Protection dog ban

Police will have to buy dogs abroad in future

The executive has 330 four-legged friends in action.

(Bild: P. Huber)

Animal rights activists are delighted, but the police and armed forces are facing a huge problem. In future, they will no longer be able to buy their service dogs domestically. This brings great dangers.

As reported by the "Krone" newspaper, the Green Minister Johannes Rauch issued a decree on his last day at work, according to which so-called protection dog training will be banned from April 15. Police and army service dogs are exempt. However, as private individuals and dog sports clubs are no longer allowed to train dogs accordingly, service dogs can no longer be purchased from private breeders.

Army warns of a "considerable risk"
The ban on training protection dogs for civilian breeders has a negative impact on the armed forces, according to the department. "Although we breed our Rottweilers and Malinois ourselves, we have to buy in dogs to refresh their blood and for breeding purposes. This additional purchase is now associated with a considerable risk because the preliminary assessment previously carried out by private breeders is missing."

Until now, private breeders have bred and trained protection dogs. These dogs were then evaluated. The army and police then bought dogs with very good ratings to ensure that only dogs that met the highest standards were used. The ban on the training of protection dogs by civilian breeders means that this pre-assessment is no longer necessary. This increases the risk of dogs being adopted that do not meet the high standards. The army and police now have to either buy "into the blue" or purchase dogs from abroad.

Overall, experts warn that the decline in breeders means that there will be restrictions on new breeding dogs and blood replenishment for home breeding. This will have a negative impact on the health and performance of their own service dogs. However, not only the police and the army are affected, but also mountain rescue and the fire department. Around 330 service dogs are used by the police.

The military dog center in Kaisersteinbuch, Burgenland, is responsible for the breeding, training and further education of service dogs. The military dog squadron was set up in 1964. The military dogs are Rottweilers, German shepherds, Labradors and hunting dogs. They are deployed throughout Germany and also abroad - for example as part of the AFDRU disaster relief unit. The dogs are also used in the highest military security level to protect buildings and facilities or as sniffer dogs to detect drugs and explosives. There are currently over 170 military dogs and over 120 military dog handlers in the Austrian Armed Forces. With over 1,800 bred and deployed dogs, the military dog center is the largest Rottweiler breed in the world.

This reminds me of the ban on wild animals performing in circuses. Here, too, Austria played a leading role and was even able to enforce it before the European Court of Justice, despite strong opposition from the showmen.

„Krone“-Tierecke Chefin Maggie Entenfellner

Among animal rights activists, however, Rauch's last decree as minister was met with acclaim. The basic attitude of animal lovers has always been clear: why should a dog be trained by private individuals to become a living weapon under the guise of obedience? "It reminds me of the ban on wild animals performing in circuses. Here, too, Austria was in the lead and was even able to enforce this before the European Court of Justice, despite great resistance from the showmen. In the meantime, many countries have followed suit and banned animals such as elephants and lions from performing in the circus ring," says "Krone" animal corner boss Maggie Entenfellner with satisfaction.