Overview

• Deputy Evgeny Marchenko submitted a bill to cap one adult dog or one adult cat per 18 square meters of apartment space, with temporary allowances for litters up to six months and an exemption for guide dogs.
• A related initiative from Marchenko and Yaroslav Nilov proposes a federal baseline of four dog-walking areas per 1,000 residents, phased in through 2030 with reduced norms where facilities are within 600 meters.
• The same package would bar minors under 16 and people under the influence from handling potentially dangerous dogs except on an owner’s fenced property, a measure the government has generally backed.
• Public Chamber representatives, including chair Elena Sharoykina, argued existing veterinary and housing rules suffice and questioned how authorities could lawfully count pets in private homes.
• Senior lawmaker Vladimir Burmatov called the apartment cap harmful and unenforceable, and Russia’s Kennel Federation president Vladimir Golubev said a single rule ignores major differences between small and large breeds.