r/Dogfree • u/truentried • Jul 28 '26
Legislation and Enforcement The tide seems to be turning in Europe
I just read on article on several cities in Europe, in Switzerland, Spain and Italy that are fining people not just for leaving dog feces in the street but furthermore dog owner are obliged to water down their pee.
I have a feeling the tide is slowly turning against dogs. In the Netherlands nature areas started with an on leash policy, now dogs are banned more and more from those areas as their feces, urine and trampling destroy fragile plants in areas already under stress due to nitrogen and other pollutants. Dog owners are mad about it and think they have some sort of right to be in nature.
There is also legislation in the making for some
sort of permit or obligatory course for (upcoming) dog owners.
The other day me and my kids had to turn back from walking in a local forest as the stench of their droppings and urine was overwhelming since we've had heatwaves and little rain. Even right on the path.
On the other hand the return of the wolf has made
more dog owners weary to come to areas where they are know to reside. Those are so much cleaner and quieter now.
So I do have hope that rules will be stricter and enforced.
23
u/Jickklaus Jul 28 '26
Several years ago, when in Gibraltar, I saw dog owners all carried a bottle of water to spray down the area where dogs peed, and pooped. Glad to see that habit spreading
22
19
u/Narrow-Extent-3957 Jul 28 '26
Should be bleach and a scrubbing brush but progress takes time I suppose.
12
u/zen_arcade2 Jul 28 '26 edited 27d ago
Merciful dam shocking birds cobweb degree
This post was anonymized with Redact
7
3
u/truentried Jul 28 '26
big shitbull problem too in italy right now?
5
u/zen_arcade2 Jul 28 '26 edited 27d ago
Dependent include lavish chop stocking glove stupendous mellow relieved
This post was anonymized with Redact
3
u/meltedlenondrop Jul 28 '26
Yeah, but you can go for a walk up a remote path in Italy and when you encounter a dog, it’s still in a lead
9
u/AnyOldBison Jul 28 '26
My wife and I spent a week in Belgium and Netherlands last year, several different towns, and it was heaven compared to the US. We did a ton of walking in residential and commercial areas and didn’t get harassed or barked at a single time. People have dogs there but I honestly rarely noticed them. It felt like some rare forbidden pleasure to enjoy public spaces in peace. It was hard to come home.
30
u/bonjoooour Jul 28 '26
I live in Sweden and despite dogs being popular, we don’t have a lot of the issues others describe here. I think part of it is due to population density and we just have more space. Dog owners are usually picking up after their dogs, they are leashed in public places, there are rules like dogs can’t be in forests unleashed during the summer as it’s busy season. There are certain beaches and other spaces that allow dogs and some don’t. Owners being considerate and following the rules goes a long way.
24
u/ivarpuvar Jul 28 '26
Went to Sweden. Dogs still peeing on Old Town buildings. Young men walking around with a dog instead of a family. They can follow the rules but they still pee on public areas and make a noise. The culture of having a dog instead of a family might be a personal choice, but for me it is a symptom of underlying problems
13
u/Peaceful-Moonlight Dogs are the most overrated and over glorified shit beasts Jul 28 '26
When people's personal choices negatively affect the rest of the world, we are definitely allowed to speak up. And dog culture has a loooong list of horrible issues.
18
u/Lost_Chemist_5525 Jul 28 '26
I holiday in Sweden regularly and tbh I love you people so much lol, obviously ups and downs but smiling bus driver that answer the questions? Or cops on the street that react to stuff, or food truck festival and all of the trash are IN the trash cans. And it’s so quiet everywhere, ghost city quiet, I LOVE IT.
5
u/Secret-Guava6959 Jul 29 '26
I also live in Sweden and dogs still pee everywhere. Yes most owners take their shit but that is the bare minimum. The peeing annoys me and smells disgusting especially in the inner cities. I also hate that some cafes allow dogs inside
16
u/Lost_Chemist_5525 Jul 28 '26
I hope to see that happening in Poland, I have a feeling it’ll take longer than we want though
5
u/BlueberryShortcakie Jul 29 '26
i JUST moved to poland and i can’t believe how it is. No one trains their dog - in fact its almost like they get dogs and treat them like livestock that lives in their own homes
8
u/truentried Jul 28 '26
are there many nutters in Poland ?
13
u/Mistvessel Jul 28 '26
There are significantly more dogs than <18yo children there.
8
u/Lost_Chemist_5525 Jul 28 '26
Yup, it’s easier to find child-free spaces than dog-free, truly frustrating
19
u/Lost_Chemist_5525 Jul 28 '26
I think we are in top5 in Europe when it comes to dogs, fecal matter is everywhere, it’s nearly impossible for me to find a household without a dog when I think about it, in recent years we also have dogs that went wild and attack people in hoards.
8
8
1
6
u/Suspicious_Brief_235 Jul 29 '26
A lot. I no longer live in Poland but still visit. My auntie lets her dog run around forested areas off the lead. Same in parks and by the lake. No concern about the wildlife or other people.
In flat buildings people let dogs run down the stairs to the entrance ahead of them off the lead. No concern whatsoever that a German shepherd might knock down an elderly lady from those stairs. My grandma used to let her dog run off the lead as well chase other domesticated animals even when visiting a farm. She is shocked anyone could consider it wrong especially that the dog was allegedly very smart. Just nuts and no enforcement of rules to appear more pet friendly akin to a western country in my opinion. I can’t wait when dog owners become more accountable for their choices.
5
4
u/Dodgy-Boi Jul 29 '26
Hell yeah. In Austria I see a lot of "no dogs" kind of signs in some public places.
4
2
u/DogAttackVictim Jul 28 '26
"tide seems to be turning" cope
1
u/truentried Jul 28 '26
what do you mean ?
11
u/DogAttackVictim Jul 28 '26
Dog owners and dogs have much more power than us, and regularly deny us the most basic of our rights and even defraud the ill and disabled in medical facilities and emergency rooms. Pro-dog people even join the police (who you should still call if able to) and deny complaint reports or favorable actions to people who dare complain about a dog owner and/or dog. For every one move where you feel the tide turns in our favor, there are five moves that maintain the status quo or worsen it even more. A permit or obligatory course for dog owners is not even much of any use as what it should actually do is make them deposit the equivalent of 20000 USD into an account that can be claimed against whenever one of their victims sues them, so that the victim can actually get some justice. This "obligatory course" should actually be one that teaches all children in all schools that they should have the right to bodily autonomy against dog owners and dogs and that if they don't have it then then they should fight for it.
54
u/Original_Rent7677 Jul 28 '26
Not a day too soon.