On Sunday, December 14, Warsaw hosted the Great Animal March, ending in front of the Presidential Palace, drawing activists, lawmakers, and public attention.
March Draws Lawmakers and Activists
The Great Animal March took place on Sunday, December 14, in Warsaw, ending in front of the Presidential Palace. Participants shouted slogans such as “Break the chains, reject the veto,” “The animal is not a thing,” and “President, stop the suffering.” The march passed through Wiejska, Nowy Świat, and Krakowskie Przedmieście. Among those present was KOK MP Katarzyna Piekarska, who had worked on animal‑rights legislation during her previous term. She said the group had hoped the presidential veto would be rejected and that, for 30 years, they had fought to remove dogs from chains. Piekarska noted that while she authored the first animal‑protection law 30 years ago, the calls to free chained dogs at that time were premature.
Chronic Stress in Dogs
Dr. Robert Maślak, from the Biological Sciences Department at Wrocław University, highlighted that march participants opposed the suffering of dogs that are legally kept on chains or in cramped cages. He said a chained dog or one locked in a tight cage still suffers. Behavioral studies show that confined dogs bite more and more aggressively. Chronic stress and loneliness lead to abnormal behaviour, and simply replacing chains with small crates does not solve the problem— it merely shifts the isolation. Crate dimensions were among the provisions that President Karol Nawrocki questioned.
Parliament to Vote on Presidential Veto
On Wednesday, December 17, the Sejm will vote to reject President Nawrocki’s veto on the “chain law” bill. Nawrocki’s justification was that, while the intention to protect animals is noble, the law was poorly drafted and could create new problems that might worsen animal welfare. He criticized the proposed crate standards as unrealistic and absurd for farmers and rural households. Nawrocki announced he would submit his own draft law on freeing dogs from chains. The Sejm had earlier passed a revision to the animal‑protection law in late September, with 280 MPs for, 105 against, and 30 abstentions. Forty‑nine PiS MPs, including Jarosław Kaczyński, supported the amendment.
