Prague City Council will have to change rules for walking dogs. While the ordinance already regulates where dogs can roam freely without a leash, the Interior Ministry now wants the municipality to list and mark places in the regulation specifically. Dog walkers in the capital are already complaining that there are too few places to walk their animals freely.
For example, a sign in a park in Prague’s Malešice, which clearly states that dog owners can let their dogs off the leash here, is not enough. The Ministry of the Interior is demanding a change. “In its comments, the Ministry of the Interior told us that it wants us to clearly define places where dogs can run freely in this decree. Either by name or by a map, ” the Pirate-led municipality said.
But Prague dog owners want more places like this. According to the Prague opposition, an interpersonal agreement should work instead of a decree. “If there is a playground or children running around, I won’t let my dog go there. Or if there are ten dog walkers somewhere, I won’t go there with small children. It’s always about the agreement, ” said MP Patrik Nacher (ANO).
There are about 90 thousand dogs registered in Prague. According to experts, free movement is essential for a dog, especially if it is locked in the apartment all day. “When people have an active dog, of course, it requires some action – to fly out, to run after a stick, ” says Rudolf Desenský, a cynologist.
But that’s not so easy in the capital. Rules are strict, and if a dog runs in a forbidden place without a leash, its owner can be fined up to ten thousand crowns.