OREANDA-NEWS Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the law on responsible treatment of animals, which introduces a ban on any manifestations of cruelty to them, establishes rules for walking pets and requirements for their maintenance. The document is published on the official Internet portal of legal information.

The bill was submitted to the State Duma in autumn 2010 by a group of deputies of the fifth convocation and was considered for eight years. The law establishes the basic principles of treatment of animals based on responsible, moral and humane treatment. The powers of Federal, regional and municipal authorities in the treatment of animals are fixed. Regulated requirements to the content and use of animals, rules are established to protect them from abuse, the propaganda of ill-treatment, but also imposes requirements for the content of pets and service animals to use them in entertaining activities.

As previously reported, simultaneously with the law, parliamentarians adopted an expanded resolution of the State Duma, which obliged the government of the Russian Federation within 180 days to submit to the Lower House of Parliament all the necessary by-laws.

It excludes the possibility of"free, uncontrolled movement of the animal at the intersection of the roadway, elevators and common areas of apartment buildings, courtyards, children's and sports grounds." Citizens, according to the law, will be obliged "to provide cleaning of places and territories of the general use from pollution by products of activity of a pet". Municipal authorities will be able to prohibit walking animals in certain places.

At the same time it is forbidden to walk dogs of potentially dangerous breeds without a muzzle and a leash regardless of their place of walking. Exceptions will be only when the dog is in a fenced area belonging to the owner of the animal, and in the presence of a warning label. The list of such dangerous breeds will be determined by the government of the Russian Federation.

The law also defines the legal status of animal shelters, the requirements for their placement, maintenance and use, the definition of the owners of shelters further fate of animals.

Catching of animals will have to be accompanied by video recording, placement of information on the got animals in shelters.

There is a ban on fights involving animals, their maintenance in bars, restaurants, and contact zoos.

The law establishes the tasks of state supervision in the field of treatment of animals, establishes the legal basis for public control. In addition, it provides for the confiscation of wild animals kept or used in violation of the requirements of the law.