As of December 15, 2023, the visiting regulations forbid entry with a dog to 65 locations on the territory of the Tatra National Park, which we requested in our proposal to be narrowed down to 33 routes. Based on the welcoming step by TANAP to invite people to send suggestions for the new visiting rules, and also based on our initiative supported by people with 7,200 signatures, we got the opportunity to meet in person on April 23, 2024 and to discuss, at least in part, the issue of dogs and possible proposals for partial relaxation of the current ban.

At this time, the workers of the Tatra National Park are discussing proposals for changes with all the interest groups that responded to their call, and we represented the most numerous of them, whether it concerns the number of visitors, the number of signatures in the petition or more than half of the comments sent to the TANAP secretariat.

In the next issue of the Tatry magazine published by TANAP, an article should be published that will further develop the issue of dog movement in the protected area. Since we did not receive it for viewing, I cannot say how objective this text will be and not just one-sided in terms of purpose.

At the moment, TANAP does not have the possibility to introduce fees for entering the Tatras for tourists or for visiting with a dog, while the profits would help to improve the protected area. Not only is the current or past leadership of our country not in favor of this, but the national park also has a small number of employees on a hundred thousand hectare area, and on top of that, the Ministry of the Environment ordered the directors of national parks to fire 80 people, while TANAP would also need many more employees, and 30 employees are to leave this national park. For some parks, this can be devastating.

A little about numbers

About two million tourists visit TANAP annually, sometimes it ranges from three to four million a year, of which approximately 30,000 tourists are accompanied by a dog. Although that number may seem high, the number of dog walkers is only one percent of the three million visitors, who also greatly harm this protected area.

In the text published by SITA and you can find it, for example, on Korzár, the deputy director of the TANAP Administration, Peter Spitzkopf, stated that nine out of ten dogs are free in the protected area. With the number of 30,000 dogs per year, this would mean that 82 dogs visit the park every day, and of these, 73 dog owners violate the regulations and only 9 dog owners follow them. If these numbers are true, then if Tanap fined the violations, with a maximum fine of 300 euros, it would collect almost 22,000 euros per day for the environmental fund, and it would be almost 8 million euros per year. Of course, these numbers and sums are only illustrative, because transparent statistics of offenses even in the matter of violation of regulations by dog walkers do not exist for inspection and are interpreted verbally and out of interest.

How does Tanap perceive a dog?

Before the establishment of the republic, dogs were prohibited from entering the territory of TANAP, and the national park workers are still leaning towards this as the only solution that would have an effect on nature conservation, even though they are aware that it would be socially unacceptable. Limit across the board that one percent of the total number of tourists because they are in the presence of a dog. Although there are stories about killing marmots or chasing chamois, which, unfortunately, we heard several times in the same wording from several TANAP workers, there are no transparent statistics and records. TANAP zoologist Erika Feriancová said: "Everyone wants videos, everyone wants documents. We are expert employees and professionals, so I think our claims should not be questioned." I do not dispute the documented facts, nor do I support irresponsible dog walkers, but there is a difference between communicating information transparently and communicating according to one's own interests and beliefs.

TANAP perceives the dog as a very disturbing factor in the natural environment of protected animals such as marmot and chamois, which inhabit the alpine level (above the knee timber). It makes up roughly 14% of the entire area of the national park. In addition, by violating regulations, permitted routes and damaging protected animals, plants and areas, we are causing the measures to be tightened in the future and dogs to receive a full stop, which TANAP staff strongly favors.

At TANAP, they assured us that they are also dog walkers, they just have a different opinion about taking a dog to the territory of the national park. An article about this opinion was also published in Pluska, in which TANAP zoologist Erika Feriancová expressed her opinion. It says that enterprising people could open hotels for dogs, where tourists would put their dogs for a few hours and go on a hike to the Tatras without them. We took a cynologist, breeder, trainer and operator of the Canislog dog hotel in Poprad, Jozef Olearčin, to the meeting with TANAP, who commented on the dog being left in the dog hotel: "Of course, people bring their dogs to us, it's mostly during the holiday season, when they travel on holidays, especially abroad. Who goes to work with a dog? The dog remains alone in other places as well. For the most part, the dog does not have a problem with us, but that is about 10% of the dogs that are placed with us. Others are depressed even though we give them a lot of attention. They get comfortable after two or three days, but in this case it is a short stay of a few hours, which can be very stressful for many dogs."

For many dog owners, it's not about whether the dog enjoys the views in the Tatras, but about the fact that we don't leave him under stress put away, tied up or closed, but that he is a part of our family, life and activities in full. We do not attribute human qualities to him, but we are empathetic to his needs, emotional ties, and if we were to walk with him only 5 kilometers a day along the same route for ten years every day, his life and ours would not be worth much, because an attentive and perceptive owner sees, how his canine companion also reacts to a change of environment, which is, for example, a trip in the Tatras, and I have observed for years the energy, joy and great vigor of my dog when we go to the Tatras.

Of course, each owner should evaluate for himself what breed of dog his dog has, what characteristics, abilities, possibilities, but also risks for other animals or people, because each breed was bred for different work tasks. For example, a breed like ours was bred precisely to cover as many kilometers as possible in difficult terrain without a long regeneration period. In this regard, a great lack of knowledge can be seen in many areas, even among dog owners who have had their dog for years and do not take proper care of it, are not interested in it, and do not know breeds or cynology as such at all.

What does the animal ombudsman say about banning dogs?

TANAP zoologist Erika Feriancová told us that after April 2022, i.e. after the merger of the TANAP State Forests with the TANAP Administration, they also had discussions with the animal ombudsman regarding dogs. I quote the zoologist's statement: "After presenting all the arguments, the animal ombudsman agreed with the proposal to ban dogs in the Tatras. In other words, the fact that it has been reopened is a big burden for us, and concessions cannot be made indefinitely," she said. I then asked why the animal ombudsman did not publish a current opinion leaning towards the opinions of TANAP in that case, and I subsequently contacted the ombudsman with a request for a statement.

In 2019, the animal ombudsman commented negatively on the proposal to ban dogs in TANAP. Her public contribution was subsequently used by all the media. Even this organization initiated, led and devoted a lot of energy to this entire initiative, which would prevent the ban on the entry of dogs into the national park.

"Our position remains unchanged. We are convinced that other ways should be sought, for example a significant increase in fines in block administrative proceedings, rather than blanket punishment of people and dogs. I also have a dog and I can't imagine not being able to go into nature with him, that I would leave him at home or in a hotel while the whole family spends time in nature. It is ill-conceived and unfair. On the one hand, we understand the concerns of the national park, but punishment must be targeted and not collective. On the other hand, our co-worker, who personally participated in the adversarial proceedings, did not advocate such a hard approach, as it was obvious that the competent authorities were not going to back down from the ban. Currently, the position of our organization is: targeted fines instead of a blanket ban," a worker from the Animal Ombudsman organization told me on April 25, 2024 about this issue.

What changes in the visiting order of dog owners await?

In any case, we were informed that if dog owners had followed the rules, such a massive ban and restriction would not have occurred, and for TANAP, the enforcement of fines in the field is also a problem. All the time, they tried to educate and warn tourists breaking the rules, and the fines were secondary, but they are clearly determined to be tougher and go to the limit of what is possible.

In the amended proposal, TANAP has therefore decided to tighten the rules for walking dogs, they plan to specify the length of the lead as well as stricter punishments, but they will allow movement with the dog "roughly" in the forest zone. Some alpine huts belong to this territory, but not those that are already located beyond the border of the alpine zone, such as Zbojnícka chata, Téryho chata and Chata pod Rysmi. There will probably also be some exceptions that will partially cross the edge of the alpine zone. Another important factor is the protection of the capercaillie, which occurs in the forest zone, and therefore restrictions in these locations will also be considered.

By the end of May, TANAP is supposed to submit a processed draft of comments, and then administrative proceedings will begin. Negotiations can take a month or even years. The proposal will be publicly displayed, public discussions will be held about it, and if it is generally accepted, then its adoption will be faster. If there are many comments, its acceptance will be delayed. The current visit order is therefore valid until its amendment is valid.

What can we as dog owners do?

Our joint task - dog lovers who like to spend time in nature with their four-legged companion - is therefore an effort to raise awareness, appeal and educate society all the time so that we are aware of the importance of a protected area. This should also be the goal of many influencers who have thousands or hundreds of thousands of followers on their networks and do not advertise well with a video of a dog that is free in the territory of a national park. Zoologist Erika Feriancová mentioned a video from the Alps in which ski alpinists campaigned for the protection of capercaillies and explained where tourists and ski alpinists should not go and why.

That is why we should not let our dog off the leash in the protected area. Nowadays, there are a large number of leashes that help the owner to keep the dog under control during sports, such as a canicross leash with an attachment on the waist or chest, which leaves one's hands free and can hold on or use walking sticks.

A big problem for the national park is dog excrement, which allegedly covers the trails and tourists have to go around and jump over them. We probably won't overwhelm ourselves with photos of excrement on hiking trails, but from our personal experience we mainly find bird, fox and marten excrement, not to mention an incredible amount of human excrement. A major problem with leaving dog excrement in a protected area is the possibility of the spread of parasites and other diseases, so I would very much like to appeal to every aware owner to, in addition to regular veterinary check-ups and treatment of their dog, pack excrement when hiking, for example in a bag, then a resealable bag and took to garbage collection outside the national park. It is not pleasant, but it is possible, and we should not be careless about the protection of a precious protected area. As the zoologist Erika Feriancová told us, research on the presence of parasites and diseases and their spread and impact in the protected area is, but was not done in TANAP or in Slovakia, because specialists abroad are more concerned with it.

Globally, we are facing climate change, which is also bringing invasive parasites and insect species to our high mountains. Our protected animals thus face new trials, therefore one of the reasons why TANAP would like to limit the entry of dogs is also protection against diseases and parasites brought into the protected areas through our pets and their droppings. We must therefore responsibly consider whether we keep our pet in a healthy condition.

As Peter Spitzkopf said: "These are the ethical levels of dog owners, what hiking with a dog should look like." He gave an example of a breeder who goes on a hike with six dogs and then you can't walk past him, and some people see dogs as a threat. Therefore, it is only our responsibility to consider not only our dog's abilities in alpine hiking and in more difficult terrain, but also our responsibility towards the protection of nature and other hikers on the trail. It is up to me as a pet owner to maintain their health condition in such a condition that it does not endanger other people, animals and especially nature and wild and endangered species. I, as the owner, am responsible for my pets being under my constant control when I visit the protected area, so that it remains as intact as possible by my visit for the next visitors but especially for the next generations.

I must say for myself that I try to spend time in nature with my dog so that neither of us harms the environment or harms the animal. At the same time, we live on the edge of TANAP under the High Tatras, and that is why this ban is a big interference in our life. For that reason alone, I created an initiative to restore the dog's entry to TANAP, but in the event of a ban, we will have no choice but to respect this ban and possibly look for another place to live.

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All information used in this article comes from a meeting of TANAP staff and representatives of the initiative For restoring the entry of dogs to TANAP, which took place on April 23, 2024.