The dog is not with him: in Russia, children will be banned from walking Dobermans and German shepherds

Russia wants to expand the list of dangerous dog breeds by adding Rottweilers, Alabais, German Shepherds, huskies, Dobermans and bull terriers, Izvestia found out. Another version of the amendments proposes to prohibit children, as well as drunk and incapacitated citizens, from walking dogs whose height at the withers exceeds 30 or 40 cm. The amendments to the bill were prepared by a group of State Duma deputies, and the amendments were sent to the Cabinet of Ministers. Animal rights activists note that the initiative will not work until mandatory registration is introduced for animals. About how else in the Russian Federation they want to reduce the number of dog attacks on Russians, see the Izvestia article.

Who can walk dogs

On September 24, a bill banning the walking of dangerous dogs by children under 16 and drunk people was approved in the first reading. However, the Cabinet of Ministers then asked the deputies to finalize the initiative. In particular, the review says that all large dogs with great physical strength can be dangerous to the life and health of Russians.

As a result, the inter-factional group of State Duma deputies on the treatment of stray animals has prepared several versions of amendments so that the government can choose the most appropriate one, which will eventually be submitted for consideration in the second reading of the State Duma, Deputy Alexander Spiridonov (United Russia), one of the authors of the bill and a member of the working group, told Izvestia. All proposals are collected in one document, it has been sent to the Cabinet of Ministers (amendments are available to Izvestia).

— In the first version of the amendments, we say: since there is a government list [of potentially dangerous dogs], but there are only 12 breeds, which are not particularly present in Russia, then let's expand it. And the second approach: we suggest including all potentially dangerous breeds from the government's list, plus those with a height at the withers (the place between the neck and the upper back) greater than, for example, 30 or 40 cm. Let's discuss it," the parliamentarian said.

Thus, in Russia, at least three categories — children, drunk and incapacitated citizens — may be prohibited from walking dogs whose height at the withers exceeds 30 or 40 cm. At the same time, citizens under the age of 14 are asked to prohibit walking dogs above 30 cm, and children from 14 to 16 years old — above 40 cm. As an argument, the deputies cite examples of dogs that have repeatedly attacked Russians. Among them are Rottweilers, Alabai, German Shepherds, huskies, Dobermans and bull terriers. In any case, these breeds will be on a special list, regardless of which approach will eventually be fixed in legislation.

At the same time, there is another amendment, which, however, is not spelled out in the document sent to the government, says Alexander Spiridonov. She suggests including those with a powerful jaw clenching in the list of dangerous dogs.

Another part of the amendments proposes to expand the list of those who are prohibited from walking the above-mentioned dogs. In the original version, the bill specified only children under the age of 16, as well as people under the influence of alcohol and drugs. With the amendments, the deputies want to add "other types of toxic intoxication" to the list, as well as those who are incapacitated. The latter in the Russian Federation are citizens who, due to a mental disorder, cannot realize the significance of their actions or direct them.

For violating this law, Russians must pay a fine. Deputies have already prepared proposals for amendments to the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation, but the total amount is being clarified, Spiridonov explained. First, it is necessary to adopt the law in the second reading, after which it will be supplemented by a document establishing penalties.

Don't give a leash: teenagers may be banned from walking large dogs

The restrictions will also affect citizens in a state of intoxication.

How to reduce the number of dog attacks

The deputies drafted the bill due to the recent increase in attacks by dangerous and large dogs on people, especially women and children. According to Rospotrebnadzor, in 2024, 237 thousand people applied for medical help due to dog bites. At the same time, 40% of all attacks are caused by pets that the owners could not keep track of, deputy Vladimir Burmatov noted earlier.

Disgruntled residents write angry posts on social media, calling for people who cannot control their pets to be held accountable. For example, in Yamal, on the evening of October 14, domestic dogs that teenagers were walking were bitten by several people.

"My wife was leaving the store at about 6:15 p.m. when she was attacked by dogs tied at the entrance. The animals were not muzzled. Besides her, several other passers—by were bitten," one of the townspeople wrote on social networks.

The most notorious case was the attack of two huskies on a nine-year-old boy. It happened in Sochi on February 26. The owners left the animals unattended, after which they bit the boy's face, who eventually underwent three plastic surgeries. Such tragedies occur due to the fact that in Russia there is no well-functioning system that would allow controlling the maintenance and walking of animals, including the inevitability of punishment for so-called self-driving, Vladimir Rybalko, an animal rights activist, biologist and head of the First Petrozavodsk Animal Shelter, emphasized in a conversation with Izvestia.

Before adopting such bills, it is necessary to solve a larger problem with the registration of animals. Only then will it be possible to prove that the dog belongs to a specific person and bring him to justice.

— I live in the Republic of Karelia, and I see the same samovygul, when large dogs run uncontrollably through the streets and we can't do anything about it, because they are not registered. Even if we find the owner, we need to contact the local police, then redirect the materials to the municipality or to an authorized body at the regional level. Two months pass, the statute of limitations expires, and during that time the person simply evades responsibility," says the animal rights activist.

Besides the fact that complex problems with the registration of dogs remain unresolved, the amendments to the bill themselves leave a number of questions. It follows from the amendments that it is forbidden to walk a dog if its height at the withers is more than 30-40 cm. It is unclear whether this means that a 15-year-old child will be able to walk husky or alabai puppies when they do not exceed the specified size. "Who will control it? Who's going to run and measure with these tape measures?" asks Vladimir Rybalko.

At the same time, similar restrictions are already in effect in a number of regions. For example, in the Ulyanovsk region, children under the age of 14 cannot walk dogs over 30 cm without parental supervision. In the Stavropol Territory, a child under the age of 14 is prohibited from walking with dogs from the list of potentially dangerous breeds weighing more than 30 kg.

Of course, when an 8-year—old child walks a St. Bernard, it is abnormal and dangerous, Rybalko believes. However, for this measure to work successfully, more complex issues need to be addressed. First of all, we need to introduce the same animal registration system at the federal level. At the end of September 2025, it became known that the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation has prepared a bill that obliges dog owners to enter pet data into the state information system.