[DaveinGermany]

Our Dog is chipped & every year we pay Dog tax, €78,00. For us it's not really a problem she's a Belgian shepherd & is not on the dangerous Dog list (they have them here too, but strangely enough German Shepherds, Rottweilers & Dobermans, are not on it, considering these are the main kind of dogs used for security/watch so by definition aggressive). But for a pensioner on a limited income perhaps, who has a small terrier or some such for company or as security this seems a bit unfair.

Also the varying States/Counties have their own regional regulations, 15km from us all dogs in public over a certain height & weight must be on a lead regardless of Breed or temperament, further to that the Dogs on the list in public must be insured, muzzled, chipped & their owners to have taken & passed a handlers course to show they are capable enough to own these Dogs.

All this came about round 2003 ish, after some pretty bad attacks from Dogs, not all of which I hasten to add were dangerous Dogs as on the list, some where family pets who one day just turned, but the rise of "Chav-like" individuals & all the associated problems including vicious Staffies, Pit Bulls etc. gave rise to the imposition of these rules. It initially caused a major furore, which has died down greatly but is still in place but not so mindlessly applied by the local authorities & their forces.

As stated we have a Belgian Shepherd, a "Malinois" smooth coated & short haired the other two Groenendael & Tervueren, long haired & thick coated are seldom enough sites here in Germany that people are always curious as to the Breed, mainly because the only other people who have them in numbers are the GCP & DZ (Police & Customs), who use them as sniffers for Arms, explosives, drugs & bodies. Quite amusing when a Police boat cuts across the canal to pull up & ask you about your Dog !