The initiative is called "Stop Chains, Pseudo-Breeding and Animal Homelessness."
According to Ewa Gebert, head of the animal welfare organization OTOZ Animals, the bill represents a significant effort by Polish animal welfare organizations to address issues of animal cruelty and overpopulation.
This draft amendment to the Animal Protection Act was drawn up by OTOZ Animals in collaboration with other organizations, including Viva!, Mondo Cane and Akcja Demokracja.
"We have collected 534,077 signatures," Gebert told the PAP news agency last week.
She added that the signatures were submitted to the lower house of parliament the same day.
The proposed legislation seeks to implement several measures to improve animal welfare in Poland.
Key provisions include banning the practice of keeping dogs tethered, introducing mandatory microchipping of pets, and enforcing mandatory castration and sterilization of non-breeding animals, in addition to banning fireworks, the loud explosions of which cause widespread trauma in animals each New Year's Eve and at other occasions when they are deployed.
The bill also aims to regulate animal shelters by establishing a national Shelter Information System which would ensure shelters are financed in a way that prevents private companies from generating excessive profits and would hold municipalities accountable for conducting proper inspections.
The legislation also proposes to ban the sale of pets through online platforms to curb unregulated breeding and trading.
Animal welfare organizations say Poland is the only European Union country where dogs are traded without state oversight.
(rt/gs)
Source: PAP