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Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.
Poland’s parliament has voted in favour of a ban on dogs being kept on leashes at home. The new measures also specify a minimum size for kennels that dogs can be kept in.
The news was celebrated by Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who shared a photo of himself with his former dog, Sheriff, and expressed relief that the current law allowing dogs to be chained up is “finally” being brought to an end.
Koniec ustawy łańcuchowej. Wreszcie! pic.twitter.com/SPwAdqViFN
— Donald Tusk (@donaldtusk) September 26, 2025
The legislation, drafted by Tusk’s centrist Civil Coalition (KO), was put to a vote in the Sejm, the more powerful lower house of parliament, on Friday afternoon.
As well as KO, its government partners, the centre-right Polish People’s Party (PSL), centrist Poland 2050 (Polska 2050) and The Left (Lewica), voted in favour. They were joined by 49 MPs from the national-conservative opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party.
However, 84 PiS MPs voted against the bill and 30 others abstained. The party has in the past been split over the question of enhancing animal rights. The far-right Confederation (Konfederacja) also voted against the newly proposed bill.
It now passes to the upper-house Senate, where the government also has a majority and which cannot, in any case, overrule the Sejm’s decision. After that, President Karol Nawrocki, a PiS ally, will have to decide whether to sign or veto the bill.
Currently, the law allows dogs to be kept on leashes for up to 12 hours a day, but critics say that in practice that rule is almost impossible to enforce.
Under the new bill, leashing dogs would be banned completely, though with exceptions. They include walking or transporting dogs, competing in dog shows, veterinary or grooming visits, or briefly tying up a dog outside a shop.
Other exceptions include cases where a dog may pose a threat to people or other animals, or when a certain dog is found to be best suited to tethering, reports news website Wirtualna Polska.
A dog who throws a ball to passers-by from a balcony above one of Poland’s most famous streets and waits for them to throw it back has become a star.
Videos of her game have been viewed millions of times and people visit in the hope of playing with her https://t.co/A9p9t0hWSD
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) August 9, 2024
The new regulations also include requirements for the size of kennels in which dogs can be kept: at least 10m² for a dog weighing up to 20kg; 15m² for one weighing 20-30kg; and 20m² for one weighing more than 30kg.
Kennels would have to be expanded to take account of the number of dogs being kept in them. The regulation will not apply to dogs being housed in shelters. A dog kept in a kennel would have to be able to exercise outside it at least twice a day.
Broadcaster RMF notes that the measures have aroused opposition from some farmers, who fear that the tougher rules will complicate their work and involve higher costs for building new pens and fences.
Kraków dog shelter was stunned when all 123 of its dogs kept in outdoor enclosures were temporarily adopted during a winter freeze 3 weeks ago
Now it reports most are likely to remain in those homes permanently, with only 20 so far returned to the shelter https://t.co/Sbr4yKuwwv
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) January 25, 2024
Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.
Main image credit: Alexander Nadrilyanski/Pexels
Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
