Dog's life or what to expect when living in Poland with a dog

polishcanuck:

LOL few people in poland understand this concept. The worst is when all the snow starts melting! All the poop that accumulated over the winter becomes uncovered as the mercury rises, thaws, runs like water over the grass/sidewalks, and the smell of sh!t fills the air. I don't understand why people don't carry a little bag with them when taking their k9's for a walk.

jesse23:

Dog tax??? could u please tell me more i am plannin 2 bring my dogs over next year and have not heard any thing about this.

isaThreads: 13 Posts: 43 Joined: Oct 22, 08	Dec 22, 08, 16:23 / #
I will be bringing along my little dog when I move to Poland. What are the general rules for dog owners there i.e. leashing, picking after, bringing to restaurants and stores. What about dogs on public transport - buses, trams, trains... Thanks!

WroclawThreads: 77 Posts: 7,404 Joined: Apr 1, 06 [Moderator]	Dec 22, 08, 16:34 / #
isa: What are the general rules for dog owners there Difficult to say. Each region goes through periods of enforcing rules in their own way. isa: leashing, This depends on the breed and if the dog is wearing a muzzle or not. isa: picking after, Wroclaw has recently installed orange bins/trash cans for such a purpose. isa: bringing to restaurants and stores. Stores, maybe. Restaurants, I doubt it. isa: What about dogs on public transport - buses, trams, trains... They will need a ticket too. Wait for other thoughts.

Wahldo	Dec 22, 08, 17:40 / #
isa: I will be bringing along my little dog when I move to Poland Apparently Poland is dog heaven. They like their dogs a lot. Every Polish girl I know loves them.

KrzysztofThreads: 2 Posts: 1,146 Joined: Jul 26, 07	Edited by: Krzysztof Dec 22, 08, 17:59 / #
First of all you should know the national rules to bring a dog to Poland (do you have a dog passport?) Like Wrocław said each city/gmina has own regulations, there's even a dog tax (this year maximum allowed is 53,69 złoty, in Warsaw it's just 1 zloty, in Łódź 0 (no tax), in some cities the maximum 53 zl). Next year it will be called "opłata za [posiadanie] psa" (fee not tax, because of some legal controversy about the terminology), and the maximum amount of this fee will be 100 zloty, so you have to check on your City Hall's website how much they charge. Wroclaw: Stores, maybe. Restaurants, I doubt it. Not even stores (those with food), sanitary regulations etc. Wroclaw: They will need a ticket too. It looks like it's different in every city :( from what I found on a forum about dogs (link) in Warsaw and Kraków you don't need a ticket for animals, elsewhere I read that in Płock you need a ticket, don't know about Trójmiasto, but I figured you speak Polish, so read this forum http://www.goldenretriever.fora.pl/wspolpraca,88/ and ask specific questions there. For public transport (bus, tram, metro) a leash, a muzzle and a document confirming vaccinations (especially against rabies) are a must, the dog may not behave aggressively towards other passengers and may not be a nuissance for them (whatever it means). Since you're going to live in Trójmiasto (at least you were asking about rental there), you have to know that the beaches in the area have very different regulations about dogs, mostly dogs are not allowed at all during the season (even as early as from March in some places), but yet again you need info from local offices.

polishcanuckThreads: 10 Posts: 583 Joined: Feb 11, 07	Dec 22, 08, 19:59 / #
isa: picking after LOL few people in poland understand this concept. The worst is when all the snow starts melting! All the poop that accumulated over the winter becomes uncovered as the mercury rises, thaws, runs like water over the grass/sidewalks, and the smell of sh!t fills the air. I don't understand why people don't carry a little bag with them when taking their k9's for a walk.

isaThreads: 13 Posts: 43 Joined: Oct 22, 08	Dec 23, 08, 12:59 / #
Krzysztof: It looks like it's different in every city :( You are absolutely right! I further researched the pet regulations in Trojmiasto and the rules in Gdansk do not apply in Sopot! (btw - dogs need no tickets on Gdansk's buses, but they are required on local trains). Krzysztof: you have to know that the beaches in the area have very different regulations about dogs, mostly dogs are not allowed at all during the season Although I always pick-up after my bichon havanese , I agree that dogs should not be allowed on public beaches, either in or off season. Bottom line: after so many conflicting rules from each municipality, I long for the simplicity of the USA (dogs are not allowed anywhere!) or the freedom of France (the dogs rule! ;-)

jesse23Threads: 1 Posts: 20 Joined: Oct 31, 08	Dec 28, 08, 13:54 / #
Dog tax??? could u please tell me more i am plannin 2 bring my dogs over next year and have not heard any thing about this. Iam also finding it heard 2 house them any where renting is expensive and iam trying to find maybe a dog hotel or kennels that may take them on a deal that i would care 4 them in exchange 4 cheap housing, iam also a dog groomer so i wouldn't mind doing a little work

pawianThreads: 90 Posts: 5,387 Joined: May 30, 08	Dec 28, 08, 16:05 / #
polishcanuck: LOL few people in poland understand this concept. The worst is when all the snow starts melting! All the poop that accumulated over the winter becomes uncovered as the mercury rises, thaws, runs like water over the grass/sidewalks, and the smell of sh!t fills the air. I don't understand why people don't carry a little bag with them when taking their k9's for a walk. Most Poles are descendants of Polish szlachta, gentry, or aristocrats too, and they feel they have right to be above such things as picking after their dogs. Let others do it. :):):) jesse23: Dog tax??? could u please tell me more i am plannin 2 bring my dogs over next year and have not heard any thing about this. Each city council has its own regulations. Tax varies from 30 to 50 zlotys. But you must also register your dog. It is for free but costs time. The lack of registration may be punished with a fine up to 500 zlotys. Also, 11 potentially aggressive breeds require special permission in Poland. * amerykański pitbull terier, * pies z Majorki (Perro de Presa Mallorquin), * buldog amerykański, * dog argentyński, * pies kanaryjski (Perro de Presa Canario), * tosa inu, * rottweiler, * akbash dog, * anatolian karabash, * moskiewski stróżujący, * owczarek kaukaski. http://www.gazetapodatnika.pl/artykuly/rejestracja_i_podatek_od_czworo noga-a_771.htm

jesse23Threads: 1 Posts: 20 Joined: Oct 31, 08	Dec 28, 08, 17:17 / #
ok thank u i dont have any of those breeds so thats ok

DziadyThreads: - Posts: 63 Joined: Dec 16, 08	Edited by: Administrator Dec 28, 08, 20:39 / #
pawian: I've never even heard of some of these breeds. I looked them up. The akbash dog looks like a polar bear.

delphiandomineThreads: 42 Posts: 9,954 Joined: Nov 25, 08 [Suspended]	Jan 22, 09, 08:08 / #
Buses : some cities yes, some cities no. Just depends on the local bus company. Yep, there's a dog licence. I think it's waived if the dog is neutered, or if you can get a paper from a friendly vet saying it is. Obviously this won't work for a male dog ;) But it's a tiny amount anyway. No general rules, but a large dog barking might just make your neighbours try to poison it. Of course, all flats are different - ask the landlord or the administration for more advice.

Lotnik767Threads: 6 Posts: 210 Joined: Nov 12, 08	Jan 22, 09, 08:55 / #
The best ways to know is to go to the city hall/village hall go to the police station and find out ask the people that know the law! Recently I was watching TV and in the news they said that is illegal for a person under the age of 18 to walk the dog with out an adult! LOL I was laughing so hard when I herd that! Check if it true or not!!

joo whoThreads: - Posts: 114 Joined: Dec 10, 07	Jan 22, 09, 13:02 / #
fabulous vets here, and any treatment is very cheap. I recently paid just 130 zloty for a set of 8 xrays, sedative, consultation, injections, pain killers, anti-inflammatories, etc... Any dog running loose in the forests here can be legally shot, i'm told, so woodland walks are out! I think farm dogs don't need to be licensed/taxed whatever... if i've been given the wrong advice this could cost me a bit more than the vets fees at 500 zloty per dog!!?? There are lots of stray and abandoned dogs in this region, and I have seen 3 dead dogs left to rot by the roadside, so i would hesitate to call Poland a nation of dog lovers! It's also difficult to buy quality dog food just here. No Iams or Pedigree chum gracing the shelves of the local skleps...but this may be different in the cities?

terrabullThreads: 4 Posts: 35 Joined: Jul 6, 08	Jan 23, 09, 05:12 / #
I buy my dogs the same food I do in the states, Royal Canin. It's very expensive (140zl for 8kg) but worth it, as they don't eat as much because it's a high quality food. You can never find good food at the grocery store, you need to go to a pet store to get decent food.

polishgirltx	Dec 28, 08, 20:45 / #
pawian: Most Poles are descendants of Polish szlachta, gentry, or aristocrats too, and they feel they have right to be above such things as picking after their dogs. Let others do it. :):):) lol.... ;) people, please, pick up after your dogs...!! :)

jesse23Threads: 1 Posts: 20 Joined: Oct 31, 08	Dec 29, 08, 07:50 / #
i always pick up after my dog bk home if u didn't ppl would come out of there houses and follow u giving u abuse about it. its not nice when u see so much of it here in poland

pawianThreads: 90 Posts: 5,387 Joined: May 30, 08	Edited by: pawian Dec 29, 08, 09:06 / #
Dziady: I've never even heard of some of these breeds. I looked them up. The akbash dog looks like a polar bear. Reminds me of our Polish Podhalański shepherd dog. Akbash Podhalański jesse23: i always pick up after my dog bk home if u didn't ppl would come out of there houses and follow u giving u abuse about it. its not nice when u see so much of it here in poland In POland nobody will go after you, let alone abuse you in any way. Isn`t Poland a much better place to live with your dogs? :):):):)

valmoe	Jan 22, 09, 07:36 / #
Thread attached on merging: Dogs laws and rules in Poland. I am considering getting a large breed dog and would like to know the rules and laws with this. Can they take the bus with me and if so, do they need a ticket as well? Can they come to the lake with me? Is it law to have them licensed? I live in a flat, are there general rules with dogs in a flat? Any other usefull rules & laws ect I may need to know. I am a active person and love to see people running errands with the pets and mine will be accompaning me as much as possible so knowing what is allowed and frowned upon will be helpful. Thanks!

Guest	Jan 28, 09, 08:23 / #
The Akbash is related to the Tatras. My mum raises Tatra dogs here in Canada and I have an Akbash, mine looks like a smaller version of Mum's. I miss Poland a lot and remember all the dogs there. They are well loved.

joo whoThreads: - Posts: 114 Joined: Dec 10, 07	Feb 8, 09, 05:57 / #
Guest: I miss Poland a lot and remember all the dogs there. They are well loved. Tell that to the half dead English Springer that crawled down my drive last summer, thrown from a passing car! Maybe it was a racial thing?? Perhaps the Polish mafia are trying to tell me something!! Yes, some dogs are well loved in Poland (mine are!), but far more are chained up outside as cheap burglar alarms...and nobody gives a toss when they are tossed out of cars, or left as a mangled heap of roadkill roulade! Add to the death toll here, one german shepherd, mowed down by a speeding driver, and left slowly dying by the roadside while the police and driver and the occupant of the nearest house hotly debated....who was going to pay for the damage to the car!!!! I,ve started home cooking for my dogs now, as decent dog food is so hard to locate/expensive.... my husband can't believe it...divorce pending!

Ania MillerThreads: - Posts: 5 Joined: Jan 18, 09	Feb 8, 09, 13:16 / #
Beautiful dogs! I myself have an English Mastiff. She is very spoiled and weighs in at 185 pounds!

minty	Feb 10, 09, 19:08 / #
There are certainly lots of dogs in Poland , but certainly not all of them are loved!! Some are of course - our little cocker spaniel is treated as a very special member of the family. Sadly though, many of them are simply acquisitions like pieces of furniture, and are not well treated! How can dog owners claim to love their dogs when they leave them out at night in temperatures down to minus 20 degrees Celsius, with little or no protection, which judging from continuous barking at 3 am many do around where I live?