Basel with 2 dogs

Family, Education, Health and Pets
21
Oh, Candice, there are soooo many people on this forum who post a question ABC or XYZ and think that's all there is to it, and don't realise that they are missing knowledge in some other aspect. For this reason, many threads broaden as they go along. This extra information is one of the beauties of a forum, methinks. Just skip over any parts which don't feel relevant to you.

Some of the repeated [incorrect] assumptions we see here are to do with permits. You may well be right that your employer has reason to be confident of their permit application for you (and especially if you are Swedish it will all be plain sailing!), and I hope, for you, that that's the case.

I realise your thread is about where to live in and around Basel, given that you have two dogs, but in my opinion Medea does well to keep plugging away at it, thread by thread, warning people if she thinks that they have the wrong assumptions about permits.

I hope you find the right place for you and your dogs. Remember to get written permission from the landlord, (not automatic) before you sign the lease, so that you'll always have this to back you up should any neighbours raise an objection.

22

How can it be irrelevant? If you decide to try France and rent a place, then find you can’t live there what are you going to do then?

Yeah, the thread is about doggy stuff and I wish you the best with that. But threads here tend to wander off course quite often. And we’ve seen often here that companies, headhunters and even Swiss admin staff don’t always know what the rules are.

Back to the doggy stuff. You need to know that rules are made not just by Federal, but also cantonal and even gemeinde on dogs.

http://www.lifeinbasel.com/2014/06/2…el-guest-post/

https://www.eda.admin.ch/missions/mi…nual-pets.html

You also need to make sure your dogs are microchipped with a chip that can be read by a European reader and that they are up to date with their rabies vaccinations. Use this tool to find out what you need to do.

https://www.blv.admin.ch/blv/en/home…tchen.html#par

23
There's one park in Baselstadt (Gunderli??? Sp??) That, IIRC doesn't permit dogs, others do but only on a lead. In the back of my mind it used to be a cemetary... I don't think I made that up!

Also you have to pay for dogs to ride on the tram... i think the rule is that if the dog can't fit in a bag, it needs a half price ticket.

24
As in do I qualify for Swedish citizenship thru him? I wish. He never applied for it when I was a child since he never really retained ties in Sweden. He passed about 15 years ago so it would make my obtaining it on my own as an adult who doesn't live in or visit Sweden rather difficult.

25
If you google

"Reglement betreffend das Halten von Hunden" "basel-stadt"

you will see the lists of parks where dogs are not allowed at all, or allowed only on a short leash.

26
I'm pretty sure I said this a couple of times: I'm NOT going to live in France

[/QUOTE] You need to know that rules are made not just by Federal, but also cantonal and even gemeinde on dogs.

http://www.lifeinbasel.com/2014/06/2...el-guest-post/

https://www.eda.admin.ch/missions/mi...nual-pets.html

You also need to make sure your dogs are microchipped with a chip that can be read by a European reader and that they are up to date with their rabies vaccinations. Use this tool to find out what you need to do.

https://www.blv.admin.ch/blv/en/home...tchen.html#par [/QUOTE]

Thank you for the links. I have already looked into all of these and am aware. My first stop in this whole exploration process were the rules/regulations of import and living with dogs in Switzerland. What have I already done? What would I need to do? Etc.

Now its onto what neighborhoods should I be looking at? Are there towns outside of Basel that I might consider? Etc.

27
Basically any park that kids would play in, or picnic, play games, or is defined by walls, fences, hedges etc, or is of a decent size, dogs are not allowed to enter.

There are smaller kind of 'green areas' about where dogs can enter on the lead, that are not suitable for the above activities.

That seems to be the general rule.

Dog tax in Bassel is (I believe) chf 165 for one dog, chf330 for the second dog.

So that's chf 500 per year for the pair.

Most of Basel is 'green', so you're only a 10 min walk from some reasonable town type walks.

If you want them to run free, then anywhere bordering the countryside when you look at the map.

But as I said, also consider the commute!

28
Thank you! This is great advice!!!

The more I read about neighbors/people complaining about things (i've read about this with so many things not just dogs) the more I'm starting to wonder about the culture there. (insert thread spreading here) Are people really such busybodies over there?

29
No, I don't think people are particularly more busybodyish here than elsewhere. It is just that certain aspects of life which seem completely normal and reasonable in some other countries are regarded as odd, irresponsible or inconsiderate here. While I'm sure that that's true of just about any two cultures, there is an emphasis here in being rule-abiding and the "correct" behaviour is seen to be that which does not disturb anyone else, does not cause tension in the collective. There is not much emphasis on one's personal rights or entitlement to do or to get something.

With regard to dogs, this is particularly apparent.

The overwhelming majority of people in Switzerland do not own dogs. They may wish to, or not, but the fact is that many more people rent than own, and since many tenants and owners live in flats/apartments not houses, and since the tenancy contracts (or the rules of a governing body of co-owners) of flats/apartments very often prohibit keeping dogs (and often also cats)... people have far less contact with dogs than in some other countries where keeping a dog is perceived as sensible (for security) or obvious (as part of the family). Therefore, in having a dog - at all - in urban Switzerland, one is already doing something at least a little unusual.

Now add to this the fact of all those people having grown up in accommodation where dogs were not permitted... and you have a population of people who do not automatically know how to deal with dogs, and who, furthermore, find themselves more readily disturbed by things that dogs do (bark, whine, smell, shed hair, jump up enthusiastically), than had they always grown up with dogs around them.

If a dog-owner arrives from a culture in which keeping a dog is seen to be natural and obvious, and on top of this in which the enforcement of one's individual rights is strongly practiced, there are likely to be conflicts. If, however, the dogs are trained, well-behaved and stay at the owner's side, and if the owner is friendly, polite and not asserting an entitlement, the initial wariness quickly dissipates, and things are fine.

30

Also bear in mind that as a non-EU you can’t just decide to live anywhere in Switzerland. The rule is you live in the same canton as your workplace is based in so if that’s Basel-Stadt that’s where you need to be looking. You can ask another canton for permission to live there, but they have to approve a new permit for you and since your taxes go to the canton you live in the old canton might not be willing to let you go.

31
Fortunately BaselStadt also covers the green and pleasant 'burbs of Allschwil (plane noise!) and Riehen ( and 4058).

Both are ideal for walking the dog off the lead.

Without giving the game away, roughly where in Basel is the office?

Correction! Allschwil is Baselland, but seems to function/ be autonomous with BaselStadt.

32
Good point, Medea.

Candice, is your employer in the Canton of Basel-Stadt or in the Canton of Basel-Land?

Edit: Fish Paste was faster-n-me!

33
You have no idea how her dogs behave during the day. Some of my neighbors have multiple dogs on their terrace. I will mention that my terrace is probably 80 sq meters. Lots of dogs sleep most of the day unless aggitated by annoying people or cats.

I know that people are trying to be cautious and careful, but honestly, if you're from the US, renting a flat in Switzerland allowing pets is really much easier than it was in the US. Yes, there are rules, and there are awful neighbors, but they can be found everywhere. Let's find a little balance here.

Not only doggy day care, but there are lots of dog walking services - at least where I live near Winterthur, I wish I had information specific to Basel stadt, but I don't.

And if your landlord is like mine, the specifics of your dogs will be clearly spelled out in your lease. You will also need to carry liability insurance in case your dog does any damage.

34
That's very interesting. I didn't know that. Thanks.

35
Thank you for this! Very helpful toward understanding the culture (in general and with regards to dogs). From what you’ve described it sounds very similar to Japan and how things are there in terms of being rule abiding and disturbing the whole. This is something I can easily acclimate towards and is something that is mostly part of my personality dna.

Part of my plan is to get my boys enrolled in training stateside before leave (more for the puppy but the older one wouldn’t be harmed by a refresher!) and again when we arrive so that they (and me!) know what is expected of them is Switzerland as well as to learn German commands.

36
And also to be compliant with dog registration there

37
Candice - I have some friends in Basel Stadt who aren't on the forum. I've asked them for dog friendly suggestions. Will probably get some replies tomorrow and will send them via private message to you.

And renting was easier for us than, in Chapel Hill NC where we last lived. In fact, we ended up buying a house so we could get a dog. But then we ended up coming here less than 2 years later, and sold the house.

38
I think you want to consider living near Lange Erlen. The neighborhoods are called, Klein Basel, Hirzbrunnen, and even Rhiehen.

To me in Basel, to be around Lange Erlen is the best because of the wide open spaces and river running through it. Lots of people bring their dogs, even unleashed. I can run, take my kids, and also bike through to get to work in less than 15 mins. There's even a petting zoo in case your dogs are interested.

3k CHF/month is standard par for the course around here, so you may get a flat or a terraced home if you can find one.

If you need a large garden and house, consider over the border in France.

At least the traffic's not a nightmare like LA, so there's some good things about this area, too. Don't let all the locals scare you off too soon.

Let me know if you have any more specific questions.

39
Not sure what I pressed But I totally did not mean to groan at anyone!! So sorry!!

40
Sent you a private message.....