Legislators of the Perm region bring in the Duma a bill that provides for the introduction of the concept of “guide dog” in the law and allows sight-disabled persons who have such dogs not to comply with certain standards.
According to the initiators, after the adoption of the Law on Responsible Pet Ownership, sight-disabled people have difficulties to live up to the standards of walking pets and are unable to clean up after their four-legged assistants. The possibility of uncontrolled movement of the animal when crossing the road could not be excluded, as well as in courtyards and playgrounds.
In addition, the guide dog should not be muzzled in comparison with other dogs in public places, transport, etc. A guide dog with a set of equipment belongs to the technical means of rehabilitation of a disabled person, used for orientation, communication and exchange of information, and is not considered to be a pet.
The amendments will ensure the enforcement of the established rights of disabled people who use guide dogs for barrier-free pets walking, access to social and transport infrastructure facilities, and recreation areas, as well as exclude the possibility of imposing administrative fines on disabled people for non-compliance with the established requirements for pets walking.