Ban on dog walking: Iran extends restriction to more cities; violators warned of legal action

Iran on Sunday expanded its ban on taking dogs in public, citing public health and security. About 17 Iranian cities had recently banned walking dogs or taking them around in public.An official from Ilam city said, “legal action will be taken against violators”, as quoted by the reformist Etemand newspaper. Meanwhile, Abbas Najafi, the prosecutor of the western city of Hamedan, said, “Dog walking is a threat to public health, peace, and comfort.”In 2019, a police directive banned walking dogs in public. The ban has been difficult to implement as many owners continue to walk their dogs outside, reported The Guardian.

The Iranian state's objection to dogs being in public is not new, and goes back to the 1979 Islamic revolution. There is no outright ban on owning dogs, however. The opposition reportedly stems from religious scholars considering owning dogs un-Islamic. They say that coming in contact with their saliva is najis or impure. Some also see having pets dog as an influence of the western culture.Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Khomeini, in 2017 said, “Keeping dogs for reasons other than herding, hunting, and guard dogs is considered reprehensible.” He further said: “If this practice resembles that of non-Muslims, promotes their culture or causes harm and disturbance to neighbours, it is deemed forbidden.”In 2021, 75 lawmakers condemned owning pets, calling it a "destructive social problem". They said it could “gradually change the Iranian and Islamic way of life”.