Iranian Cities Ban Dog-Walking in Effort To Prevent Western Culture of Pet Ownership From Taking Hold

By Sharon Kehnemui

From the NYSun.com

While Americans use dog-walking as a common form of exercise and companionship, in Iran dog-walking is now classified as a safety and mental health violation akin to other so-called “Western behaviors.” 

Taking Tehran’s lead, which banned dog-walking in 2019 — though it is not evenly enforced, at least 17 cities in Iran announced this week that they also are banning dog-walking in public. Prosecutors in densely-populated cities like Isfahan, Qazvin, and Mazandaran have called dog-walking a public health violation. 

Hamedan Prosecutor Abbas Najafi announced that domestic dogs are now banned in city parks, public places, and private cars, according to Iranian news sources. Violators could face prosecution. 

“Walking with dogs” is a “violation of public rights” and “a threat to the comfort and tranquility of citizens,” Mr. Najafi reportedly said, adding, dog-walking is “anti-religious,” “reprehensible” and a “threat to public health.”

Read the rest online at The New York Sun.