Animal protection | Martin Rütter, the SPD and the dog license

Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Sina Schuldt Normally, Martin Rütter fills the really big halls with his stage program, like the Uber Arena in Berlin or the Cologne Arena. On Monday morning, Rütter performed in front of a smaller audience. The dog trainer was invited to a hall of the North Rhine-Westphalia state parliament as one of several experts.

The reason for Rütter's invitation to the state parliament was a visit by the SPD parliamentary group leader Jochen Ott to one of Rütter's shows. Afterwards we exchanged ideas and developed the initiative for a dog license. So far there is a certificate of expertise in North Rhine-Westphalia. A very simple written test that must only be taken after purchasing a dog, and only if the dog is taller than 40 centimeters or weighs more than 20 kilograms. Martin Rüttter finds this inadequate, explaining in the state parliament hearing that "many people buy a dog without knowing anything." Size is not necessarily an important criterion. A dachshund that bites a child's face causes the same damage as a German Shepherd that bites somewhere else.

»People inexperiencedly buy dogs.«

Martin Rütter has been running a dog school in Erftstadt near Cologne since 1995. He now offers a franchise system for dog schools. Rütter developed his own prominence through appearances as an advisor on WDR and ZDF programs. Since 2008 he has presented numerous dog shows and documentary formats for Vox and RTL. Rütter is also the author of several books. He wants to end his stage career next year.

Rütter repeatedly gets involved in animal welfare issues relating to dogs. He accused Schutzhund athletes of serious animal abuse and spoke out against the private keeping of working dogs and Schutzhund sport. Rütter described hunters as “400,000 heavily armed, often heavily drunk people” who did “shooting exercises” on field paths.

Martin Rütter's dog schools have so far offered commercial dog licenses. However, the dog trainer does not want to benefit from the SPD initiative. The new dog licenses should be attached to the animal shelters and completed as weekend courses. This is intended to help the animal shelters with their financing and also with placement. The SPD hopes for cross-party approval. In order to contribute “to many happy human-dog relationships,” one should not act according to the “usual pattern of government versus opposition.” Woof!

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