Polish Presidential Office Defends Veto, Citing Need for Practical and Humane Animal Welfare Law

Poland’s Presidential Chief of Staff, Zbigniew Bogucki, has clarified the reasons behind the president’s veto of the proposed “chain law,” emphasizing that the decision rejects impractical regulations—not the goal of protecting animals. He stated that a revised presidential bill has already been submitted to the Sejm to replace the vetoed legislation.
The original proposal aimed to ban keeping dogs tethered but introduced strict kennel-size requirements that Bogucki described as unrealistic. He noted that the law required calculating kennel dimensions based on a dog’s weight, a measure that he argued would impose excessive financial burdens, especially on rural dog owners. These standards, he added, could have led to increased pet abandonment, reduced adoption rates, and unnecessary confiscation of dogs.
Bogucki stressed that the president’s veto was driven by concerns for both owners and animals. The new presidential draft still bans long-term tethering but introduces more reasonable rules. It requires appropriate shelter for dogs kept outdoors and mandates safety measures to prevent previously tethered dogs from escaping.
He emphasized that the revised bill aims to deliver effective animal protection without unrealistic demands. The presidential office encouraged cooperation on practical solutions that support both animal welfare and responsible ownership, without creating divisions between rural and urban communities.