Rule-loving Swiss force pet owners to take animal understanding coursesLast updated at 17:03 25 April 2008

Comments (11) Add to My Stories All dog owners in Switzerland will have to take courses and pass tests if they want to keep their pets under the the rule-loving Swiss government announced today.
An examination on how to properly look after the dog will be introduced in September, along with a practical test to demonstrate control over the animal.
Initially, owners will have two years to follow courses but by 2010 it will be necessary to pass the theory exam in order to keep any kind of dog, whether it is a Chihuahua or an Irish wolfhound.
The federal decision on dogs was part of a wider law on the protection of animals.
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Even dog lover Paris Hilton would need to pass a test and take a course in animal welfare in order to keep her pets if she was living under new Swiss Government rules
Among the more unusual provisions is a requirement that guinea pigs and budgies be bought in groups of two or more, because they cannot bear solitude.
The law also requires farmers who keep more than three pigs, five horses, 10 sheep, 150 egg-laying hens and 200 chicks to follow a course.
This antagonized agricultural groups who say this will add more costs to their industry.
Private dog-training companies and veterinarians, who have welcomed this measure in the works since 2005, will be authorised to provide the exams after going through a certification process by the government.
A typical course can set back dog owners by as much as £45 (SFr90). Not all dog owners and groups are happy with the requirement.
"To have to hold a permit to keep a very small dog, that is going too far," said Germaine Disières, a breeder of Yorkshire Terriers in Grône, Valais.
"Education is necessary but to completely regulate (dog ownership) is not the solution."
The federal animal law came as Geneva's cantonal cabinet adopted formal regulations that ban 12 breeds of dogs regarded as dangerous, such as pit bulls.
The rules were backed by voters in a February 24 referendum following highly publicized attacks of vicious dogs on children.
Owners who acquired dangerous dogs before February 25 will be allowed to keep them on the condition that they muzzle the animals and put them on a leash in public.