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Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The Swiss Federal Council Friday morning  proposed tougher punishment for owners of dangerous dogs that cause injury. The cabinet’s recommended change to federal regulations governing breeds of dogs that fall into the "dangerous dogs" category is open to the public for consultation until 15 September. Owners of these dogs are now not held liable if they can prove that they kept and supervised the dog adequately in relation to the circumstances. Under the proposed change, owners will be held liable for damage caused by their dangerous breeds dogs no matter what the circumstances.

The proposed legislative change also has variants, including one to define the breeds to be covered, and possibly their size and weight. Another calls for obligatory insurance, a measure the cabinet itself opposes. Proposal, in French: Download 20070615_vn-ber-f.pdf and the Federation’s page on the consultation process.