Even though pet ownership is on the rise in Tehran, the police chief has announced a ban that not only forbids walking dogs in public, but transporting them in cars.
"How are veterinarians supposed to treat dogs?" asked Payam Mohebi, a senior member of Iran's Society of Veterinarians who opened the first animal hospital in Tehran in 2002. "How are sick dogs supposed to get to us?"
The police chief said the ban is being enforced because some people who walk their dogs "cause panic and anxiety among the public." Another reason could be because dogs are considered unclean by Iran's Islamic authorities.
Pet owners who ignore the ban will be "dealt with severely," the police chief said. How severely? In 2014, authorities proposed flogging violators with 74 lashes, fining them a minimum of $3,500 – and confiscating their dogs, who would be taken to zoos or abandoned in the desert.
Dr. Mohebi said the ban "shows that decision makers pass laws that are often not based on logic." The ban on walking and driving with dogs in Tehran is indeed illogical. Please sign and share this petition demanding its removal.
Photo credit: Manuchehr Lenziran2/YouTube
