Pets & Countries' Animal Protection Laws | World Dog Alliance

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Pets and Countries' Animal Protection Laws

Austria [Dog / Cat ownership rate: 24 per 100]

Dog Meat Ban: Covered under slaughter laws
Animal Welfare Act 2004, Article 5 prohibits inflicting unjustified pain, suffering, injury, or fear on animals, with exemptions for hunting and fishing
Cruelty to animals, punishable by up to 1 year imprisonment or a fine

Germany [Dog / Cat ownership: 23 per 100]

Dog Meat Ban: Since 1986
German Animal Welfare Act, Article 17 prohibits causing substantial pain, suffering, or injury to animals without reasonable cause
Violations are punishable by up to 3 years imprisonment or a fine

Taiwan [Dog / Cat ownership rate: 21 per 100]

Dog Meat Ban: Since 2017
Animal Protection Act 1998 (amended 2021), Article 10 prohibits maltreatment, abuse, or killing of animals without justification
Violations (e.g., intentional cruelty or killing) carry up to 2 years imprisonment and/or a fine of up to NT$2 million (approx. $62,000 USD)

United Kingdom [Dog / Cat ownership rate: 26 per 100]

Dog Meat Ban: NO
Animal Welfare Act 2006 (England and Wales), Section 4 prohibits causing unnecessary suffering to animals through acts or omissions
Violations are punishable by up to 7 years imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine for serious cruelty, with lesser penalties (up to 51 weeks jail or £20,000 fine) for negligence

Netherlands [Dog / Cat ownership rate: 22 per 100]

Dog Meat Ban: NO
Animal Act 2011, Article 2.1 prohibits acts causing unnecessary suffering or neglect of animals, including farm animals
Violations are covered under the Dutch Penal Code, Article 254, with penalties up to 3 years imprisonment or a fine

France [Dog / Cat ownership rate: 25 per 100]

Dog Meat Ban: NO
French Penal Code, Article 521-1 prohibits acts of cruelty to domestic or captive animals, including killing without necessity
Violations carry up to 2 years imprisonment and a €30,000 fine

Norway [Dog / Cat ownership rate: 20 per 100]

Dog Meat Ban: NO
Norwegian Animal Welfare Act 2009, Section 14 prohibits causing unnecessary suffering or neglecting animals’ needs
Violations are punishable under Section 14, with up to 1 year imprisonment, or 3 years for aggravated cruelty

Thailand [Dog / Cat ownership rate: 12 per 100]

Dog Meat Ban: NO
Prevention of Animal Cruelty and Provision of Animal Welfare Act B.E. 2557 (2014) prohibits acts of cruelty or neglect causing suffering
Violations carry up to 2 years imprisonment and/or a fine of up to THB 40,000 (approx. $1,100 USD). Enforcement is reportedly weak

Mexico [Dog / Cat ownership rate: 8 per 100]

Dog Meat Ban: NO
No anti-cruelty law at the federal level, but the Federal Criminal Code contains a few provisions regarding animals, where wild animals have more protections than domestic animals

Turkey [Dog / Cat ownership rate: 9 per 100]

Dog Meat Ban: NO
Animal Protection Law No. 5199 (2004, amended 2021), Article 14 prohibits intentional cruelty, neglect, or unjustified killing
Violations are treated as administrative offenses, with fines up to TRY 3,000 (approx. $90 USD). Criminal penalties (up to 1 year jail) apply only for severe cases

China [Dog / Cat ownership rate: 7 per 100]

Dog Meat Ban: Shenzhen and Zhuhai (2020)
Animal Protection Law is being proposed, not yet enacted.
Currently lacks comprehensive animal protection laws, though there are ongoing efforts to introduce legislation

Indonesia [Dog / Cat ownership rate: 3 per 100]

Dog Meat Ban: 21 regions including Jakarta
No comprehensive cruelty law exists, and enforcement is minimal

Russia [Dog / Cat ownership rate: 5 per 100]

Dog Meat Ban: NO
Russian Penal Code, Article 245 prohibits cruelty causing injury or death to animals with malicious, sadistic, or mercenary motives
up to 3 years imprisonment or fines of RUB 80,000–300,000 (approx. $800–$3,000 USD). Enforcement is weak

India [Dog / Cat ownership rate: 4 per 100]

Dog Meat Ban: NO
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960, Section 11 prohibits causing unnecessary pain or suffering to animals
violations carry fines up to INR 50 (approx. $0.60 USD) for first offenses, or up to 3 months imprisonment and/or INR 100 for repeat offenses. Penalties are widely criticized as inadequate.

Vietnam [Dog / Cat ownership rate: 6 per 100]

Dog Meat Ban: NO (~5M dogs consumed/year)
No comprehensive animal welfare law exists, with Law on Animal Husbandry addressing treatment of farm animals and prohibiting acts of cruelty.

United States [Dog / Cat ownership rate: 25 per 100]

Dog Meat Ban: Since 2018
Federal animal welfare act provides minimum standards of care and treatment for animals. No federal cruelty statute exists, with cruelty primarily addressed by state laws
Each of the 50 states has a felony animal cruelty law to determine what constitutes cruelty and the penalties for committing cruelty, but levels vary

Canada [Dog / Cat ownership rate: 23 per 100]

Dog Meat Ban: NO
Criminal Code of Canada, Section 445.1 prohibits willfully causing unnecessary pain, suffering, or injury to animals
Violations carry up to 5 years imprisonment (indictable offense) or 6 months jail and/or $10,000 fine

Italy [Dog / Cat ownership rate: 18 per 100]

Dog Meat Ban: NO
Italian Penal Code, Article 544-bis prohibits unjustified killing or cruelty to animals
Violations carry 1–2 years imprisonment

South Korea [Dog / Cat ownership rate: 15 per 100]

Dog Meat Ban: From 2027
Animal Protection Act 1991 (amended 2023), Article 8 prohibits killing or injuring animals without justification
Article 8 violations carry up to 3 years imprisonment or a fine of up to KRW 30 million (approx. $22,000 USD)

Japan [Dog / Cat ownership rate: 16 per 100]

Dog Meat Ban: NO
Act on Welfare and Management of Animals 1973 (amended 2019), Article 44 prohibits cruelty or unjustified killing of protected animals
Violations carry up to 1 year imprisonment or a fine of up to ¥1 million (approx. $6,700 USD)

Singapore [Dog / Cat ownership rate: 14 per 100]

Dog Meat Ban: NO
Animals and Birds Act (2014) prohibits acts of cruelty to animals, including torture, abuse, and neglect. It also regulates animal ownership and trade
Violators can face fines and imprisonment for up to 18 months

Australia [Dog / Cat ownership rate: 23 per 100]

Dog Meat Ban: NO
There is little national animal welfare legislation in Australia; most animal welfare regulations are at the state and territory level
In NSW, serious animal cruelty is an offence under Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (NSW: Section 530) which carries a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison.

Hong Kong [Dog / Cat ownership rate: 13 per 100]

Dog Meat Ban: Since 1950
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance, Cap. 169, prohibits abuse, neglect, inappropriate transport and fighting of any animal
Maximum fine is HK$200,000 and carries a maximum imprisonment of three years

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