'Dangerous' dog black list revealed in Zurich

The argument over dangerous dogs has raged in canton Zurich, ever since a six-year-old child was mauled to death by three pit bulls almost five years ago.

Earlier this year, the issue came to a head when the public voted to ban a selection of canines, which are deemed a threat; on Thursday, the cantonal government issued its official blacklist.

The breeds banned because of their "high potential threat" are the American Staffordshire terrier, bull terrier, American bull terrier, Staffordshire bull terrier, American pit bull terrier and pit bull terrier. Mongrels with at least 10 per cent of the blood of these breeds are also included.

Cantonal chief vet, Regula Vogel said enforcing the ban should be routine. “Eight-five per cent of dogs in Zurich have a microchip and so we have some very good data on these breeds.”

“Police are aware of the downtown scene as well,” she added – breeds with a reputation for bone-crunching jaws are popular with drug dealers.

Those who own a blacklisted animal have until the end of March to submit an “exception request” to authorities. In the meantime, their pets must wear a muzzle and be leashed.

“We have to investigate if an owner are responsible and whether they have enough knowledge, and then we test this person together with their dog,” said Vogel.

“If the problem is the person there is a possibility to have the dogs adopted. If the problem is the dog – which might be overly aggressive – then we have to decide whether it should be kept with a muzzle and lead, or should be euthanized. We have to make a decision in every single case.” This process will come at a price, though authorities have yet to fix the fee.

Owners of all large dogs (over 45 cm tall) are obliged to attend education classes.

The new law has its opponents, such as Heinz Berla, a private vet popular with the English-speaking community in canton Zurich. “I’m not for this law – a small dog can also injure children,” he told Swisster.

“Permission to keep one of these ‘dangerous’ breeds will be very hard to get and muzzles are counterproductive,” he argued, though he does subscribe to education.

“It’s just a question of how you teach a dog and if you go to the puppy classes – a well socialized dog should not be a threat,” he said before conceding that there was a problem with ownership.

“Some races are more dangerous than others but they tend to be acquired by people who know nothing about dogs, who want to show off that they have the same kind of power.”

The polemic isn’t restricted to Zurich. Canton Geneva has also banned potentially dangerous dogs, while others, such as Vaud, require authorization for selected breeds.

At the federal level, the government adopted more moderate legislation in June. The text contains no prohibition of race.