that he was provoked. The specialist notes: in public places the dog must walk on a leash and wearing a muzzle. In his opinion, all dogs need to be trained, regardless of breed.

- The new law establishes increased requirements for keeping dangerous dogs; their owners are required to take special courses and receive a certificate. But personally, I do not divide breeds into dangerous and safe. All dogs are dangerous if you do not train them and behave incorrectly with them. I was working with a German Shepherd the other day. At this time, the lady went for a walk with her West Highland White Terrier without a leash. And this little dog attacked the German shepherd and wanted to grab its throat,” the dog handler gave an example. - I have seen small dogs that are much more aggressive than those on the list of dangerous breeds. Of course, the larger and stronger the dog, the more damage it can cause. Therefore, the owner must understand: he has a huge responsibility, he must invest a lot in training his four-legged friend. Smaller dogs tend to get less exercise. And in vain. And such a dog can grow into a monster. It all depends on upbringing.

Egor Ivanov believes that you need to start raising a dog as soon as it comes into your home. Most often this is two months old - in the past, good breeders, as a rule, do not give puppies to new owners. It is important to immediately build the right relationship with the animal and help it socialize. And even if the dog came to you as an adult, it is certainly worth starting his education.

- How long the courses can last is difficult to answer. Much even depends not on the dog handler and the dog, but on the owners,” the specialist notes. - To teach the basic principles of handling an animal, to explain that dogs are not plush toys and can be dangerous, and the owner is responsible for the pet, a few hours are enough. Otherwise, everything is individual. There are responsible owners who can cope without a dog handler. But there are also those who think that the dog handler knows some secret button that just needs to be pressed and the dog will immediately become obedient. And at home they themselves are not involved in her upbringing.
Let us remind you that the main provisions of the law “On the Responsible Treatment of Animals” come into force on January 1, 2025. This was done so that there was time to develop by-laws that would more finely regulate the relationships between subjects, individuals in the treatment of animals, and in general to bring all regulations into compliance with the law.
Alexey GORBUNOV,
Daria POTAPENKO,
newspaper "7 days".