I see from websites that Staffies are not permitted in Zurich, but I haven't seen anything that says you can apply for an exception if you are moving from abroad (I think I saw this was possible in another city, but I've looked at so many websites I can't be sure). Is that the case?
Hi, I will probably be moving to Zurich in 2022 and I've been reading about the rules regarding dogs. I have a Staffordshire-boxer cross who is 11, I have her for just over 10 years. She has the tail and ears she was born with.
According to the information on the Kanton of Zurich's website, you cannot live there with your dog.
https://www.zh.ch/de/umwelt-tiere/ti...ere/hunde.html
The only exception would apply to those who owned the dog and lived there before the law was passed. Moving from abroad does not count.
Below is an overview by kanton so you can see what options are available to you. It's not easy to read as I had to resize it to fit here so I have provided the link. https://www.sc-akademie.ch/archiv/%C...n-listenhunde/
As Mrs D says, your dog is banned in Zürich. The ban is absolute, do not even consider moving to Zürich, as you would risk your dog being seized - and in a worst case possibly euthanized.
(BSL is bad law based on emotion influenced by junk psuedo-science - but we dog lovers have to comply to the letter with the laws as they stand.)
Your choices will be to move to surrounding cantons without any BSL that could affect your dog. You can see which are possibilities based on Mrs D's link.
For further information on what each canton's dog law says, see the Tier Im Recht summary of cantonal dog laws, here:
https://www.tierimrecht.org/en/legal...onal-Dog-Laws/
Were it me, I would only choose a non-BSL canton.
If you are considering one where the breed is restricted rather than outright banned, please be certain you understand the restrictions and are confident your dog can easily pass any tests required to gain a permit. It would be unfair to your dog to put him through the testing process if you were not certain he could pass, as then what would his future be?
It's sad, and unjustified, but bull breeds are often subject to a great deal of prejudice and are certainly under more scrutiny than other breeds. This happens everywhere, not just the BSL cantons. Be prepared for neighbors targetting you, and be prepared to advocate for and to keep your dog out of harm's way.
As the owner of a bull breed, you have to be at the top of your game all the time.
This is what I mean by keeping your dog out of harm's way, never put your dog in a situation where conflict could possibly arise, learn to be diplomatic even when the other party is blatantly wrong.That you are a foreigner and have a bull breed is already two strikes against you - don't ever do anything that could be considered a third.
It's a fact of Swiss life that bull breeds (and other listed dogs) and their owners have be be better trained and better behaved than the average dog and dog owner , simply because they are continually under the microscope.
Toward that end, once you arrive top of your 'to do' list should be to join a good local dog school. Taking training classes is the best way to learn about Swiss laws, expectations, and idiosyncrasies. I would recommend continuing with training classes all the dog's life long.
FYI, there are classes specifically for senior dogs - mine all do them, they are great fun for me and for the mutts.
It's important to build a relationship with your trainer, as the trainer can act as a valuable sounding board, advisor, and mediator if it comes down to that. Additionally, that your dog is in training classes goes a long way to mollifying neighbors.
You have to find a dog trainer who likes and is willing to advocate for bull breeds, though. Be aware that unfortunately some trainers hold the same prejudices as the general population.
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It can be a challenge to live in Switzerland if your life is in anyway outside of Swiss norms, especiallty if your 'square peg in a round hole' happens to involve dog ownership.
But with a dog, whose wellbeing is wholly dependent on it's owner, we have to make the effort to fit into those norms, we do not have the luxury of ignoring typical neighborhood pressure - because our dogs end up being the ones hurt when neighborhood difficulties arise.
If your finances (and luck!) allow, please look for a single family home with a fenced-in private garden. These are scarcer than hen's teeth and will be expensive, but for your dog's sake prioritize housing in order to minimize neighbors' ability to stick their oars in.
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Wishing you and your dog all the best... in a canton other than Zürich.
Thank you for the replies, I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything. We're in the fortunate position that if we move, my sister can mind Steffi, and she'll be looked after to my high standards Steffi stays with her when we're on holidays and is well used to the house and local area.
Steffi isn't great with other dogs, she has a few that she gets on brilliantly with but that's it. We have BSL here but it is not enforced. Given her age, I wasn't sure that a move would be the best for her anyway. More thinking to do before making a decision; thank you for all the info - it'll be a well informed decision at least!
Sounds like it would be best for your dog if she moves in with your sister permanently rather than go through the stress of moving to a new place.
It's lovely to see dog owners who put their pet's wellbeing first and actually do the research as well as accept that it may mean making a difficult choice for the benefit of the animal. I'm highly entertained by the name Steffi for a bulldog, excellent, just the thought makes me smile.
The shelter staff chose her name, Steffi the Staffie - hopefully this link shows her photo
[](https://www.linkpicture.com/view.php?img=LPic61ceed0710f0a1844772886)
Consider that some work permits bind you to living in the canton where you work so check what kind of permit you will get, as that might "solve" the doubt already.
It breaks my heart we can’t have these beautiful dogs in this country ... the attitude towards them in a large portion of the population is despicable too.
I helped care for my friends white boxer for many years, and I can’t tell you how many nasty remarks were made towards me when I walked her, because people confused her with a “fighting dog”. Measures should be in place to ensure good dog ownership and not in completely banning a breed - a golden retriever could be deadly with a bad owner.
I also don’t understand the ban on people who move here with dogs that have been adopted with altered ears and tails ... it isn’t them that butchered their dog. Why should the dog & rescuers be punished?
Steffi is lovely OP, all the best with your move.
Putting on my pedant hat for a moment:
To be clear about the legal situation, as there is so much misinformation and misunderstanding of dog law in this forum, and in the general public mind:
There is no federal BSL.
Any breed bans or restrictions are enacted at cantonal level. In the cantons where BSL has been enacted, the list of breeds banned or restricted varies.
Staffies are only banned in three cantons: GE, VS, ZH.
Staffies are restricted, that is, the owner is required to obtain a permit to keep a staffie, in nine cantons: AG, BL, BS, FR, GL, SH, SO, TI, TG
The conditions to obtain a permit and keep a restricted dog vary in these cantons.
In the other fourteen cantons staffies are permitted.
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Assuming his permit allows him to live in another canton, the OP could live with his dog in ZG, SZ, LU, SG, all in do-able commuting distance of Zürich, with no permit worries. FYI, I regularly see a staffie and two other 'BSL FLuchtlinge' in my my Ausserschwyz neighborhood. Their owners moved here specifically because of the ZH ban, as we are a hop skip and jump from the ZH border.
Legally it is not that difficult to have a bull or molosser breed here.
Practicality, given typical Swiss attitudes, is something altogether different, though.
Yes - it takes more of a commitment than the average dog owner is able to provide in order to give a bull or molosser breed a good life here, even in the cantons where these breeds are allowed, due to general intolerance. And yes, it might take a bit more money, as one will likely need to find non-communal housing to avoid the possibility of ending up on the receiving end of games played by intolerant neighbors.
The question is, how thick is your skin, do you have the ability and resources to either overcome or ignore the nastiness, or to find a way to insulate yourself from it? This is the key issue - a dog is wholly dependent on it's owner to protect him. Can you do that, given typical Swiss attitudes and behavior?
That is the real question. It is one that any dog owner may have to wrestle with, as well as anyone who might for any reason fall into the square peg in a round hole category. Switzerland is not an easy place to be 'different'.
I heartily concur.
(Dublin, given that Steffi is an elderly dog, is there anyway that you can delay the move, or work remotely for the next few years? Is what you expect to find in Switzerland really worth the sacrifice?)
I'm still digesting all the information and possible options, dealing with potentially "unfriendly" neighbours in relation to a dog was not something that had crossed my mind at all. I would hope to become part of a community over time, not be acting wary....
The move is possible because of a transfer with work for my other half. Not being able to bring Steffi to live in Zurich was a real surprise, hence my original post trying to ensure we are aware of all the rules. We had also scheduled a vet check up also to see if Steffi was in good enough health to move (passed with flying colours, the vet has no concerns). This won't be an easy decision, and I'm conscious of our good fortune in so many things at the same time. Steffi's health and comfort and overall well being are the first priorities, while trying to keep ourselves in mind too. I will let you know what happens, we have a month or so more of researching and thinking before having to make the decision and then another month at least before starting to move.
Thank you again for all your inputs!
It always amazes me that in a country as small as Switzerland there can be such huge differences from canton to canton.
I often see them around here but having looked at Meloncollie’s link I realise that Neuchâtel is a very liberal canton with regards to dogs.
They did reintroduce the mandatory puppy training classes recently which I think is good thing.
I could never leave a family pet behind. Just choose another canton if you are able to.
Why is it amazing, it's very similar to America, just the states in the US are far larger
This exactly.
Anyone who has read my posts knows my stance: When we take on a pet, we commit to them for their natural lifetime, no matter what happens in ours. This is fundamental to pet ownership.
If a move throws up difficulties, we either find a way around those barriers, or we do not make the move.
BT, DT.
Think carefully - you might not even like it here. Switzerland is not everybody's cup o' tea.
The typical attitudes that brought about BSL in canton ZH extend far beyond banning certain dogs. It's a social difference that some of us from more 'individually-minded' countries find negatively impacts quality of life here.
What sort of job guarantees has your OH been given? You might make the move, only to find that your OH loses her job in the next round of RIFs.
What if you give Steffi away 'for Switzerland', only to find that Switerland doesn't work out for you?
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Rather, focus on how you can move here with Steffi. Find a place in one of the non-BSL cantons and commute. We live in SZ, OH's commute to ZH is about 40 minutes. Easy. Heck, if you chose SZ or ZG, the tax savings might, income dependent, allow you to afford more in the way of housing.
If you move with Steffi and then later find out that it is too difficult even in a non-BSL canton, she can always go back to Ireland to live with your sister. But at least give it a try.
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Does your OH still have negotiating room in her job contract? If it is a corporate transfer there might be, as most companies send their more valued employees on secondment. A typical package tries to keep the seconded employee 'whole' wrt lifestyle differences between countries specifically because the company needs that particular person to do a necessary job.
Point out that in order to replicate your life in Ireland there needs to be more company support to help solve the situation with Steffi. Negotiate in house hunting help. Negotiate extended temporary housing that allows dogs, buying you more time to find appropriate housing. Negotiate in extra money if that is what it will take to keep Steffi with you.
(If the company will not help, you have to wonder how committed to your partner they actually are. Seen that all too often.)
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Or, consider staying in Ireland for a while after your OH moves. Give her time to settle into her job, determine if the job is stable, if she likes it here. Spend that time traveling back and forth to visit each other, looking for housing options. Postpone you move over until your OH is certain that her job here meets expectations.
(When OH's job sent him to London and the dogs could not go, we did a two year stint of seeing each other on weekends. Switching between him traveling here and me there, it was do-able.)
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Please explore all possibilities before you even consider giving Steffi up. She has been your friend and loyal companion all these years. Do you really think Switzerland is worth losing her?